Kentucky Fall Yearlings Sale concludes with sale topper, across-the-board gains

Kentucky Fall Yearlings Sale concludes with sale topper,

across-the-board gains

Borges Torrealba Holdings purchased a Smart Strike filly for a sale-topping

$800,000 at the final session of the Fasig-Tipton October Fall Yearlings Sale in

Lexington, Kentucky, on Wednesday. Offered by Hill 'n' Dale Sales Agency, agent,

the May 19 Kentucky-bred toured the ring as Hip No. 760.

The filly was produced by Grade 1-placed multiple stakes winner Handpainted

(A.P. Indy), who has also reared Canadian stakes winner Patena (Seeking the

Gold) and the multiple stakes-placed Oil Painting (Distorted Humor).

Handpainted is a full sister to Canadian champion mare Serenading and a half-sister to the dam of Grade 1 winner Brilliant Speed (Dynaformer).

All were produced by Grade 1-placed stakes heroine Daijin (Deputy Minister), a full sister to

classic winner Touch Gold and half-sister to Canadian Horse of the Year and

Triple Crown winner With Approval (Caro).

Trainer Mark Casse, acting as agent, secured a Medaglia d'Oro colt for

$440,000. Hip 924 was consigned by Nardelli Sales, agent.

The May 12 Kentucky-bred was produced by Listen Now (Storm Bird), making him

a half-brother to Grade 2 winner Listen Here (Gulch), stakes victress Indy Bird

(A.P. Indy), Grade 3-placed Listen (Chester House) and stakes-placed Parade

the Flag (Distorted Humor).

Listen Now is herself a half-sister to multiple Grade 1 diva Listening

(Night Shift), Grade 2 vixen Beautiful Noise (Sunny's Halo) and multiple

Grade 1-placed Solar Echo (Spinning World). This is the extended family of 2005

champion sprinter Lost in the Fog (Lost Soldier) and Grade 1 winner Bonapaw (Sabona).

A daughter of Unbridled's Song was gaveled down to J.J. Crupi, agent for Bill

Perretti, for $370,000. Offered by Gainesway, agent, the March 4 Kentucky-bred

sported Hip 986.

The filly was produced by Miss Abita (Dixie Union), a three-quarter sister to

multiple Grade 3-placed stakes winner Away (Dixieland Band), who reared Grade 2 winner

and Kentucky Derby (G1) runner-up Eight Belles (Unbridled's Song).

The yearling traces back to 1967 champion older mare Straight Deal (Hail to

Reason), whose descendents include dual Grade 3 winner and noted sire Belong to Me (Danzig).

The final day of the sale saw 287 yearlings bring $10,524,600, a rise of 35.4

percent over last year's corresponding session which ended with 289 horses

selling for $7,772,500. The average increased 36.4 percent, from $26,894 to

$36,671, while the median skyrocketed 58.3 percent to $19,000 when compared to

the $12,000 median for the 2012 session.

The sale also showed across-the-board gains cumulatively. A total of 818

yearlings were purchased for $27,908,000, coming to an average of $34,117 and a

median of $17,000. Those numbers represent jumps of 21.4 percent, 30.6 percent

and 33.3 percent, respectively, over the 2013 sale that saw 880 horses go for a

gross $22,991,600, an average of $26,127 and a median of $12,750.