Whether in the Humphrey S. Finney Sales Pavilion, outside its doors on a beautiful summer night in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., or bidding from afar by phone or Internet, a crowd of enthusiastic buyers pushed the opening session of The Saratoga Sale, Fasig-Tipton's select yearling sale, to impressive heights Aug. 4.
The first of two sessions for the Saratoga sale saw 77 horses sell for $39,975,000. The session average of $519,156 is up 4.5% from last year's opening session to a record-breaking sale.
That start thrilled Fasig-Tipton president and CEO Boyd Browning Jr., who noted that it's only halftime ahead of the Aug. 5 second session. Browning was proud of his team, as 77 of the 88 yearlings offered Monday were sold. The buyback rate registered at just 12.5%.
"The most encouraging stat, to me? This is an uber-select sale and we had a buyback rate less than 15% tonight. And I promise you, there'll be some of those horses that get sold tomorrow," Browning said. "It's a tribute to our selection team that did a great job of identifying the horses that we're going to be offering. It's a tribute to our consigners and the owners of those horses who entrust us with some of their very best yearlings year in and year out. And it's a tribute to the buyers that consistently support this sale. We're delighted with the first session."
WATCH: Boyd Browning Recaps Night One of Saratoga Sale
Browning said he's very optimistic about Tuesday's session but didn't want to make any "grand proclamations. You know me, it's only halftime."
At least one of Monday's prominent buyers was attracted by a spring season that saw horse racing enjoy some positive light that included a Netflix show that gave viewers behind-the-scenes access to the top races of 2024. Longtime Standardbred horsemen Kjell Andersen saw his interest in Thoroughbred racing piqued when he watched that Netflix show, "Race for the Crown."
That interest would take the form of his $1.4 million bid to land a Not This Time colt Monday, a half brother to grade 1 winner Union Strike and multiple graded stakes winner and millionaire Handsome Mike.
Andersen reached out to trainer Kenny McPeek, who was featured on the Netflix show, and just like that, he's in the Thoroughbred business after purchasing Hip 66, a colt consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent. The colt was bred by Clearsky Farms and Three Chimneys Farm.
"I've been in the harness business for 20 years; this is my first Thoroughbred horse, and I'm looking forward to it," Andersen said. "We saw that (Netflix show). We have harness horses in Lexington, Kentucky, and (McPeek) is there, too. It just fits everything with (McPeek) being down there and us doing harness racing. Being in the same place is great.
"There are so many people here tonight; it's fantastic. I really, really look forward to being part of this (world) as well."
READ: New Owner Andersen goes to $1.4 Million for Not This Time Colt
The equine star of the night was a $2.7 million son of Gun Runner who topped the session. He was purchased by Winchell Thoroughbreds, which, of course, campaigned the 2017 Horse of the Year with Three Chimneys Farm, which now stands the stallion.
Hip 37 inspired a lively bidding war, with Ron Winchell prevailing when the hammer dropped. "He's a replica of Gun Runner," Winchell said.
"Gun Runner is who we saw when we looked at him," said Steve Asmussen, who trained Gun Runner.
The bay colt is out of the A.P. Indy mare America, a grade 3 winner whose 2018 colt by Curlin sold at this sale for $1.5 million. That colt, later named First Captain, went on to land the 2021 Dwyer Stakes (G3), the 2022 Pimlico Special Stakes (G3), and earn a grade 1 placing. America also is the dam of $2 million yearling Sedona, as well as her most recent foal to race, a $1.2 million yearling named Americathegreat who finished fourth in the June 29 Debutante Stakes at Churchill Downs in her second career start.
"That mare is really a gift. She just gets an athletic foal," said Lynn Hancock, vice president of Stone Farm, which foaled, raised, and consigned the colt. "She's been a real producer on the track and at the sale. We're fortunate to bring a colt like him up here and get a result like that."
The colt was bred by Bobby Flay, who also bred and raced America.
The big sale Monday followed the induction of Stone Farm founder Arthur Hancock III into the Racing Hall of Fame just days earlier in a ceremony conducted in the same pavilion.
"He's been super straightforward at the farm from the day he was born," Lynn Hancock said of the colt. "He has a huge walk on him, and he's obviously so well bred."
The price exceeded the $2.3 million paid at the 2022 edition of this sale for another son of Gun Runner: Sierra Leone, who topped that sale and has gone on to win the 2024 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) as well as this year's Whitney Stakes (G1)—just two days before this year's opening sale session across the street at Saratoga Race Course—for owners Peter Brant, Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Westerberg, and Brook Smith. Voicing a sentiment experienced by a number of buyers, Asmussen said they had to go beyond what they'd planned to spend on the colt.
