After a slightly slow start to proceedings, the Fasig-Tipton Calder Sale concluded with gains in both average and median, plus some extremely encouraging results for the Darley stallions.
Bernardini (pictured), whose first runners will hit the track later this year and include the progeny of some 46 G1 winners or producers, was responsible for the highest-priced filly of the sale when Katsumi Yoshida went to $520,000 to secure his daughter out of Tap Your Heels, who is of course dam of G1 winner and promising young sire Tapit.
Earlier in the session, Bernardini’s colt out of proven Stakes producer Marozia was bought by Todd Pletcher for half a million dollars.
Fellow freshman Henny Hughes had five sell on Tuesday, averaging a healthy $262,000. His highest price (and the fifth highest-priced colt of the sale) was $700,000, paid by Rick Porter’s Fox Hill Farm for a colt out of the G2-placed mare Refugee. The top price for a filly by Henny Hughes was $275,000, given by Thoroughbred Futures for the daughter of Open Window (Trempolino), whose first three foals to race have all become winners.
Rockport Harbor completes Darley’s trio of stallions with their first runners this year and having already earned high praise from trainers, it was no surprise that his two juveniles to go through the ring on Tuesday sold for $285,000 and $140,000 – a handsome return on his fee of $20,000.
Hidden Brook as agent gave $285,000 for Rockport Harbor’s daughter of multiple Stakes winner Sutter Sutter, while earlier in the day his colt from the family of G1 winner Chief Honcho was bought by Hubert A Guy for $140,000.
No sale would be complete without the progeny of Medaglia d’Oro making the headlines – indeed it was at this sale last year that Godolphin’s leading English Guineas hope and G1 placer Al Zir made $1.6 million. This year, Medaglia d’Oro was responsible for the fourth highest-priced two-year-old of the sale, when John Ferguson went to $750,000 to secure a colt out of the winning Miswaki mare Let’s Toast.
