‘Encouraging’ Fasig-Tipton Winter Mixed Sale Led by $775K Curlin Colt

[Wandering Eyes]

In 2024, the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Winter Mixed Sale–hosted over two days–was largely buoyed by the Lothenbach dispersal that saw seven of the sale's top nine mares–including a pair of seven figure offerings–originate from that consignment. While Monday's single-session renewal of the sale didn't quite attain the levels of one year ago, the latest edition did offer several of its own highlights.

Hailing from the Red Oak Stable dispersal, Hip 395, a colt by Curlin led the day with a $775,000 final bid from Maverick, bidding online. Out of Grade I scorer Unbridled Mo (Uncle Mo), the Feb. 24 foal was consigned by agent Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa, who also offered his 12-year-old dam a few hips later. Catalogued as Hip 401, the Apple Blossom winner was secured by Jacob West, acting on behalf of Repole Stable, for $350,000.

“David Hanley and I loved him,” said WinStar's Elliott Walden of the day's top price. “He showed so much class and had the top qualities from his sire Curlin and his broodmare sire, Uncle Mo. We really loved his leg for a Curlin.”

 

 

Hip 395 c. CURLIN o/o Unbridled Mo sells for $775,000 at Kentucky Winter Mixed! Congrats to the connections:

B: Maverick
C: @HillnDaleFarm, agt for Dispersal of Red Oak Stable
Br: Red Oak Stable (KY)#FasigKY pic.twitter.com/0o6x78uJrp

— Fasig-Tipton (@FasigTiptonCo) February 3, 2025

 

Heading the broodmare portion of the sale, Boxwood (English Channel), led through as Hip 228, brought $650,000 from agent Steve Young. In foal to Nyquist, the 9-year-old dam of stakes-winning Keep It Easy (Hard Spun) was consigned by Royal Oak Farm.

At the session's conclusion, a total of 260 head sold for $11,495,500. The average was $44,213 and the median was $17,000. One year ago, 372 horses sold over two days for a total of $21,687,000 with an average of $58,298 and median of $17,000. Last year's sale was highlighted by a trio of seven-figure mares, including sale-topper Zetta Z (Bernardini), in foal to Cyberknife, who brought $ 2 million.

“It was a very encouraging sale today,” said Fasig-Tipton's Boyd Browning Jr. moments after the sale. “There were some highlights from the Red Oak dispersal. Obviously, it's always great when you can have the quality of the caliber of the Curlin colt today. I thought that the overall vibe, from start to finish, was encouraging. The RNA rate was certainly at an acceptable level and there was some activity on some of the less expensive horses than I would have seen on some of the recent sales. It really exceeded our expectations on some of the less expensive horses in terms of the activity.”

According to Browning, the day's buying bench also yielded international participation, including the sale of Hip 229, Quality Road's Forever Dixie, who went to Shimokobe Farm via agent Polo Green Stable for $525,000. Consigned by Grovendale Sales, the 5-year-old was the second-leading mare of the session.

Monday's top mare, Boxwood | Fasig-Tipton

“Clearly, there was great competition for the top offerings,” he said. “It was nice to see a Japanese buyer make a significant purchase of [$525,000]. We had international participation bidding on several lots as well.”

He continued, “Once again, there is great competition for quality, whether it is a yearling or racing prospect, a mare in foal or a broodmare prospect.”

“We have a pretty good idea on the health of the market–we would like it to be a little bit broader or deeper. But certainly, there was plenty of bidding activity from start to finish.”

Reflecting on the advent of the growing number of digital sales and their effect on the catalogue size of their live counterpart, Browning opined, “Our goal is to serve the market. Those who are much more comfortable selling at a live auction, that's great. And for those that are more comfortable selling on a digital platform, that's great too. The sales are basically complimentary. There was probably a bit of a reduction in numbers here because some horses may have shifted to December, January or the upcoming February digital sale. It's an evolving process.”

Young Extends to $650,000 for 'November Quality' English Channel Mare

Among those heading Monday's action, Hip 228, a daughter of turf champion English Channel, brought the highest price for a mare of the session when realizing $650,000 from agent Steve Young on behalf of an unconfirmed buyer. Offered by Damian and Braxton Lynch's Royal Oak Farm on behalf of the William Pape Dispersal, stakes winner Boxwood was sold in foal to Nyquist.

