Patient Young Brings Home $300,000 Empire Maker Colt

Agent Steven W. Young only bid on two horses July 9 at The July Sale.

The prominent agent was outbid on the first, Hip 22, a Flatter  colt sold for a sale-topping $440,000, but made sure he secured the other one: Hip 320, a son of Empire Maker  purchased for $300,000 late during Fasig-Tipton's selected yearling sale.

Consigned by the Koch family's Shawhan Place, agent for Kentucky breeders Austin and Brenda Paul, the colt, born on an early Feb. 26, 2018 foaling date, is out of the unraced Bernardini  mare Miss Patchouli, a half sister to grade 1 winner and sire Snow Ridge and to stakes winner and sire Pavarotti.

The colt's extended female family includes Travers Stakes (G1) winner Afleet Express, Besilu Stables Florida Derby (G1) winner Materiality, and Alabama Stakes (G1) winner Embellish the Lace.

"There were two horses we liked a lot; he was one of them," Young said, adding the colt's strong physical was crystal clear. "I didn't think it was gray. It was black and white. The other one we got outbid on was the Flatter, another super nice horse, with a lot to like about him."

Young said he considered another Empire Maker colt that went unsold at $245,000 earlier in the day, but "this is a faster, quicker athletic horse to me and he comes from Materiality's family, so if he's as good as that horse is, we'll be all right."

Young said he thought he would have to bid higher secure the colt.

"I thought the horse was going to bring more than that," he said.

Shawhan Place farm manager Gus Koch said the colt was specifically pointed to The July Sale, which kicks off the North American yearling sale season.

"We came in here with high expectations and thought he would be well received at this sale," Koch said. "We wanted to ride the Empire Maker wave into the new yearling season. We thought he would be a standout for the buyers."