SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.--The Saratoga Selected Yearlings Sale set new records across the board for the third year in a row, finishing its second session on Tuesday, Aug. 6 with six yearlings selling for over $1 million.

$2.4 million sales topper Tuesday evening
The two session sale had 12 yearlings sell of over $1 million and established new records for gross, average, and median, and posted the lowest RNA rate since 2015.

“We almost went back-to-back with million dollar horses with the first two horses to go through the ring," said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning, Jr. "And that momentum carried throughout because of the quality of horses.

The first three through the ring sold for $975,000, $1.5 million and $900,000, only to be followed up with a pair that sold for $650,000 and $425,000.

It would be hard to find another sale that began like than.

"The success of the sale is completely dependent on the quality of the horses that our consignors give us the opportunity to sell," said Browning. "We felt very confident that the quality of horses in this catalogue was the best we ever had. I think that the buyers proved us right. Buyers have a tremendous level of confidence when they come to Saratoga. They feel like they will come find some of the best-conformed yearlings in the world. And now we get some of the best pedigrees in the world.”

“It's a rewarding and fulfilling situation where there is a tremendous level of confidence in the marketplace." he said. "And there is a tremendous level of confidence in Saratoga. It's a magical place. It's unbelievable racing. Unbelievable community support. It's a great feeling.

 

“WE FELT very confident coming here this year that the quality of horses in this catalogue was the best we’ve ever had.”

“What it really shows you is the depth of the quality of the horses that were here on these sales grounds. And I think the buyers responded. It's not because the buyers decided they were going to pay a lot of money for them. The buyers decided they were really good horses. There was really competitive bidding and it reflected the quality of horses on the grounds.”

“Cheers to the greatest Saratoga yearling sale ever. Remarkable two nights of selling horses. Just hard to imagine the level of activity and level of support, the energy, the excitement and almost euphoric feeling. Not euphoric, because it was really, really, really good and really competitive and
nothing was stupid.

Quality horses and enthusiastic bidding marked the final session of Fasig-Tipton's 103rd Saratoga Sale.

Speedway Stables went to $2,400,000 to secure the session topping colt by five-time leading sire Into Mischief.

Lane's End, agent for Pamela Wygod & The Wygod Family Revocable Trust, consigned the bay colt.

The session topper is out of the stakes placed Awesome Again mare Sweet Sting, a daughter of Eclipse Champion Perfect Sting.

The sale's highest-priced yearling was a $3,400,000 Not This Time colt sold during Monday's opening session.

Five other yearlings sold for seven figures during the second session, including:

• A Gun Runner colt (Hip 146) out of Secret Sigh, sold for $1,900,000 to M.V. Magnier/White Birch from the consignment of Lane's End, agent for Summer Wind Equine.The chestnut colt hails from the immediate family of Grade/Group 1 winners Mozu Ascot, To Honor and Serve, and Angela Renee.
• A Gun Runner filly (Hip 123) out of multiple G1 winner Pure Clan, sold for $1,500,000 to Whisper Hill Farm from the consignment of Gainesway, agent.The chestnut filly is a half-sister to five winners including Princesa Carolina (Tapit), a G1 placed, course record setting stakes winner.
• A Ghostzapper filly (Hip 147) out of Seeking the Blue, sold for $1,200,000 to Resolute Bloodstock from the consignment of Gainesway, agent. The dark bay or brown filly is a half-sister to two winners from as may to race, both stakes horses.
• A Justify colt (Hip 174) out of Dolce Lemone, sold for $1,000,000 to Godolphin from the consignment of Hunter Valley Farm, agent. The chestnut colt is a three-parts brother to stakes winner Dolce Lili (Scat Daddy), from the immediate family of champion Inglorious.
• An Into Mischief colt (Hip 201) out of Validest, sold for $1,000,000 to Grandview Equine from the consignment of Indian Creek, agent. The bay colt is out of a half-sister to G2 winner Global View and to the dam of recent Churchill Downs S. (G1) winner Gun Pilot.

Overall, 154 yearlings sold for a record gross of $82,160,000, eclipsing by 9.5% the record set last year when the same number of yearlings sold for $75,055,000.

The average and median also toppled records set in 2023: the average rose 9.5% to $533,506 from $487,370 and the median climbed 13.3% to $425,000 from $375,000.

The RNA rate was 18.5%, the lowest since 2015.*

A total of 12 yearlings sold for $1,000,000 or more over the course of the sale.

Prior to the first yearling offered during Tuesday's session, a share in this year's leading first-crop sire Complexity sold for $510,000 to David Lanigan, agent for Heider Family Stables.

The price of the share is not included in the results for The 103rd Saratoga Sale.