Asmussen added, "We're not so much trying to make sense as to acquire what we like the most. We owe it to Gun Runner."
Gun Runner stands at Three Chimneys Farm near Midway, Ky., where he commanded a fee of $250,000 for the 2025 season. With just five crops to race, including 2-year-olds of 2025, Gun Runner sits second on the general sires list with more than $11 million in progeny earnings through Aug. 3, trailing only Into Mischief .
The second-highest price of the session completed an underdog story. Breeder Denise Smith came into sale with the dream of selling a million-dollar horse, but realistically hoping to earn a half-million dollars with Hip 36, a Good Magic colt named Alekazam. Should he fetch that price, he would become Mesingw Farm's highest-selling yearling in their five years of operation.
As it turns out, she and her husband, Steve, wished on the correct star as a little bit of good magic entered the sales ring with the Warrendale Sales-consigned colt to the tune of $1.6 million from Legion Bloodstock as agent for Hoolie Racing.
"I'm speechless," Denise Smith said. "I didn't think I was going to get (my million-dollar horse) this year. It's so exciting, I'm thrilled."
The good-looking son of Good Magic was the lone horse the Smiths had brought to the sale this year.
READ: Hoolies' $1.6 Million Buy Grants Dream for Smiths
Warrendale, as agent for Stonestreet Bred for Brilliance, also consigned the session-topping filly, a chestnut daughter of Curlin who as Hip 13 brought some early applause when she sold to Windancer Farm for $1.3 million. The filly is out of grade 3 winner Two Sixty, a daughter of Uncaptured. Two Sixty is a half sister to stakes-placed Karaya.
"We knew she was going to be a special filly tonight," said Warrendale partner and director of bloodstock services Hunter Simms. "She saw a lot of action from all the right people. She showed over 240 times over the last four days, so we knew she was well received.
"Once you hit the million-dollar mark, you're way above expectations. She's a nice filly, and she definitely deserved it."
A daughter of Flightline (Hip 34) who sold for $1.1 million led the way for a trio of fillies offered from the first crop of the 2022 Horse of the Year. West Point Thoroughbreds, a part owner of Flightline, landed Hip 34. All three Flightline yearlings on offer Monday night sold, at an average price of $775,000.
Hoping to repeat, or maybe surpass, the success they had with 2022 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T) winner Caravel, Qatar Racing went to $1.4 million to secure her Justify half brother. Just like Caravel (by Mizzen Mast), Hip 29 was bred in Pennsylvania by Elizabeth Merryman and was consigned by Hunter Valley Farm.
"We know the family very well, I've known him since he was a foal," Qatar Racing's chairman Sheikh Fahad Al Thani said. "He's the one we wanted, so I'm very happy to get him."
One of the other three horses of nine to reach seven figures Monday also was consigned by Warrendale Sales, agent for Stonestreet Bred for Brilliance. That colt, sold as Hip 97, is a son of Constitution —Foolish Living, by Medaglia d'Oro who was purchased for $1 million by Pedro Lanz, agent for KAS Stables. Foolish Living is a full sister to grade 3 winner Ballet Dancing and from the family of champion filly Halfbridled.
Four hips later, an Ontario-bred Uncle Mo colt brought $1 million from M.V. Magnier and White Birch Farm. Consigned as Hip 101 by Anderson Farms, the colt, out of the winning Tapit mare Full Tap, is a half sibling to graded stakes-placed Cafe Society.
The sale closed with a final million-dollar yearling, giving sire Constitution two on the night. Offered as Hip 109, the bay colt consigned by Lane's End, agent, is out of the War Front mare Good On Paper, a half sister to Flightline.
Last year's record-breaking sale saw 12 horses reach or surpass $1 million. The first session put this year's sale three-quarters of the way to that mark.
The Tuesday session is expected to offer six Flightline yearlings, including four colts; two half siblings to recent Preakness Stakes (G1) winners; and some highly promising yearlings by multiple leading sire Into Mischief. Also, based on the traffic on the sales grounds, Simms hopes that the market will continue to be strong.
"If the market goes with how the showing has been, it's going to be a very, very strong market," he said. "We've been inundated with prospective buyers over the last four days, and our viewings are probably up 15% compared to last year."
The second and final session is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. ET Tuesday.
Sean Collins, Teresa Genaro, and Karen Johnson contributed to this story.
