NY-Based Stallions Get Chance to Shine at Fasig-Tipton

More than three dozen yearlings represent a dozen stallions standing in New York at the two-day Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Yearlings Sale, which began the evening of Aug. 15 and continues Monday afternoon in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. 

Leading the way with 12 cataloged for the two-day sale is Central Banker  , standing at McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds. On Sunday evening three of the four on offer changed hands in Hips 320 (a filly out of Wrigley Ivy sold to Silipo Stables for $23,000), Hip 339 (a colt out of Auntgrace sold to Tom Brockley for $25,000), and Hip 346 (a filly out of Bee In a Bonnet, sold to Hidden Brook, agent for $40,000). 

Sarah O'Brien, a former exercise rider and assistant trainer who now owns a farm in Kentucky and describes herself as an "amateur pinhooker," described Central Banker as "consistently the best stallion in New York," pointing to Hip 570, a filly out of Soul Spinner from the Hunter Valley Farm consignment selling Monday, as a potential standout. 

"She's got a beautiful head and neck, and a big sweeping walk," O'Brien said. "She has just enough sharpness to her eye and snap to her walk, with a big hip swing. She's just gorgeous and definitely the top filly in the sale for me."  

"Central Banker is a really good racehorse sire in New York," said Derek MacKenzie, managing partner at Vinery Sales. "I'm very proud of the two that we have, one colt, one filly. They're not exactly the same, but they're good athletes and they move well, with strong bodies."

Vinery consigned Hip 320 and on Monday will offer Hip 568, a colt out of the Freud mare So N So. 

Also offered by the Vinery consignment is a chestnut filly from the first crop of Weekend Hideaway   out of Lavender Hill (Hip 461). Weekend Hideaway, a New York-bred son of Speightstown  , earned more than $1 million. A multiple stakes winner that finished third in the 2016 Vosburgh Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park, he stands at Irish Hill and Dutchess Views Stallions.   

"When I saw her at the farm as a short yearling, I loved her," MacKenzie said. "She's perfectly balanced. Peter Penny from Fasig-Tipton came in and loved her, too; so here she is."  

The late Laoban is represented by eight yearlings, who was standing at Sequel Stallions when this crop was conceived. Laoban moved to WinStar Farm for this breeding season and died suddenly in May.

Meg Levy's Bluewater Sales sold the sole Laoban colt on Monday night, Hip 392 (out of Dixie Gem, by Stonesider ) for $130,000 to Joseph Migliore, agent for Matt Cutair.

"The Laobans are very consistent," Levy observed. "I loved what I saw. There's so much Indian Charlie in them through Uncle Mo. They're very athletic horses, and with the (purse bonuses) for New York stallions, they should be good prospects."  

Eaton Sales is offering the lone yearling by The Lieutenant, a son of Street Sense   who stood at Sequel Stallions before shuttling to Peru, where he was killed, along with three other stallions, by intruders. 

"She (Hip 564) has a lot of substance, a lot of leg," said Jay Goodwin, account manager at Eaton Sales. "She's a big, well-balanced filly." 

Sequel Stallions, which has been a leader in establishing stallions in New York, will send three yearlings by the Curlin   stallion Union Jackson   (Hips 434, 445, and 526) and a Freud   yearling (Hip 496) through the ring. 

"Our yearlings by Kentucky stallions and by New York stallions have been shopped pretty equally," said Sequel owner Becky Thomas.

"It's great to have more significant New York sire representation at the sale," said Boyd Browning, Fasig-Tipton's president and CEO. "Hopefully, some of the new sires will be successful and come out with runners."