“She is a November quality mare that through circumstances, she ended up here,” said Young explaining the attraction to the mare. “That made it a tick hard to anticipate what she was going to bring. I couldn't have seen her bring less, but I could have seen her bring more.”

The chestnut is out of the unraced We Use to Sing, herself a half-sister to SW and GSP Ski Holiday (Harlan's Holiday). This is the family of GI Hollywood Starlet winner Creaking Board (GB).

“She has a lot of checks and balances that make her appealing,” he continued. “She is by a very good broodmare sire and she is faster than most English Channels. She won her stakes race as a January 3-year-old.”

 

 

Hip 228 BOXWOOD i/f Nyquist sells for $650,000 at Kentucky Winter Mixed! Congrats to the connections:

B: Steven W. Young, agt
C: @Royaloakfarm, agt for William L. Pape Dispersal#FasigKY @DarleyStallions pic.twitter.com/alhjr2yN9W

— Fasig-Tipton (@FasigTiptonCo) February 3, 2025

 

The 9-year-old is already responsible for Triple Crown hopeful Keep it Easy (Hard Spun), who is targeting Gulfstream's GII Fountain of Youth Stakes. A $435,000 Keeneland September Sale purchase, Keep it Easy won Churchill's Ed Brown Stakes in his latest start. Boxwood's 2024 foal, a colt by Gun Runner, brought $425,000 at Keeneland last September.

“She's had two very good foals sell for high-market money,” he said. “She's in foal to Nyquist who is as hot as he can be.”

Asked what are the plans for his latest acquisition, Young added, “Keep it Easy is by a Danzig-line sire in Hard Spun. She was bought to be bred to Annapolis.”

Standing at Claiborne Farm, War Front's Annapolis, who stood his first season at stud in 2024, is represented by his first crop of foals in 2025.

At this venue last year, Young also purchased a single mare, who brought $500,000. Grade I-stakes placed, Home Cooking (Honor Code) produced her first foal this season.

“I went and saw her [first foal] by Annapolis at Claiborne Farm,” he said. “She had a tremendous colt that is one week old. The connections couldn't be more pleased.”

West Jumps in Early for GSP Daughter of Twirling Candy

Early in Monday's session, agent Jacob West extended to $400,000 for Hip 94, a daughter of Twirling Candy named Ready for Candy. The 3-year-old was consigned by agent Shannondoe.

“They were looking for something to keep in training,” said West of the unconfirmed buyer. “The price felt reasonable for a filly like her and we feel very good about our purchase. The seller was rewarded for having a nice horse.”

Campaigned by Zilli Racing at Woodbine, the Mike De Paulo-trained filly made seven starts at two, and despite not breaking through with a win, she hit the board in five of them, including a trio at the stakes level.

In her third trip to post, she came home runner-up behind Shifty (Medaglia d'Oro) in the grassy Catch a Glimpse Stakes in August before having to settle for seventh in the one-mile GI Natalma Stakes over the E.P. Taylor course Sept. 14.

Ready for Candy | Fasig-Tipton

Facing colts next time out in the 8 1/2-furlong Cup and Saucer Stakes, she finished a troubled fifth but was promoted to fourth following the disqualification of Ashley's Archer (Karakontie {Jpn}). Making only her third start on the Tapeta, the Ontario- bred filly was third in the Nov. 3 GIII Mazarine Stakes when returning to face her own sex and just got snagged by a half-length in her most recent start in the Princess Elizabeth Stakes Nov. 30.

“She is going to head down to Florida right now,” added West. “She is coming back off a layoff and then she will be put back into training. She is still a maiden so they might take advantage of breaking her maiden down in Florida and then sending her back up to Canada for the spring Classics.”

Bred by Mark Dodson in Ontario, the $62,000 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale and $60,000 OBS April Sale graduate is out of SP Enoree, a half-sister to GSW Grand Bili (City Zip), MSP Conquest City Girl (City Zip) and She Stands Proud, herself responsible for SW Souper Sinclair (Souper Speedy). This is the family of Canadian champion Woodcarver.

Underscoring the decision to secure the filly, West added, “She is a filly that had talent and ability. She is three, and the market right now for a filly like her is pretty strong. It's not very often you can get your hands on the. You can see them, vet them and put your hands on them, go look at them a couple of times and feel confident about your decision.”

