Heading into the 2025 edition of Fasig-Tipton's The July Sale, industry consensus was that this is a good collection of first-crop yearling stallions. The results of the auction seemed to bear that view out, as most of the 21 stallions represented produced positive results in the ring.
Spendthrift Farm's Jackie's Warrior led the charge with the highest yearling average—$177,500, from four sold—all fillies, out of the six offered. The brilliantly fast son of Maclean's Music earned just shy of $3 million during his race career, winning grade 1 races at ages 2-4 and capping off his 3-year-old season with the 2021 Eclipse award for champion male sprinter.
He had the second-highest-priced filly of the sale with Hip 85, a filly out of the graded stakes-placed mare Mama Rina. Ciannello Bloodstock Services went to $310,000 to secure the daughter of Jackie's Warrior from the Gainesway consignment.
Hip 63 consigned by Brookdale, agent for Spendthrift Farm, was the stallion's second-highest-priced filly of the sale, bringing $180,000 from Legion Bloodstock, agent for Icon Racing. Icon Racing is a partnership that was launched by former MLB All-Star Jayson Werth, who was a part-owner in 2024 Belmont Stakes (G1) and Haskell Stakes (G1) winner Dornoch , which got him hooked. He started Icon with a few partners and the help of Legion's Kyle Zorn.
"That filly (Hip 63) was a standout for us," Zorn said. "She was one of our favorite horses in the entire sale.
"Her athleticism, her walk, she walked like a really good horse. She carried herself like she has a touch of class to go with it."
Zorn said he and his partners in Legion are not afraid to buy first-crop sires, as they have been rewarded by taking that chance in the past.
"We went pretty heavy with Complexity (by Maclean's Music) his first year, that's when we bought Mo Plex (multiple graded stakes winner). Last year, with the Yaupons, we bought a bunch of them. That's the best part of the July Sale, the physicals really stand out.
"Everybody knew Jackie's Warrior was a fantastic horse, a son of Maclean's Music too. You know they're going to throw a pretty horse."
By average, Jackie's Warrior's yearlings sold more for than three times his 2023 entering stud fee of $50,000. Jackie's Warrior stood the 2025 season for an advertised fee of $25,000.
Spendthrift Farm's Cyberknife ranked fifth by average at the sale, highlighted by the second-highest-priced colt of the auction at $330,000 for Hip 259 from Mahmud Mouni.
The grade 1-winning son of Gun Runner was well sought after with 10 yearlings selling from 11 offered for a gross of $1,165,000. He stood his first season for an advertised fee of $30,000.
Legion Bloodstock also purchased a filly (Hip 226) by Airdrie Studs' first-crop sire Highly Motivated for $95,000 from Denali Stud's consignment. The two-time track record setter by Into Mischief stood his first season at Airdrie for an advertised fee of $7,500. His yearlings averaged $57,500, nearly eight times his stud fee.
"She was flashy. She was honestly, personally one of my favorite horses in the whole sale," Zorn said about Hip 226. "She's part of our Legion Racing group. That's where Honor Marie came out of, Drexel Hill; she'll definitely go to Whit Beckman.
"She looked like a filly that's going to grow. She's already pretty, she's looks like she's going to be scopey, and just a real athletic-looking horse. She had a lot of energy, in a good way. She had the same walk every time we saw her even in all this heat, which to us is a really good thing."
Coolmore Has A lot to Look Forward to With First-crop Sire Success
Coolmore America's Jack Christopher was the second-leading sire of the sale by average—$162,778 from nine horses sold. He had the highest-priced yearling of the sale, with a colt (Hip 35) bringing $350,000 from CHC and Maverick Racing. He was consigned by Buckland Sales (Zach Madden), agent. Trainer Kenny McPeek, who was the leading buyer at the sale, also purchased a colt by the son of Munnings for $270,000.
Jack Christopher stood the 2023 season at Coolmore's Ashford Stud for an advertised fee of $45,000, proving a healthy return.
Although he had just two offerings, Epicenter averaged $150,000, ranking him third by average at the sale. His 2023 stud fee was an advertised $45,000.
The son of stallion phenomenon Not This Time won the 2022 Travers Stakes (G1) by 5 1/4 lengths, capping off a great 3-year-old season where he was crowned champion 3-year-old male.
