F-T JULY: Yearling Sales Season Kicks Off

[Kasept]

Freshman sires featured at FT July HORA sale
Nicole Russo

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The formal 2-year-olds in training sales season in North America began in March and concluded in June. However, buyers still have a chance to pick up 2-year-old prospects for summer and fall racing at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky summer selected horses of racing age sale, as young runners with some established form are one of the key attractions of this year’s renewal.

The Fasig July horses of racing age sale, inaugurated in 2013 as an add-on to the company’s first yearling sale of the season, is now solidly cemented in its own position on the calendar. The auction, set for Monday evening at Fasig-Tipton’s Newtown Paddocks, had 200 horses in its catalog through Wednesday as the company continued to review supplemental entries.

Among the additions to the initial catalog was Fierce Lady, who made herself a hot commodity with a six-length debut victory June 22 at Belmont Park. The filly, who was a $75,000 yearling purchase last fall and a $170,000 buyback at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co.’s March sale earlier this year, led throughout in her maiden score and completed the five furlongs in a solid 56.47 seconds.

Fierce Lady is from the first crop of Grade 1 Hopeful Stakes winner Competitive Edge, who has three winners and ranks fifth by earnings on this year’s freshman sire list in a class that has been highly anticipated. Competitive Edge also is represented in the Fasig-Tipton July horses of racing age catalog by Competitive Queen, who has two seconds from four starts.

Freshman sires Bayern, Constitution, Danza, The Big Beast, and Wicked Strong, all Grade 1 winners, also are represented in this catalog. Multiple Grade 1 winner Constitution, by perennial leading sire Tapit, already has four winners, tied for third among freshmen in that regard. Among those winners is his cataloged filly Compelling Smile, a debut winner at Emerald Downs. Ms Headley was a sharp maiden winner the first week of May at Churchill Downs for The Big Beast, but then finished seventh in the Astoria Stakes at Belmont. Likewise, My Good Girl was a maiden winner for Danza at Indiana Grand, but then finished sixth in the Debutante Stakes at Churchill Downs.

Wicked T, by Wicked Strong, won in late June on Presque Isle’s synthetic track. Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Bayern is represented in the catalog by Biddy Duke, who has two seconds from three maiden special weight starts, all in Kentucky.

There also are several winning 2-year-olds in the Fasig-Tipton July horses of racing age catalog by older, established sires – and some of those already have stakes experience. Rookie Salsa, by Two Step Salsa, won his first two starts, including the Kentucky Juvenile. He then finished third in the Tremont Stakes at Belmont and seventh in the Grade 3 Bashford Manor at Churchill Downs. Mean Sophia won her debut on the opening day of Keeneland’s spring meet, then was fourth against males in the Kentucky Juvenile. In between, the Smarty Jones filly was a $240,000 buyback as a late supplement at the Keeneland April 2-year-olds in training sale.

Lady Glamour, a daughter of Discreet Cat, was a supplemental entry to this week’s sale after recently finishing third in the Debutante Stakes at Churchill Downs.

Thirsty Junior, by Stay Thirsty, was a 5 1/2-length maiden winner at Indiana Grand in his second start, having finished third behind the romping Lady Pauline at Keeneland. Also cataloged are Allied Party (by Tale of the Cat), a debut winner at Presque Isle; Annabelle’s Belle (Flat Out), a maiden special weight winner at Belterra Park; and Such Great Heights (Awesome Again), who won her debut in a maiden claimer at Laurel.

Older horses in the catalog include Vettori Kin, a Group 1 winner in his native Brazil. He won the Grade 3 Louisville Handicap in May 2018 at Churchill Downs. All Out Blitz and Orbolution are both graded-placed stakes winners. Also cataloged are stakes winners A Different Style, Adventurous Lady, Bitacora, Brunette Princess, Clint Maroon, Consolida, Cool Arrow, Dunph, Five Star General, Isotope, Itsmyluckycharm, Phat Man, Siem Riep, and Usual Suspect; graded/group stakes-placed Bonita Fransisca, Copper Town, Federal Case, Heavenly Hill, Jalen Journey, La Feve, Ladymidtown, Markitoff, Petrov, Proverb, Royal Asscher, Salsa Bella, Splashy Kisses, and Treble; and stakes-placed Biblical, Crafty’s Dream, High Tech, Honor Way, Miss Imperial, Q Go Girl, Roussalka, Saffron Spirit, Smoken Deb, and War Canoe.