TUESDAY, AUGUST 5, 2014 732-747-8060 $ TDN Home Page Click Here TAPIT STARS AS MARKET STRONG AT SPA Day 1 Ends With a Bang... A pair of fillies by super sire Tapit sold for seven figures, but it was the sparkling buy-back rate which was the star of the show during Monday=s opening session of the FasigTipton Saratoga sale. Of the 82 yearlings catalogued for the session, 64 found new homes and seven were reported not sold for a buy-back rate of 9.9%. It was 25.4% during last year=s Day 1 Topper, Hip 81 opening session. AI can=t ever remember, and I think it would be unrealistic to imagine an RNA rate at a select sale of less than 10%,@ said CEO Boyd Browning, Jr. AI think it showed a very, very broad market and lots of interest with a first-rate group of buyers. I think it shows the consistency of the quality of horses that our consignors brought to us this year and that our selection team put together. I think that the buyers responded accordingly with enthusiasm and were very active throughout the evening. I think the statistics also show that there is balance in the market price. There aren=t runaway prices, but there sure is a legitimate market that exists with the buyers and sellers alike in 2014, and that=s extremely healthy.@ Monday=s gross was $18,267,000 for an average of $285,422 and a median of $232,500. The session average dipped 8.9% from a strong opening day in 2013, while the median was off 14.7%. The two seven-figure yearlings matched the total from last year=s sale. Jason Litt of Litt/Solis Bloodstock, acting on behalf of an undisclosed client, topped the session with Alex Solis his $1.15-million bid for a daughter of Gainesway=s redhot Tapit out of champion She Be Wild (Offlee Wild). That bettered the mark of $1 million set just a half-hour earlier when Nat Rea of Regis Farms purchased a Tapit filly out of Rote (Tiznow). The first session of the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale ended on a high note when hip 81, the penultimate horse of the night, topped the session at $1.15 million. The Tapit filly, who was purchased by Solis/Litt Bloodstock on behalf of an undisclosed client, is the second foal out of 2009 champion 2-year-old filly and GI Breeders= Cup Juvenile Fillies winner She Be Wild (Offlee Wild). AAlex [Solis] and I thought she was the best filly in the sale,@ Jason Litt said. AShe=s a Tapit out of a champion mare. She=s beautiful, balanced, a great mover. There=s nothing not to like.@ Bluewater Sales consigned the gray on behalf of breeders Mike and Nancy Mazzoni, who also bred and campaigned She Be Wild. The mare produced a Tapit filly in 2012, has a Smart Strike filly weanling and is currently in foal to Frankel (GB). AI couldn't be happier,@ Bluewater=s Meg Levy said. AThe people that we sold her for trusted us with their baby and this is so important. They raised the mare, they have the mother of the mare, and they bred the mare to Frankel this year. They've really upped their game. So this is a very emotional thing for them--they love their babies. They are commercial breeders. They only have a handful of mares. Doing this for them, it couldn't be more satisfying. I know it's very hard for them to part with her, but it's a great result.@ Levy was understandably pleased with the price tag. AYou always hope [for a big price],@ she explained. AWe tried to keep our expectations in the reasonable range because that is our job, managing expectations. Watching the other Tapit filly [hip 69, who went for $1 million] sell was encouraging.@ Fasig-Tipton cont. p3 Late Monday night, Browning was already looking forward to another day of selling in Saratoga. AThe good news is, we=ve got some nice horses to sell [Tuesday],@ Browning said. AWe=re excited to come back tomorrow.@ The Saratoga sale continues Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Humphrey S. Finney Pavilion.
