‘We can't wait to watch him compete on the world-class stage’ - exciting Our Moneyman sets $2 million Fasig-Tipton record

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Our Moneyman brought down the curtain on Fasig-Tipton's July Selected Horses of Racing Age Sale by setting a new event record of $2 million.

Coming in as the final lot, number 365, at Tuesday’s sale in Lexington, the colt is a three-year-old Louisiana-bred son of Mr Money who had finished a narrow second in last weekend’s Grade 3 Indiana Derby for owner-breeder Chester Thomas’s Allied Racing Stable.

Our Moneyman was knocked down to agent Pedro Lanz on behalf of KSA Stables, the Saudi Arabian operation of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz and sons, but is set to remain with trainer Bret Calhoun.

"I come here every year, and it's always hard to find a horse, because nobody wants to sell. When someone brings a horse, you have to pay," Lanz told BloodHorse.

"I was watching his replays, and I was wishing this horse would come [to this sale]. When I saw this horse, and I saw that race, I said, 'Wow, this is the horse who will be perfect for Saudi Arabia’.

"The next day, Anna [Seitz of Fasig-Tipton] came to me and told me, 'I have a horse who could be interesting for you.' And, I was like, 'Wow, that was my wish.' I'm very happy. This is a very good horse."

Pedro Lanz: bought the $2 million Our Moneyman on behalf of Saudi Arabia-based KAS StablesCredit: Fasig-Tipton Photo

Our Moneyman was consigned by Hunter Valley Farm and one of that operation’s partners, Fergus Galvin, said:  "Obviously, we had pretty high expectations off that run [in the Indiana Derby]. But to get to that level, you never dream it. It's fantastic. He always said he'd give us a good one to sell one day, and I think this is the one."

Thomas, whose mare Lipstick Junky has also bred stakes winners Winning Romance and Jack Hammer, said: “Our Louisiana breeding programme has paid off in spades. We could not be happier. He's going to a great group in Saudi, and we're very delighted to know this horse will have a great home.

"We can't wait to watch Our Moneyman compete on the world-class stage."

The figure surpassed the sale record of Romeo, who made $1.7m to Mahmud Mouni as a two-year-old 12 months ago. This section of the sale concluded with 38 racehorses sold for $6,428,000. The average was a new record of $169,158, although the $85,000 was down from $95,000 last year.

The July Sale itself had already taken place as the first yearling sale of the new season. It was topped with a colt by highflying Vekoma (135) who was knocked down for $600,000 from the consignment of his breeder Shawhan Place.

Kristian Villante was in action for Legion Bloodstock at the Fasig-Tipton July SaleCredit: Fasig-Tipton Photo

The chestnut colt is the second foal out of the winning Uncle Mo mare Passionate Dream and from the top-class family of Zenyatta and Balance.

He was bought by Kristian Villante of Legion Bloodstock on behalf of a partnership.

"The whole team really loved him, so we kind of came here hoping we'd have a chance to buy him," Villante said. "We stretched a little more than we were comfortable stretching, but we have to do that for those kinds of horses. The pedigree, the physical, it was all there.

"I think he could've stood up in the Saratoga Sale, not just July. He was a big, forward-looking colt, but just had a really good presence about him. He handled himself really well all week. We love the sire, but he was a physical standout for us. He had the physical and the pedigree. We love Uncle Mo as a broodmare sire, so it really made sense all around."

The Vekoma colt was followed in the standings by a filly by Girvin (166), who sold for $450,000 to Tom McCrocklin from an Airdrie Stud consignment and who descends from the Grade 1 family of Pirate’s Revenge, Sweet Catomine, and Life Is Sweet. 

Plenty of July Sale records were being set on TuesdayCredit: Fasig-Tipton Photo

Statistics for the yearlings were equally positive with 147 yearlings sold for $17,096,000, up on last year when 159 sold for $16,968,000. The average and median were both sale records with the former climbing nine per cent to $116,299 and the latter up six per cent to $95,000.

“It was a great start to the yearling sales season,” said Fasig-Tipton president Boyd Browning. 

“We felt very positive based on the activity we saw on the grounds over the weekend and we’re delighted with the overall results. As usual, we had a really good combination of end users participating and a significant level of pinhookers participating as well.

“We value their participation because the types of horses we sell at the July Sale are the types of athletes likely to perform well at a two-year-olds in training sale. But there are a lot of racehorses who come out of this sale to appeal to end users as well.”

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