Tapit Colts Top F-T Day 2 Hips to Watch

Two sons of leading sire Tapit   headline the list of horses with potential to ring a bell during the Aug. 9 second session of the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga select yearling sale.

One getting a steady stream of viewers since he arrived on the sale grounds in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., is Hip 140, a beautiful gray full brother to Royal Obsession. The colt, bred in Kentucky, is out of the winning Tiznow   mare Rote and has a female family loaded with stakes winners.

In addition to the quality pedigree, he is a "big scopey colt with a wonderful walk," said Brian Graves of Gainesway, the colt's consignor.

Another Tapit on offer during the concluding session of the sale is Hip 164, was purchased at last year’s Keeneland November breeding stock sale by consignor Hunter Valley Farm for $500,000.

The colt is a half brother to four-time grade I winner Princess of Sylmar, the 2014 Fasig-Tipton November breeding stock sale-topper when sold for $3.1 million.

"We thought if there was such a thing as value in a half a million dollar weanling, he was it," said Hunter Valley partner Fergus Galvin. "He has great balance and moves very well. We have had a handful of people see him before the sale and it has been very positive vibes from everybody who has seen him."

The session also includes Hip 148, the second of two Frankel yearlings on offer at the Fasig-Tipton sale. Consigned by Bluewater Sales on behalf of breeder Nancy Mazzoni, the colt was produced from the champion millionaire She Be Wild (by Offlee Wild).

Woodford Thoroughbreds' Matt Lyons said Hip 189, a daughter of Medaglia d'Oro   out of stakes winner West Coast Swing (by Gone West), bears a striking resemblance to the sire's champions Rachel Alexandra and Songbird. "She is is a classic filly: big, scopey, and a good mover; the type you see running in the big races on Saturday afternoon," Lyons said. "She has been well received and is on a lot of lists. She even has that white eye like Rachel Alexandra and Songbird."

Another Medaglia d'Oro filly, consigned by Craig and Holly Bandoroff's Denali Stud, is out of a stakes-winning and stakes-producing Thunder Gulch mare and was bred by Josephine Abercrombie's Pin Oak Stud.

"She is big and strong with a lot of quality," Craig Bandoroff said. "The only reason she's here is that Mrs. Abercombie owns the dam and two daughters."

Hip 166 Is one of two Candy Ride   colts from the Mill Ridge Sales consignment. Produced from the multiple stakes-winning Gone West mare Stormy West, the colt was bred in Kentucky by Alpha Delta Stables.

"We have got two really nice horses," said Headley Bell of Mill Ridge Sales. "They are well-bred and are prioper horses. I am proud of them. Both are horses brought specifically to this market."

HIPS TO WATCH—DAY 2 FASIG-TIPTON SARATOGA SELECTED YEARLING SALE

HIP, DESCRIPTION/CONSIGNOR

140         C, Tapit—Rote, by Tiznow  /Gainesway, agt.

141         C, Curlin  —Runge, by Posse/Select Sales, agt.

148         C, Frankel—She Be Wild, by Offlee Wild/Bluewater Sales, agt.

164         C, Tapit—Storm Dixie, by Catienus/Hunter Valley, agt.

166         C, Candy Ride—Stormy West, by Gone West/Mill Ridge Sales, agt.

178         F, Bernardini  —Uchitel, by Afleet Alex/Warrendale Sales, agt.

181         F, Tapit—Upperline, by Maria's Mon/Taylor Made Sales Agency, agt.

189         F, Medaglia d’Oro—West Coast Swing, by Gone West/Woodford Thoroughbreds, agt.

191         F, Medaglia d’Oro—Whisper to Me, by Thunder Gulch/Denali Stud, agt.