Fillies last seen at the Summit of Speed filled the top two spots on the leaderboard at Monday’s Fasig-Tipton July Selected Horses of Racing Age Sale. Stakes winner My Miss Tapit (Tapit), third in the Princess Rooney (G2), commanded $700,000 from Breeze Easy, while Alter Moon (Alternation), who romped in the Azalea S. earlier on the June 30 Gulfstream Park card, sold to Steve Young, agent, for $675,000.
At the conclusion of trade, Fasig-Tipton reported that 100 horses grossed $9,318,000, an increase of 15.3 percent from the $8,083,000 realized by 84 sellers a year ago, and a record total for a sale that began in 2013. The average and median, however, were both down. Monday’s $93,180 average dipped 3.2 percent from the $96,226 recorded in 2017, while the median fell 10.7 percent, from $56,000 to $50,000.
My Miss Tapit, consigned by ELiTE as agent for the Mathis Stable, sported Hip No. 485. Originally a $500,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase, the four-year-old has compiled a record of 6-3-0-1, $132,255. The Todd Pletcher trainee opened her career as a sophomore at Gulfstream, captured her first two starts including the Game Face S. After a fourth in the Mother Goose (G2) and a fifth in the Monmouth Oaks (G3), she was shelved until this spring. My Miss Tapit returned with an allowance score back at Gulfstream in April, her start prior to the Princess Rooney. Produced by Grade 3 winner Sindy with an S (Broken Vow), she is a full sister to the Grade 3-placed pair of Rattataptap and I’ll Wrap It Up.
Three-year-old Alter Moon, the penultimate horse through the ring as Hip 574, was a late addition to the sale under the Taylor Made Sales Agency banner. From the first crop of Alternation, and out of the winning Malibu Moon mare Sahara Moon, she first brought $55,000 as a Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October yearling but slipped to only $22,000 as an OBS June two-year-old. JAL Racing’s bargain buy has gone on to earn $128,255 from her 7-3-2-0 line, all at Gulfstream. Both unplaced efforts came going longer in the Davona Dale (G2) and Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2), but she regrouped with a second in the April 21 renewal of the Game Face. Trouncing allowance/optional claiming foes by 14 3/4 lengths next, she made it two in a row in the Azalea.
The Summit of Speed could have had the trifecta, if the $495,000 bid for Princess Rooney runner-up Rich Mommy (Algorithms) had met her reserve. It did not, so the 2017 Sugar Swirl (G3) winner was led out unsold.
Instead the third highest price was the $450,000 for Dixie (G3) hero Fire Away (War Front), Hip 443, who was gaveled down to Joseph Brocklebank, agent for South Africa’s Form Bloodstock. Offered by Claiborne Farm, the Phipps Stable homebred also won a pair of stakes over a mile on the Aqueduct turf, last November’s Artie Schiller and the April 8 Danger’s Hour in a course-record 1:35.15. His other stakes credit was a third in the Tampa Bay S. (G3), and he was most recently fourth in Oscar Performance’s record-setting Poker (G3). The six-year-old is not expected to add to his resume of 23-7-4-4, $613,397, for as reported by the Blood-Horse, he’ll embark for the upcoming breeding season in South Africa. Fire Away’s stud appeal is obvious as a War Front grandson of unbeaten Hall of Famer and Broodmare of the Year Personal Ensign. Out of Grade 2-placed Salute (Unbridled), Fire Away is a half-brother to Grade 1 winner Mr Speaker.
Two brought $400,000 apiece. Whispering Oaks went to that price for Grade 3 veteran One Liner (Into Mischief) (Hip 492) from the draft of WinStar Racing, agent, and stakes-winning turf sprinter Factorofwon (The Factor) (Hip 440) was snapped up by Everett Dobson’s Cheyenne Stables. The sophomore filly was offered by Warrendale Sales, agent, fresh off her second in Saturday’s Stormy Blues S. at Laurel.
Also making a quick turnaround from race to sale was Revved Up (Candy Ride), who just missed by a half-length to Divisidero in Saturday’s Arlington H. (G3). Empire Thoroughbreds, agent for Kingsport Farm, secured the five-year-old entire for $350,000. A relative of Fire Away from the same Phipps/Claiborne connections, Revved Up is out of champion Storm Flag Flying. His second dam is multiple Grade 1-winning millionaire My Flag, a daughter of Personal Ensign.
“We had another successful horses of racing age exercise today,” Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning said. “We had lots of horses that had lots of appeal domestically, and a few internationally.
“It really helps when you have consignments from racing operations such as Stonestreet, WinStar, the Phippses/Claiborne. We saw ELiTE’s introduction to the marketplace last year, which certainly added a jolt of energy and I think raised the bar in the horses of racing age sales arena. Taylor Made (has) always done a good job attracting top products, and other folks are beginning to see the virtues and reality and the strength of the marketplace.”
For complete results, and live streaming of Tuesday’s July Sale of selected yearlings, log onto fasigtipton.com.
