Holy Bull colt tops Fasig-Tipton Midlantic

Hip No. 678, a bay colt by Holy Bull, brought a winning bid of $320,000 from

Ed Stevenson to top the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Eastern Fall Yearlings Sale at

Timonium, Maryland, during Wednesday's final session. Consigned by Candyland,

the colt is out of the stakes-placed Disco Darlin' (Citidancer), who is herself

a daughter of multiple stakes queen California Style (Coastal) and a half-sister

to three-time stakes victor Sir Echo (Herat). The Pennsylvania-bred colt is from

the same family as Grade 2-winning sires Vencedor (Flag Raiser) and The

Carpenter (Gummo).

The top filly during Wednesday's session came when Casey Family Farms went to

$100,000 for Hip 865, a bay miss by Malibu Moon. Consigned by Bill Reightler,

agent for Longfield Farm, the lass is out of the winning Kelsey Kid (Lord

Parham), making her a half-sister to multiple stakes winner Longfield Spud

(Mercer Mill) and stakes-placed Darth Tater (Mercer Mill). The West

Virginia-bred yearling filly counts among her family Grade 1 heroine Reluctant

Guest (Hostage) and Grade 1-winning sire Just the Time (Advocator).

Despite the topper, the third session continued to show declines, with last

year's $4,451,500 gross falling 40.2 percent to $2,659,900. The average showed a

decline of 22 percent, from $21,715 to $16,942, while the median dropped 15.8

percent, from $9,500 to $8,000.

With the final day in the books, the final numbers totaled $8,211,600 for the

aggregate, $17,001 for the average and $9,000 for the median. Those numbers

represent declines of 38.4 percent, 26.8 percent and 10 percent, respectively,

from last year when the gross was $13,331,400, the average was $23,225 and the

median was $10,000.