IN THIS ISSUE PEB s TDN Sketch of the Week CO-PUBLISHERS President: Barry Weisbord barryweisbord@thetdn.com @barryweisbord Vice President: Sue Finley suefinley@thetdn.com @suefinley BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Director of Business Development: Gary King garyking@thetdn.com EDITORIAL editor@thetdn.com Editor-in-Chief: Jessica Martini Managing Editor: Alan Carasso Racing Editor: Steve Sherack Racing Analyst/Social Media Director: Brian DiDonato Associate Editor: Justina Severni Assistant Editor: Christie DeBernardis Assistant Editor: Heather Likins Click here to buy a print of this sketch, or the original. Currently accepting commissions. Visit www.pebsite.com for details. ADVERTISING advertising@thetdn.com Director of Advertising: Alycia Borer Art Director: Lia Kusch Sr. Ad Coordinator/Dir. of Distribution: Sarah K. Andrew Advertising Designer: Amanda Crelin Advertising Assistant: Amanda Foster CUSTOMER SERVICE customerservice@thetdn.com Director of Customer Service: Vicki Forbes INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Director of IT: Robert Williams robertwilliams@thetdn.com Hip 69, second highest priced yearling on Day 1 Horsephotos Database Admin./Programming Specialist: Gregg Casillo gcasillo@thetdn.com Andrew Caulfield on Moreno WORLDWIDE INFORMATION This week, Andrew Caulfield takes a closer look at last weeknd s GI Whitney H. winner Moreno, who left much to be desired early on in his career, but has since staked his claim at the head of his division. Page 15 EST 2:55p Race Give Thanks S.-G3, COR Click for (Brisnet.com PPs) TV ------ International Editor: Kelsey Riley kelseynriley@gmail.com Newmarket Bureau, Cafe Racing: Sean Cronin Newmarket Bureau, Cafe Racing: Tom Frary caferacing@aol.com 60 Broad Street, Suite 100 Red Bank, NJ 07701 732-747-8060 732-747-8955 (fax) www.thoroughbreddailynews.com www.thetdn.com
TDN P HEADLINE NEWS 8/5/14 PAGE 3 of 16 thoroughbreddailynews.com Tapit Filly to Regis John Moores and Charlie Noell=s fledgling Merriebelle Stable purchased a weanling by Tapit for $550,000 out of last year=s Keeneland November sale and the gray yearling proved almost twice as popular at Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Monday night, selling for $1 million to the bid of Nat Rea=s Regis Farms. Rea left the sales pavilion quickly after signing the ticket on hip 69, but smiled at the assembled press and said, AWe=ll let the filly do the talking. We=re just the owners. The horses should do the talking for us.@ It was a good result for the Merriebelle operation, according to general manager Gary Murray. AWe didn=t really think this far ahead,@ Murray admitted when asked if he envisioned this result when the filly was purchased last fall. ABut we=re really happy. It was a positive result and I hope she wins the Oaks for the new connections.@ The yearling is the first foal out of Rote (Tiznow), a half-sister to GI Garden City BC S. winner Magnificent Song (Unbridled=s Song) and to multiple group placed Great Barrier Reef (Mr. Greeley) and GSP Park Avenue (Mr. Greeley). She was consigned by Bluegrass Thoroughbred Services. AI was hoping we=d buy her back because I didn=t want to see her go,@ Bluegrass Thoroughbreds= Peter Bance, an advisor to Merriebelle, admitted. AShe=s grown and gotten better and has really shown us how large she=s going to be. She=s going to be a big, strapping, beautiful filly. She=s a Tapit filly who is stretchy. She=s got a dose of Tiznow, it=s a great cross. She=s going to be somebody=s blue-hen mare.@ Hip 69 Hip 81
TDN P HEADLINE NEWS 8/5/14 PAGE 4 of 16 thoroughbreddailynews.com FASIG-TIPTON SARATOGA SELECTED MONDAY S TOP 10 YEARLINGS Hip Sex Sire 81 f Tapit Dam Price ($) She Be Wild 1,150,000 B-M. & N. Mazzoni (KY) Consigned by Bluewater Sales LLC, Agent I Purchased by Solis/Litt 69 f Tapit Rote 1,000,000 ($550,000 wnlg >13 KEENOV) B-Marbat (KY) Property of Merriebelle Stable LLC, Bluegrass Thoroughbred Services, Inc. (John Stuart), agent Purchased by Regis Farms 82 c Unbridled=s Song Shesabullwinkle 700,000 B-Angela M. Ingenito & The Unbridled's Song Syndicate (FL) Consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, Agent LVIII Purchased by Stonestreet/Bolton/Leidel 58 c Medaglia d=oro Passion du Coeur 675,000 B-Elm Tree Farm (KY) Consigned by Gainesway, Agent VI 75 f War Front Santa Catarina 600,000 B-Eaton Sales (KY) Consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, Agent LXIX Purchased by Blandford Bloodstock Ltd. 29 c Distorted Humor Joanie=s Catch 550,000 B-Fred W. Hertrich III (KY) Consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, Agent LVIII 63 f Malibu Moon Prall Street 500,000 B-William Graves & Dennis Lynch (KY) Property of Graves & Lynch, James M. Herbener Jr., agent Purchased by Stonestreet Thoroughbred Stables 80 f Gio Ponti Shandra Smiles 500,000 B-Dr. Rodney Orr (KY) Consigned by Warrendale Sales, Agent I 74 c Distorted Humor Sadler s Secretary (Ire) 450,000 B-WinStar Farm (KY) Consigned by Woodford Thoroughbreds, agent 34 c Tizway Lady Nichola 425,000 B-Spendthrift Farm (KY) Property of Spendthrift Farm LLC, Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent Purchased by Matthew Schera Ï Ò
Second-highest priced Day 1 yearling for the Leading Sire in America Congratulations to buyer Regis Farm and consignor Bluegrass Thoroughbred Services Inc. (John Stuart), agent for Merriebelle Stable LLC Gainesway Farm 859.293.2676 / Michael Hernon 859.621.6295 Neil Howard 859.621.6273 / Brian Graves 859.621.6270 LGB, LLC 2014 / Photo: Tibor Szlavik