Majestic Warrior colt tops first session of Saratoga New
York-bred Preferred
A dark bay colt by Majestic Warrior brought a final bid of $220,000 from Nick
de Meric, agent, to top the first day of Fasig-Tipton’s Saratoga New York-Bred
Preferred Yearlings Sale on Saturday.
The yearling is out of the stakes-winning Road to Mandalay (Sea of Secrets),
making him a half-brother to stakes victress La Concerto (Aptitude) and
stakes-placed Game Token (Gold Token). Listed as the property of Seth Gregory,
Thorndale Farm, agent, he entered the ring as Hip No. 314.
Road to Mandalay is herself a half-sibling to stakes heroine Lune Rouge
(Malibu Moon) and Grade 3 runner-up Justice for Auston (Lit de Justice). The
colt’s third dam is Grade 3-placed dual stakes queen Bolchina (Bolger), who
would go on in the breeding shed to produce Grade 3-placed Bolchina’s Prize
(Prized) and stakes-placed Boldly Ruhl (Ruhlmann).
A Tale of the Cat colt out of Grace’s Valentine (Rahy) reached $200,000 from
Gotham Boys/Dave Scanlon, agent, to be the second highest-price for the evening.
The bay colt — consigned by Paramount Sales, agent, as Hip 218 — is his dam’s
first foal.
Grace’s Valentine is a daughter of Grade 1 star Plenty of Grace (Roberto),
who racked up $744,499 in earnings on track while posting five stakes wins. She
would go on in the breeding shed to produce the dam of full Aldebaran siblings
Grace Anatomy, third in the Grade 1 Alcibiades Stakes in 2007, and stakes
runner-up Position A.
Plenty of Grace is also the granddam of Grade 2 hero Diabolical (Artax),
placed in a pair of Grade 1s as well as the 2008 Breeders Cup Turf Sprint and
Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen in 2009. This female line also features champion
turf mare Soaring Softly (Kris S.), Canadian champion Wavering Girl (Wavering
Monarch), and Grade 2 veterans Tricky Creek (Clever Trick) and Parade Ground (Kingmambo).
Saturday evening’s session saw 64 New York-bred yearlings sell for
$3,657,000, a rise of 19.2 percent over last year when 59 brought $3,067,500.
The average increased 9.9 percent, from $51,992 to $57,141, while the median
rocketed 51.5 percent, from $33,000 to $50,000.
Sunday’s concluding session is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. (EDT).