Late in the session, West also added Hip 401, GI Apple Blossom winner Unbridled Mo (Uncle Mo), for $350,000 from the Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa consignment. Selling on behalf of the Red Oak Stable dispersal, the dam of Grade III winner Unbridled Essence (Essence of Dubai) was secured on behalf of Repole Stable.

 

 

Hip 94 READY FOR CANDY sells for $400,000 at Kentucky Winter Mixed! Congrats to the connections:

B: @Westbloodstock
C: Shannondoe Farm, agt#FasigKY pic.twitter.com/m6l5gVe19v

— Fasig-Tipton (@FasigTiptonCo) February 3, 2025

 

Tiz the Law Colt an Awesome Result for Farrar

by Jessica Martini

“It's a total blessing for me,” longtime Pennsylvania breeder Karen Farrar said after her short yearling colt by Tiz the Law (hip 55) sold for $95,000 to Mike Golden's Golden Lion Racing Monday at Fasig-Tipton. Farrar's breeding operation is down to two mares and she had purchased the colt's dam–with him in utero–for just $7,000 at last year's February sale.

Farrar admitted she didn't attend last year's sale and wasn't really planning on buying anything, but there were a couple of things that stood out to her about the then 11-year-old mare My Awesome Mom (Awesome Again).

“I had two mares, one I did not breed and one aborted in January,” Farrar explained. “So, I looked at the catalogue and I only picked out one mare, My Awesome Mom. And this sounds ridiculous, but I loved the name. So Marshall [Silverman] went to look at her and he sent me the video. I liked the way she looked and I liked who she was in foal to. Everything about her I liked. Then I saw she was born on St. Paddy's Day and then I saw she was bred on St. Paddy's Day. And I always won races on St. Paddy's Day.”

Despite the appeal, Farrar's enthusiasm was tempered by her husband, Gary.

“My husband said, 'We don't need another mare. We are trying to wind down.' So all of a sudden I got cold feet. And then Marshall called and asked what I thought. I didn't really think I wanted her then, so I told him $10,000. He said she would go for a lot more than that. I said, 'Well OK, that's fine. That's all I can do now.' And then she went for a lot less for some strange reason.”

Farrar said the mare's young covering sire might have made some buyers hesitate.

“Tiz the Law hadn't had any runners at the time. He had 2-year-olds coming up,” Farrar said. “And that's a tough time sometimes to sell a mare because you roll the dice. I've done this before where I bought a mare who had 2-year-olds coming up and you can have it all fall apart if the 2-year-olds don't run and then by the time the mare has the baby, you're sort of out of luck. Everything just fell into place with Tiz the Law doing well.”

 

 

Hip 55 c. TIZ THE LAW o/o My Awesome Mom sells for $95,000 at Kentucky Winter Mixed! Congrats to the connections:

B: Golden Lion Racing, David Wade, agt
C: Equus Farm, agt
Br: Karen S. Farrar (KY)#FasigKY @coolmoreamerica pic.twitter.com/hx6hd93gD8

— Fasig-Tipton (@FasigTiptonCo) February 3, 2025

 

Farrar started breeding racehorses in Pennsylvania in the late 1990's and among her graduates is 2010 GIII Cicada Stakes winner Liam's Dream (Saint Liam).

“I had some nice mares,” Farrar said. “I had one that was a half-sister to Distorted Humor named Danzig's Dreamer. And I sold one of her babies privately for $250,000 and she went on to win a Grade III, but those mares got older and I ended up selling her.”

Farrar already had plans to wind down her breeding operation  when her husband passed away suddenly last October.

“I am getting older, and he just passed away, but my husband was older, too,” Farrar said. “We were thinking about selling the farm next year and just keep a mare or two to board somewhere. I have two mares. The other mare is in foal to Frosted and [My Awesome Mom] is in foal to Dialed In. I was actually thinking about selling her, but I really like the mare. With my husband passing away, I'm not exactly sure I am going to be able to handle the farm and everything. But now I am afraid to sell her.”

Farrar admitted Monday's result far exceeded her expectations.

“I was hoping to get $50,000,” she said. “I didn't think I would get that. You never know what to expect at these sales, but I wasn't expecting that.”

Farrar continued, “I just can't believe it. I know how to look at mares. I've done the buyer's guides. And I picked that mare out only because of her name–my mom and I had a great relationship.”

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