Numbers down at Midlantic Winter Mixed Sale

Hip No. 28, CHRISTMAS STRIKE (Smart Strike), sold for $39,000 to Tower Hill

Farm at Monday's Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Winter Mixed Sale in Timonium, Maryland.

The eight-year-old mare, who was cataloged in foal to Lion Hearted on a May 1

cover, was consigned by Charlton (Mr. and Mrs.

Rick Abbott), agent.

Christmas Strike is out of multiple Grade

3 winner Christmas Gift (Green Desert), who is a half-sister to multiple stakes

winner Bright Candles (El Gran Senor), the dam of 1997 Champagne S. (G1) and

Futurity S. (G1) winner Grand Slam (Gone West) as well as multiple stakes winner

and $322,167-earner Leestown (Seattle Slew).

Her first foal, No Passing Zone (Pleasant Tap), finished second in the 2005

Danzig S. at Penn National and third in the 2004 Pennsylvania Nursery S. at

Philadelphia Park. He has won three of 15 starts and earned $85,029.

Christmas Strike, who has a two-year-old filly named Holy

Christmas (Holy Bull) and a yearling colt by Out of Place, previously sold for $19,000 at

the 2001 Keeneland November Sale.

Hip 151, SPIKES (Dixie Union), a four-year-old broodmare prospect, sold for

$30,000 to Ovehkin Stables. Consigned by Sally Thomas, agent, the bay is a

half-sister to Grade 3-placed Kettle Won (Colonial Affair). She is out of the

stakes-placed Double Zeus mare Safe At the Plate, who is a half-sister to

champion sprinter Safely Kept (Horatius) and Grade 2 winner Partner's Hero (Danzig).

Spikes won one of 16 starts and earned $29,884. She previously sold for

$80,000 at the 2003 Keeneland September Yearling Sale and $125,000 at the OBS

February two-year-olds in training auction.

The sales company reported 117 horses sold for $514,700, a 36.3 percent decline

compared to 2005 when 112 horses sold for $807,900. The average price dropped 39

percent from $7,213 to $4,399, while the median price fell 50 percent, from

$4,000 to $2,000.