Curlin Leads Juvenile Market by Average

With a 2-year-old fetching $3.65 million this week at The Gulfstream Sale, Fasig-Tipton's selected sale of 2-year-olds in training, it is no surprise to see Hill 'n' Dale Farms' Curlin  atop the sire rankings by average for the 2-year-olds in training sales held so far this year.

The 15-year-old son of Smart Strike has been a top-10 U.S. sire for the last four years and was runner-up in 2016 to Tapit . Through March 27, he is this year's second-leading active sire by number of black-type winners and black-type wins to Tapit.

Consignor Jim Crupi knew what he had going into The Gulfstream Sale and accurately predicted the strapping bay colt (Hip 173) out of the winning Bernardini  mare Achieving would top the sale. Bred and owned by Hill 'n' Dale Equine Holdings with Vincent Viola's St. Elias Stables, the colt was bought by Coolmore Stud's M.V. Magnier with unnamed partners. 

The sale topper was one of two seven-figure juveniles by Curlin at The Gulfstream Sale. A filly out of the Argentine graded stakes winner Saratoga (by Luhuk) also lit up the bid board, bringing $1.3 million from Magnier in partnership with Kaleem Shah. The filly was consigned by Paul Sharp as agent.

From three sold out of three offered, Curlin has an average of $1,671,667 and a $1.3 million median from the combined results of The Gulfstream Sale and the Ocala Breeders' Sales March 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale. 

Four other sires represented by three or more sold from the combined sales have averages exceeding $500,000: Gainesway's Tapit ($933,333), Darley's Medaglia d'Oro  ($783,333), Ashford Stud's freshman sire American Pharoah  ($610,625), and Spendthrift Farm's Into Mischief  ($516,818).

All four of these sires also were represented by a seven-figure juvenile. 

Tapit's top seller was the highest-price horse at the OBS March sale, bringing $2 million from a partnership of West Point Thoroughbreds, Rob Masiello, and Siena Farm. The colt was sold by Sequel Bloodstock as agent for the colt's breeders, Chester and Mary Broman.

The seven-figure sales for American Pharoah, Into Mischief, and Medaglia d'Oro all came at The Gulfstream Sale. 

An American Pharoah colt out of Spice Island, by Tabasco Cat, brought the third-highest price from the two sales combined, attracting a final bid of $1.65 million from agent Jamie McCalmont on behalf of Magnier. The colt was sold by Eddie Woods as agent.

A filly by Into Mischief out of the Empire Maker  mare Specification brought the two sales' fourth-highest price when Larry Best's OXO Equine went to $1.5 million. Agent Tom McCrocklin consigned the filly.

Emmanuel de Seroux's Narvick International gave $1.2 million for Medaglia d'Oro's top seller, a colt out of the Fusaichi Pegasus  mare After Thought consigned by Bobby Dodd as agent. 

WinStar Farm's late sire Pioneerof the Nile was represented by a total of two sold from both sales, so he didn't meet the minimum criteria for the leading sires list by average, but the son of Empire Maker who died of a heart attack March 18 also had a seven-figure juvenile. A son out of the Malibu Moon  mare Golden Artemis sold for $1.2 million to OXO Equine at the OBS March sale. The colt was consigned by Hoby and Layna Kight.