Daughter of Irish 1,000 Guineas heroine Marvellous commands $1.5m winning bid

The North American yearling sales season that began in earnest on Wednesday with the Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearlings Showcase was in new territory, with the normal schedule having been disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

While the sale was new - effectively replacing three Fasig-Tipton sales that were cancelled - unchanged was the vibrant demand by buyers for the best offerings in the catalogue, a continuation of trends seen in all markets in recent years, topped by a $1.5 million daughter of Quality Road out of 2014 Irish 1,000 Guineas heroine Marvellous.

From 330 catalogued for the session, Fasig-Tipton reported 172 yearlings grossed $27,166,000 for an average price of $157,942 and a $100,000 median. The 90 lots that went unsold represented a reserve not attained (RNA) rate of 34.4 per cent. The sale concludes Thursday.

The auction began with 164 New York-bred horses on offer, as the Fasig-Tipton New York Bred Yearlings Sale had been cancelled this year, along with the July Sale, the Kentucky selected yearling sale, and the Saratoga Sale, Fasig-Tipton's selected yearling sale in New York.

The two Saratoga sales are historically held in an atmosphere energised by the boutique race meeting at Saratoga but were unable to take place this year due to travel restrictions and other concerns associated with the coronavirus.

While the sales company had no expectations nor any basis for comparison due to the circumstances that led to the sale being conducted, Fasig-Tipton president Boyd Browning jnr said the day achieved the goal of "having a viable marketplace, to have commerce conduct among buyers and sellers, to create an environment to help restore some confidence in the marketplace, and provide some stability and foundation to the 2020 yearling sales.

Fasig-Tipton president Boyd Browning jnr: 'I'm very encouraged by the level of participation and enthusiasm of the people that came to attend the sale'Credit: Fasig-Tipton Photos

"We're only halfway through, so I'm going to be cautious in my analysis at this point, but I'm very, very encouraged," he said. "Anytime you start a sale, there is a little bit of trepidation and it takes a little time to find its way and gain confidence, and that was certainly the case today. As we progressed...bidding was very competitive. I'm very encouraged by the level of participation and enthusiasm of the people that came to attend the sale."

Browning said the level of trade on Wednesday was a reflection of the resiliency by those in the industry who have faced challenges associated with Covid-19.

"It was kind of a roll-up-your-sleeves mentality from an industry perspective," he said. "It's been a challenge. Buyers and sellers demonstrated today that the game is alive and well."

Browning noted that the New York-bred sale historically has a higher RNA rate than most selected auctions because the breeders have a viable option of racing in the lucrative New York-bred incentive programme. But he said that portion of the sale likely felt the brunt of not having a Saratoga sale, since the auction's traditional buyer base was affected by a number of factors, including travel restrictions.

"It was unrealistic to have a meaningful auction in Saratoga in the summer of 2020," he said. "We have adapted with them to come up with the best possible alternatives, but there were no perfect alternatives given the environment we were facing in 2020 and the circumstances they were facing."

The sale-topper in the ringCredit: Fasig-Tipton Photos

The session-topping Quality Road filly, the only seven-figure sale of the day, was purchased by Robbie Medina, agent for Joseph Allen.

Consigned by Hill 'n' Dale Sales Agency, agent, as Hip 232, the bay filly descends from a prolific Coolmore Stud family and is out of the Galileo mare Marvellous.

Marvellous is out of British Group 2 winner You'resothrilling, a full-sister to European Horse of the Year and sire Giant's Causeway.

In addition to Marvellous, You'resothrilling has produced Group 1 winner and sire Gleneagles, Group 1 winner Happily, Group 3 winner Coolmore, Australian Group 2 winner Taj Mahal, and Group 1-placed Vatican City.

The filly was bred in Kentucky by Coolmore affiliate Orpendale, Chelston and Wynatt.

"Joe wanted her; she has the best pedigree in the book (sale catalogue)," said Medina, a former assistant to Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey who now has his own operation at Blackwood Training Center in central Kentucky.

"She's a beautiful filly, and you can't get a better pedigree than that. There is plenty of horse there, and there is going to be a lot more horse since she is a late-April foal."

Agent Robbie Medina, who struck the winning bid on behalf of Joseph AllenCredit: Fasig-Tipton Photos

Hill 'n' Dale president John Sikura said: "She has a world-class pedigree and is a wonderful, lovely filly. She is a wonderful, classy filly replete with black-type winners. All those sisters and relatives are being bred to the best horses in the world. That's the gold standard of beautifully-bred fillies.

"I think we have a couple of well-bred fillies, but she obviously was the pearl of the group as far as international page and Classic winners and champions. There are no holes in that family. Guys like Joe Allen who race and breed at the top level, that's what they seek."

The filly was not in the ring long as the bidding quickly escalated before being hammered down to the account of Allen.

"When they find those fillies, they want to go on and buy them," Sikura said. "It's rare to find them, and when you do, you have to bid with authority, which is what he did. The best way to try to intimidate your competition is to be aggressive and act like you can't be beat. It's a good strategy."

Sikura said, given the uncertain circumstances under which the market finds itself going into the yearling sales season, he had a comfort level with the price.

"I thought that was fair money," Sikura said. "I thought she might bring $2 million."

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