Qatar Racing and Blue Diamond Stud among the buyers as Fasig-Tipton's July Sale soars

The Fasig-Tipton July Selected Horses of Racing Age Sale finished with strong results on Monday, delivering stronger results in all statistical categories compared with 2022 and selling three horses for $500,000 or more. The final horse through the ring, a late addendum to the sale, was one of the three top sellers - Iowa Oaks captress Crypto Mo, who put a half-million dollar exclamation mark on the day.

"It was a terrific afternoon of sales; the horses of racing age marketplace was dynamite today," Fasig-Tipton's president and CEO Boyd Browning jr said. "Buyers, sellers, and officials in attendance today were likely surprised at how robust the market was. The bidding was consistent from start to finish; the first horse through the ring was one of the most vetted horses on the sales grounds, and the final horse through was only entered Sunday morning."

Leveraging the availability of greater liquidity a sale like this provides, the team behind Crypto Mo decided on July 8, after she took the 1 1/16-mile race by an impressive two lengths, to cash in on her success. Showing on the sales grounds Monday, the chestnut filly by Mohaymen showed seamlessly for consignor Taylor Made Sales Agency, entering the sales ring and seeing the bidding drive to $500,000 with Hunter Valley Farm's managing partners on the winning side.

"We bought this filly for ourselves and Qatar Racing; she will head to Brad Cox," said Adrian Wallace, who runs Hunter Valley Farm with Fergus Galvin. "She won very well Saturday night; she's a filly on the up. She has a beautiful physical and was classy here in the back ring, never turned a hair. She's definitely improving; hopefully, it goes bigger and better on the horizon for her."

Lightly raced at two, she broke her maiden on second asking at Prairie Meadows by three lengths. She hit the track twice this year before stretching out to win the Panthers Stakes on June 10. 

Nearly a month after she claimed the Iowa Oaks, again on her home track.

Brendon Valentini, Travis Murphy and Marshall Taylor celebrate a fine resultCredit: Fasig-Tipton Photos

"With this filly, we were trying to stair step her up," trainer and co-owner Travis Murphy said. "We thought she had a lot of speed in her first race and won easily. She had some two-year-old aches and pains, so we turned her out and wanted to save her to make a good solid three-year-old campaign. We legged her up at Oaklawn and put her in a race, she was passing horses at the end, but I wasn't ready to stretch her out yet. We had the idea to stretch her out in the 1 1/16th, and the rest is history."

The filly was purchased by trainer Murphy for $20,000 from her breeder/consignor Buck Pond Farm at the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. The filly raced for Murphy, Brandon Valentini's Triple V Racing, and Matt Trent in partnership. Murphy's wife Cindy was in the tack on Crypto Mo to record her career 2,000th win as a jockey.

Fasig-Tipton reports 142 horses were traded of the 170 through the ring on Monday afternoon for gross receipts of $13,982,000, posting a 29 per cent increase over 2022. The average price of $98,465 provided a 18 per cent increase, and a median of $62,500, an increase of 8 per cent over last year was recorded. There were 28 horses who failed to attain their reserve, representing an RNA rate of 16.5 per cent.

Last year the single sale session saw 129 of the 159 horses on offer sell for a gross of $10,814,000. Suitable for an average of $83,829 and a median of $58,000. There were 30 horses who failed to meet their reserve, representing an RNA rate of 19 per cent.

Free Look was bought on behalf of Blue Diamond StudCredit: Fasig-Tipton Photos

"It's been a terrific sale for us tonight, probably our best July sale ever," Brad Weisbord of ELiTE said. "Fasig-Tipton does a great job of getting the buyers here. I want to give a special shout-out to both Chad Brown and Jonathan Thomas because they are great conditioners of racehorses and manage their clients very well."

Leading racehorse consignor, ELiTE sales led from start to finish on Monday, selling 35 horses for a gross of $5.44 million to be the day's highest seller and accounted for the co-highest priced horse, Free Look, who sold to Chad Schumer, agent for Blue Diamond Stud UK for $550,000. Chad Schumer, purchasing as agent for separate clients, made two purchases Monday for $750,000 to be the sales leading buyer by gross.

"We sold horses from $35,000 to $550,000 tonight, which is a big range for us, but there were buyers at all levels," Weisbord commented. "We've always found that at racehorse sales, unlike potential yearling or two-year-old sales, where the middle market may be thin, there are buyers at all levels at racehorse sales."

Consignor James Keogh of Grovendale Sales had a banner day selling 17 horses for a gross of $967,000 and noted the market was strong.

"It's been an excellent sale, and there's a tremendous market for horses in the $100,000 to $300,000 range," Keogh said. "Fortunately enough, we had a few in that range, so we were able to sell. It's a great time of the year to have a good racehorse sale, with the Saratoga and Del Mar meets coming. I think that helps a whole lot."

Gainesway's consignment became the first to crack the half-million mark when it sold stakes winner Malleymoo for $550,000.

Agent Steve Young signed the ticket for the three-year-old daughter of English Channel who won the June 2 Penn Oaks. The filly had been campaigned by Rockingham Ranch, David Bernsen, Talla Racing, and JWS Racing. She was trained by Jack Sisterson.

Young said he sees a lot of upside for the filly, who will be sent to Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher's stable at Saratoga.

"[Malleymoo] is a filly that is very nice now and bred to get better as she gets older," he said. "I think each one of her races has been an improvement from the one before, and they do that in the middle of her three-year-old year. That is enticing."

Malleymoo had a progressive profile to boost her priceCredit: Fasig-Tipton Photos

Calumet Farm bred Malleymoo in Kentucky out of the Lonhro mare Tangaroo, who is out of stakes-placed winner and stakes producer Devout. The family traces to Irish champion and 2008 Irish Broodmare of the Year Park Express, who is the dam of multiple European champion New Approach. 

Calumet sold the filly as a short yearling for $13,000 to Jaquez Bloodstock during the 2021 Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale. She was then offered again later that year at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October Yearling Sale by Brookdale Sales where Magnolia Racing Syndicate bought her for $113,000.

Malleymoo won her debut in Ireland for Magnolia Racing and Bronsan Racing and was then purchased privately and sent back to the United States. She became stakes-placed at two by finishing second in the Wait a While Stakes at Gulfstream Park. To date, she has a 2-1-0 record from six starts and earned $127,381.

Brian Graves with Gainesway said buyers found a lot to like in Malleymoo.

"She is just a really nice quality filly by English Channel who just had a stakes win. Clean, sound, and ready to go," he said.

The July Sale of Selected Yearlings takes place on Tuesday with the first 109 horses through the ring as part of the freshman sire showcase.

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