His top-priced horse was a filly (Hip 61) consigned by Four Star Sales, agent, who was purchased by Winchell Thoroughbreds for $185,000. She is the first foal of the Medaglia d'Oro mare Ha' Penny. Dylan Venosa purchased an Epicenter colt (Hip 21) for $115,000, from the Taylor Made Sales Agency consignment. The colt is out of a mare who is a full sister to graded stakes winner Adventist.
Corniche and Golden Pal rounded out Ashford Stud's first-crop sire representation at the July Sale and they proved that they have a lot to be excited about this year.
All six offerings by 2021 Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) winner Corniche sold for an average of $102,333, off a $30,000 stud fee in 2023. His top-priced horse of the sale was Hip 86 who sold for $200,000 Louis Dubois, agent for Wesley Ward, from the St. George Sales consignment.
Dual Breeders' Cup winner Golden Pal averaged $87,000 with five of seven yearlings sold, topped by a $120,000 purchase by Sugar Diaz, BSW/Crow, agent, for Hip 241, a filly out of the stakes-winning mare Lead Guitar. De Meric Sales purchased Golden Pal's highest-priced colt for $100,000 from Denali Stud, agent for Don Alberto. The colt is out of the graded stakes-placed Curlin mare Bonita Bianca.
Other Six-figure Averages
Darley's Speaker's Corner got the yearling sales season off to a fast start, averaging $116,667 from three yearlings who sold at the July sale. The son of Street Sense ranked fourth overall by average among first-crop sires at the sale.
A filly (Hip 192) out of Come Storming consigned by Four Star Sales sold for $165,000 to John Servis, agent for Main Lane and Avalon. His stud fee of $20,000 for the 2023 season was the lowest among all six-figure averages reached at the sale by first-crop sires, rewarding breeders greatly for their confidence in the 7-year-old stallion.
Taylor Made Stallions' Early Voting also made a splash at the sale, with five yearlings selling for $550,000, averaging $110,000. The son of Gun Runner stood for $25,000 when he entered stud in 2023 at Ashford before continuing his stallion career at Taylor Made in 2024. The 2022 Preakness Stakes (G1) winner had a pair of colts sell for $170,000 a piece to Venosa (Hip 72) and Bradley Thoroughbreds (Hip 69).
| First-Crop Yearling Sires at Fasig-Tipton's The July Sale | ||||||
| Stallion | No. Off. |
No. Sold |
No. RNA |
Average | Gross | 2023 Fee |
| Corniche | 6 | 6 | $102,333 | $614,000 | $30,000 | |
| Cyberknife | 11 | 10 | 1 | $116,500 | $1,165,000 | $30,000 |
| Drain the Clock | 14 | 10 | 4 | $80,500 | $805,000 | $10,000 |
| Early Voting | 6 | 5 | 1 | $110,000 | $550,000 | $25,000 |
| Epicenter | 2 | 2 | $150,000 | $300,000 | $45,000 | |
| Golden Pal | 7 | 5 | 2 | $87,000 | $435,000 | $30,000 |
| Greatest Honour | 8 | 3 | 5 | $60,667 | $182,000 | $7,500 |
| Happy Saver | 3 | 2 | 1 | $87,500 | $175,000 | $12,500 |
| Highly Motivated | 4 | 4 | $57,500 | $230,000 | $7,500 | |
| Idol | 1 | 1 | $10,000 | |||
| Jack Christopher | 10 | 9 | 1 | $162,778 | $1,465,000 | $45,000 |
| Jackie's Warrior | 6 | 4 | 2 | $177,500 | $710,000 | $50,000 |
| Mandaloun | 6 | 5 | 1 | $69,200 | $346,000 | $25,000 |
| Mind Control | 1 | 1 | $8,500 | |||
| Mo Donegal | 9 | 7 | 2 | $48,857 | $342,000 | $20,000 |
| Mystic Guide | 3 | 3 | $48,333 | $145,000 | $15,000 | |
| Nashville | 8 | 5 | 3 | $87,000 | $435,000 | $15,000 |
| Olympiad | 3 | 2 | 1 | $29,000 | $58,000 | $35,000 |
| Pinehurst | 3 | 1 | 2 | $20,000 | $20,000 | $7,500 |
| Sir Winston | 1 | 1 | $7,500 | |||
| Speaker's Corner | 4 | 3 | 1 | $116,667 | $350,000 | $20,000 |
