Jay Em Ess buys top colt, filly at Fasig-Tipton

A colt from the first crop of multiple Grade 1 winner After Market sold to

Jay Em Ess Stable for $250,000 at the first session of the Fasig-Tipton

Midlantic Eastern Fall Yearling Sale on Tuesday in Timonium, Maryland. The April

9 Pennsylvania-bred was offered by Charlton (Mr. & Mrs. Rick Abbott), agent, and

toured the ring as Hip No. 103.

Produced by Christmas Strike (Smart Strike), the colt counts as half-siblings

the stakes-winning Double Down Vinman (Out of Place) and the stakes-placed No

Passsing Zone (Pleasant Tap) and Holy Christmas (Holy Bull). The yearling's

second dam was the multiple Grade 3 winner Christmas Gift (Green Desert), thus

making Christmas Strike a half-sister to the Grade 1-winning Christmas Kid

(Lemon Drop Kid).

This family is responsible for Grade 1 winners Grand Slam (Gone West) and

Kudos (Kris S.). Further back, this female line produced champions Christmas

Past (*Grey Dawn II) and Our Mims (*Herbager), as well as Hall of Famer Alydar

(Raise a Native).

Jay Em Ess also secured the session's top filly, a daughter of Exchange Rate,

for $170,000. Consigned by Paramount Sales, agent, and sporting Hip 182, the

March 6 bay was also bred in Pennsylvania.

Produced by the Grade 3-placed Dyna Two (Dynaformer), the yearling is a

half-sister to the stakes-placed Warwick Wonder (Capote). Dyna Two herself is a

half-sister to the multiple stakes-winning Iowa-breds Elite Lady (Lord Carson)

and producer Eighty Below Eve (Now Listen).

The filly previously went through the sales ring twice. She was an $80,000

Keeneland November weanling, but failed to meet her reserve as a Fasig-Tipton

July yearling when the bidding stopped at $115,000.

Upon the close of Tuesday's session, Fasig-Tipton's website reported that 207

yearlings had sold for $3,236,300, an increase of 27.2 percent from the

corresponding session a year ago when $2,544,600 was grossed from the sale of

197 head. The session average increased 21 percent, from $12,917 to $15,634, but

the median declined 19.4 percent, from $6,200 to $5,000.

The sale concludes Wednesday with a session beginning at 10 a.m. (EDT). For

complete results, and updated numbers reflecting possible additional private

sales, please visit fasigtipton.com.