There was plenty of anticipation in the Humphrey S. Finney Sales Pavilion as the half sister to this year's Preakness Stakes (G1) winner Journalism arrived in the ring as Hip 165 for the second and final session of The Saratoga Sale, Fasig-Tipton's select yearling sale, Aug. 5.
The bidding quickly escalated within seconds with bidders both on-site and online. But the elegant bay would leave the ring unbought with a final bid of $3.9 million.
Consigned by Denali Stud, agent for breeder Don Alberto Corp., the filly's dam, grade 2 winner Mopotism, was euthanized July 15 in Lexington due to complications from colic.
The 11-year-old Uncle Mo mare was part of Don Alberto's 100-plus broodmare band at its Lexington farm.
"The passing of the mare made coming up here ... there was every possibility that the filly could have not made the trip and been withdrawn," said Conrad Bandoroff, Denali's vice president. "You certainly could have understood if she was taken out of the sale. It made it a very difficult decision whether to keep the filly in the sale or take her out. You know they have a foal out of the mare. The decision was made to keep her in the sale but with the game plan of if she brought enough money she would be sold. If not, she would be retained."
Craig Bandoroff, founder of Denali Stud, said the reserve was $4 million.
"She's worth a lot as a broodmare; we tried to tell everybody that," Craig Bandoroff said. "We knew it was a high bar; that was the bar that was set in Kentucky. Hey, (Don Alberto) was good enough to come up here and give it a try. We were fortunate and honored to be the ones that they selected to handle her. Everybody did their best and, hopefully, she will go out there and win grade 1 stakes, and go back to their broodmare band."
Mopotism's first foal was Journalism, a son of Curlin , and one of the leading 3-year-olds of 2025. Denali Stud consigned the colt to this sale two years ago and he was bought for $825,000 by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners.
Mopotism's foal of 2023, a colt by Tapit , sold for $1.5 million to Flying Dutchmen at last year's Saratoga Sale. He is named Nitro Tap and is in training with Brian Lynch. She had a filly by Flightline this year.
Before the half to Journalism went unsold, Denali Stud, acting as agent, saw two horses go through the ring for more than $1 million.
Hip 123, a son of Into Mischief , was consigned by Denali Stud for breeder Tommy Town Thoroughbreds, and was bought for $1.25 million by Coolmore and Peter Brant's White Birch Farm.
"He was an absolutely pure, raw, physical horse," Conrad Bandoroff said of the colt who is out of the Arch mare It Tiz Well, a grade 1 winner. "He had as good of a hind leg as you could ask for. Was incredibly popular. He came out here and showed like an absolute man every single time. Just looked like a fast, early, precocious type. He was very well received, was bought by some very smart judges who won a pretty big race over the weekend. Hopefully this horse will be equally as lucky for them."
Hip 150, a colt by Not This Time , consigned by Denali Stud, agent, went for $1.4 million to Repole Stable and Grandview. The colt's dam Mariah's Princess, is a stakes-winning daughter of Ghostzapper. This is her first foal.
"He was born and raised at the farm for Rigney Racing," Conrad Bandoroff said. "He was a horse that we have loved from the day he was born. It's always an amazing result when you sell a horse for seven figures, but it's really special when you sell a horse that's born and raised at the farm. Especially when it's a horse for a great client and friend like Mr. Rigney.
"He's a horse that we always have been very high on. He came up here and just showed unbelievably well. He showed over 280 times, and he never got tired. You could just not get to the bottom of him. He just absolutely marched. He's an incredible mover. I think he might be as good a horse as we've raised as long as I can remember. Can't wait to see what he goes on to do at the track. He could be special."
Progeny of Flightline Soar at Saratoga Sale
After paying $1.1 million for a filly by first-crop yearling sire Flightline on the first night of the Saratoga sale, West Point Thoroughbreds went to $1.8 million on the second night for a Flightline colt, partnering on this one with John Oxley.
Consigned by Lane's End, agent for Summer Wind Equine, Hip 176 led the Flightline progeny offered at the sale, with nine yearlings going through the ring and eight selling for a total of $7.1 million. The average price was $887,500.
