F-T Midlantic Sale Shows Off With $3.55M Bernardini

On the second day of selling at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale, May 24, a dramatic climax was reached when a colt by the late Bernardini  commanded every buyer's attention as he entered the sales ring. On behalf of Zedan Racing, Gary Young relentlessly answered every call to secure the colt for a record-breaking tag of $3.55 million.

"It was a great day; we exceeded records. We sold the highest-priced juvenile of the year for all 2-year-old in training sales, which says a lot," Fasig-Tipton Midlantic director of sales Paget Bennett said. "We had buyers from all over the world and our stalwart regional supporters here buying racehorses. We are tickled to death."

Bred in New York by Chester and Mary Broman, the colt breezed the fastest time of the sale in :9 4/5 over an eighth of a mile for consignor Becky Thomas' Sequel Bloodstock. Hip 385 is the highest-priced New York-bred juvenile to sell at public auction, eclipsing Chestertown , who sold at the 2019 Ocala Breeders' Sales Company March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training for $2 million to L.E.B. agent for West Point, Masiello, and Siena Farm. Sequel Bloodstock consigned both horses for the Bromans, longtime clients who own and operate Chestertown Farm.

Young, purchasing for Zedan Racing's Amr Zedan, was the session's and sales' leading buyer after signing for his single horse.

Sequel Bloodstock closed the session and sale as the leading consignor after selling eight head for final figures of $4,290,000.

"There seems to be a buyer for every horse," Consignor Randy Hartley said. "I feel like it's been pretty good, plenty of people here and good vet work. If they can jump through the hoops, they are selling well. We are being very cautious on reserves, this sale is pretty much the last shot, and it's time to buy some new ones. We are putting in enough to get them started a little bit and let go from there."

Final figures for the second session show 219 horses selling of the 251 through the ring, good for a gross of $21,542,000. An average price of $98,365 and a median of $42,000 was recorded. Thirty-two horses failed to meet their reserve to represent an RNA rate of 12.7%.

The 2022 edition of the sale shattered the previous sale-topping price of $1.8M, which Donato Lanni, agent for Michael Lund Peterson, paid in 2019 for five-time grade 1-winning, 2020 Champion female sprinter Gamine .

"Last year was such a wow year," Bennett said, "and when I come the next year, it's always, 'Can we exceed last year?' and we certainly blew it out of the park today. We had a record gross, average, and selling the highest-priced juvenile ever in the state of Maryland."

The second day of selling in 2021 saw 187 horses change hands of the 216 on offer for final figures of $17,865,500. An average price of $95,537 and a median of $50,000 was recorded. Twenty-nine horses failed to meet their reserve to post an RNA rate of 13.4%.

"It's been a strong market all year; nothing's changed," agent Jacob West said. "The horses that breezed here, galloped out, and vetted well are bringing a lot of money. There's a high demand and appetite for horses right now. The game seems pretty strong, and you see it across all the boards."

Buying on behalf of various clients, Jacob West finished Tuesday with seven purchases at final figures of $1,377,000 to be the second-leading buyer of the sale.

Three other horses sold for more than $500,000 on the second day, with the top 10 horses selling to nine distinct buyers, all destined for domestic racing.

"I have gotten four today, so far," Oracle Bloodstock's Conor Foley said midway through the day Tuesday. "It's been an active day today. I thought yesterday was soft in terms of trade and demand. It's been the first time this has happened in a couple of years. Today has been great, and I'm happy with the horses we got. Some will be going to New York, California, or the Middle East."



Cumulatively over the past two days, 391 horses sold of the 482 on offer for gross receipts of $37,297,700, an average of $95,391, with a median of $47,000. An RNA rate of 18.9% represents the 91 horses who failed to meet their reserve.

Comparably to the cumulative results of last year, 357 head of the 426 through the ring sold for final receipts of $33,692,000, at an average price of $94,375 and a median of $50,000. Sixty-nine horses failed to meet their reserve to represent an RNA rate of 16.2%. 

"As far as prices, this is probably the best sale of the year so far. It's also the last sale for 2-year-olds," Foley said. "Sometimes the horses go for more than you think they should since it's the last stop. This year, of all the sales this year, this is the one with a buyers' market."

De Meric Sales saw 22 juveniles sell of their 24 through the ring. Tristan de Meric said, "I felt like it was an excellent sale; the market was solid at the top end like we have seen all year. The middle and lower market was tricky. There wasn't a lot of bounce in the middle market like you usually see here. But if you were reasonable in your reserves, you can pretty much move anything. The top end was great; it was an excellent sale and a great market overall. We have 28 for the June sale and are looking forward to closing out the season."

Bennett added: "Anything can happen at Timonium; it shows that people can feel confident about bringing that type of horse to the marketplace here in Maryland. Here at the Maryland State Fair Grounds, who'd have thought, but everyone loves the racetrack. At the beginning of the season, we hear from consignors, who can't wait to get to Maryland."