$250k Corniche Filly Leads Steady Fasig-Tipton California Fall Yearlings Sale

[Wandering Eyes]

by Dan Ross & Jessica Martini

POMONA, CA – The Fasig-Tipton California Fall Yearlings Sale, held Tuesday at Fairplex, produced average and median figures largely in line with its 2024 renewal even as its clearance rate declined.

A total of 140 yearlings sold for $4,603,400. The average increased 11.4% to $32,666 and the median remained steady at $15,000. In 2024, 163 head grossed $4,781,400 for an average of $29,334.

With 97 horses reported not sold, the buy-back rate rose to 40.8%. It was 34.8% a year ago.

“The California breeding program is such a great breeding program, so these breeders are proud to take and race their homebreds,” said Fasig-Tipton's Mike Machowsky. “There is such an advantage for stallion awards, breeders awards, and owners awards in California. There is a big advantage for those breeders. There is money to be made with a nice Cal-bred. So guys aren't shy to take them home.”

A filly by Corniche brought the auction's top price when selling for $250,000 to Legacy Ranch. The yearling was one of three to sell for over $200,000–matching the figure from last year–and 11 to sell for six figures. Eight yearlings sold for six figures at the 2024 auction.

“We are committed to serving and establishing a solid sale out here in Southern California to support the market and all the breeders,” said Machowsky. “We are here to support these California breeders and we are going to stay here.”

Corniche Filly to Legacy

A filly from the first crop of Corniche (hip 193) will be joining the roster at Legacy Ranch after the Parrellas' operation purchased the yearling for a sale-topping $250,000 in Pomona Tuesday.

“The Corniches were selling very well at Keeneland,” trainer John Sadler, who was seated alongside Legacy manager Terry Knight, said of the filly's appeal. “And she is a very smooth filly. We thought she was the best horse in the sale.”

The 43 yearlings by Corniche who sold at the recently concluded Keeneland September sale averaged $203,651. The stallion stands at Coolmore for $15,000.

Hip 193 is out of Carmelita (North Light {Ire}) and is a half-sister to multiple stakes winner Carmelita's Man (Mucho Macho Man). She was bred by Richard Barton Enterprises and was consigned by Barton Thoroughbreds, agent.

“There have been a lot of good horses coming out of this sale the last couple of years and the state-bred program is solid,” Sadler said. “There are races for these horses on our circuit. We were delighted to get her.”

Sadler continued, “She will go to Legacy Ranch. Terry Knight will break her and supervise her early training up there.”

Hip 20 | Fasig-Tipton

Moroney Strikes Again at Fairplex

John Moroney, who purchased the $250,000 sale-topping son of Stay Thirsty at last year's Fasig-Tipton California Fall Yearlings Sale, struck again in Tuesday's renewal of the auction with matching $225,000 bids to acquire a colt by Maxfield (hip 20) and a son of Good Magic (hip 61). Both yearlings were purchased in partnership with trainer Steve Knapp and Thomsen Racing. Knapp handled the bidding on both colts, who, like last year's sale-topper, were bred by Terry Lovingier and consigned by Lovingier's Lovacres Ranch.

Out of graded stakes winner Lost Bus (Bring the Heat), hip 20 is a half-brother to stakes winner Bus Buzz (Stay Thirsty), who won the 2023 Real Good Deal Stakes for Knapp, Lovingier, Thomas Halasz and Amanda Navarro.

“I trained Bus Buzz, who looks just like him,” Knapp said. “He was a running son of a gun.”

Steve Knapp | Fasig-Tipton

Knapp also has experience with the colt's freshman sire Maxfield. He trains his son Max Ciao and co-owns the colt with Lovingier and Moroney. Max Ciao won the Sept. 5 I'm Smokin Stakes at Del Mar.

“He looks like both of them,” Knapp said. “He's a big, good-looking horse. And we will go from there.”

Hip 61 is out of stakes winner Noble and a Beauty (Noble Causeway), a mare purchased by Lovingier with the colt in utero for $22,000 at the 2023 Keeneland November sale.

“He's bred really nicely and he's a really good-looking colt,” Knapp said. “If you don't buy them, then you've got to beat them.”

Moroney, along with Knapp and Thomsen Racing, partnered to acquire an additional three yearlings, led by a filly by McKinzie (hip 86) for $100,000. In partnership with Tom Landon, Moroney purchased a pair of yearlings by Stay Thirsty (hip 65 and hip 21) for matching $40,000 price tags. All seven were from the Lovacres Ranch consignment.

A Missouri businessman, Moroney owns a string of Taco Bell restaurants in the Midwest.

Last year's sale-topper, now named Fionello, races for Knapp, Lovingier, Moroney and Sandra Lee Grey. A debut winner at Santa Anita in May, he was fourth in the Aug. 8 Graduation Stakes and again in the I'm Smokin Stakes last time out.

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