"He's been in the right hands since the day he was foaled," Terry Finley, president and CEO of West Point Thoroughbreds, said of the colt bred by Summer Wind Equine and Sarah S. Farish. "We're just really happy to get him, and to have the honor and privilege of partnering with John Oxley and his agent Justin Casse."
In 2019, Finley signed the ticket for Flightline at this sale, paying $1 million for the son of Tapit.
The bay colt is the first foal out of the graded stakes-placed Quality Road mare Park Avenue.
John Stewart's Resolute Bloodstock kicked off the buying early, taking home the second horse through the ring Tuesday evening. Stewart paid $875,000 for Hip 111, a bay Flightline colt out of Hennesey Smash, a New Mexico-bred multiple stakes winner and producer of four stakes winners, including grade 2 winner Slammed.
"I really liked this colt," Stewart said. "I thought he was really sporty-looking. My primary focus tonight is on colts, and this is the first of several I'm going to be picking up tonight."
Despite an overall exceptionally strong market, Stewart had expected to go much higher to get the colt, which was bred by Brad King, Scott Bryant, Clay Cash, Chris Coleman, and Stan Kirby and consigned by Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa, agent.
"I had written in my catalog that I thought he'd bring between $1.5 million and $2 million," he said. "I got him for $875,000, and I feel like I stole him."
Hips 118 and 135 both brought $750,000, the former from Flying Dutchmen and the latter from David Ingordo Racing.
A chestnut colt out of the multiple graded stakes winner Hot Dixie Chick (Dixie Union), Hip 118 is a half brother to Pauline's Pearl (Tapit), a six-time graded stakes winner who counts among her victories the 2022 La Troienne Stakes (G1).
Hunter Rankin, president of Flying Dutchmen, said, "He's a smooth, really nice colt, very athletic. There are a lot of really good representatives of Flightline here, but we thought he was one of the better ones, if not the best. And I've always had a thing for that mare."
The colt was bred by Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings and consigned by Gainesway, agent for Stonestreet Bred for Brilliance.
Also coming from the consignment of Lane's End on behalf of Summer Wind Equine, which bred the yearling, Hip 135 is a filly out of the Galileo mare Key To My Heart. Ingordo said that the filly will head to Florida to be broken.
"I've got some clients that wanted a Flightline," he said. "We'll see how she develops and come up with a plan then."
The final Flightline to go through the ring was Hip 208, purchased for $600,000 by MyRacehorse. The bay filly was consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, acting as agent for breeder Don Alberto Corporation, and is out of the Into Mischief mare Slam Dunk.
Undefeated in six lifetime races, four of them grade 1 contests, including the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1), Flightline earned $4.5 million and was voted 2022 Horse of the Year and champion older dirt male. He stands at Lane's End for a 2025 stud fee of $150,000.
Repole Pays $1,025,000 for Seize the Grey Half Sister
Four-time grade 1 winner and first-crop yearling sire Life Is Good had eight yearlings enter the ring during The Saratoga Sale, Fasig-Tipton's select yearling sale, and Mike Repole made no secret of his confidence in the stallion with three purchases.
The final of those purchases Aug. 5 was the most expensive, Repole going to $1,025,000 for Hip 209, a filly consigned by Mill Ridge Sales, agent.
"I'm really high on Life Is Good," Repole said. "We're excited to have them. They look great, we bred five or six mares ourselves. Next year, I'm probably going to have 10 Life Is Goods at the track."
However, there was an extra amount of top blood that piqued Repole's interest. Bred in Kentucky by Audie Otto under the Jamm Ltd banner, the bay filly is out of the stakes-placed Smart Strike mare Smart Shopping. Smart Shopping is the dam of Seize the Grey , winner of the 2024 Preakness Stakes and Pennsylvania Derby (G1).
A son of the late Arrogate, Seize the Grey stood his first season at Gainesway this year for a $30,000 fee. Life Is Good stood at WinStar Farm for $75,000. Repole owns shares in both stallions, and sees the combination of their blood in this filly as an exciting broodmare prospect.
"My team liked her a lot," Repole said. "We own part of the whole family anyway. It's definitely a filly that we want to win grade 1s, but we also see a potential broodmare."
