Tiznow colt brings $650,000 at Barretts sale

A dark bay colt by Tiznow realized the top price of $650,000 at Tuesday's

Barretts March Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training. Consigned as Hip No. 121 by

Wavertree Stables (Ciaran Dunne), agent, the Kentucky-bred is out of Hurricane

Judy (Storm Cat) and counts stakes winner Ronton (Cryptoclearance) as a

half-brother. Hurricane Judy is herself a daughter of the multiple stakes-placed

Dream Harder (Hard Work), who has also produced Grade 1 heroine Imaginary Lady

(Marfa). This is the same family as Proud Spell (Proud Citizen), who captured

last season's Kentucky Oaks (G1) and Alabama S. (G1) en route to being named

champion three-year-old filly.

Stonestreet Stables purchased Tuesday's sales topper, who brought $200,000 as

a Keeneland September yearling. He breezed a furlong in :10 3/5 during last

Thursday's training preview.

The second highest price of the sale, and the top filly, came when Demi

O'Bryne went to $540,000 for Hip 97, a chestnut filly by Tapit. The lass, who

was an RNA at $65,000 during last July's Fasig-Tipton Kentucky yearling sale, is

out of Cross Your Heart (Miswaki), herself a half-sister to Grade 2 victor and

sire Broken Vow (Unbridled).

Consigned by Jerry Bailey Sale Agency, agent, the Kentucky-bred filly posted

a furlong move in :10 1/5 at the training preview.

Hip 28, a gray filly by Tiznow, brought the third highest price of the sale

when the gavel fell at $390,000. Consigned by Scanlon Training Center, agent,

and purchased by C-Punch Ranch, the Kentucky-bred miss is out of Misty Lee

(Level Sands), who is a daughter of the stakes-placed Begin (Hatchet Man). Begin

is better known as the dam of champion Grade 1 speedster Xtra Heat (Dixieland

Heat), who ran second in the 2001 Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) and third in the

next year's Dubai Golden Shaheen (UAE-G1). Xtra Heat has gone on to produce

Grade 3-placed stakes winner Southwestern Heat (Gone West), stakes-placed X

Rated Cat (Storm Cat) and this season's Old Hat S. (G2) runner-up Elusive Heat

(Elusive Quality)

The filly, who sold for $100,000 as a Keeneland September yearling, went her

training preview eighth of a mile in :10 2/5.

Rounding out the top four highest prices in the sale was Hip 26, a gray filly

by Giant's Causeway. Consigned by Wavertree Stables (Ciaran Dunne), agent, the

lass sold for $325,000 to Ben McElroy. She is out of the unraced Miss Soft Sell

(Siyah Kalem) and counts as half-brothers dual Grade 1 king Brother Derek

(Benchmark) and multiple stakes winner Don'tsellmeshort (Benchmark).

The California-bred miss was purchased for $280,000 as a Keeneland September

yearling and breezed a furlong in :10 2/5 during the training preview.

The numbers were down as expected, but the declines weren't too steep for

average and median. The $123,245 average was off 30.8 percent from $178,027 last

year, and the median dropped 27.3 percent, from $110,000 to $80,000. With 22

fewer horses selling, the gross fell 51.6 percent, from $12,996,000 for 73

horses sold in 2008 to $6,285,500 for 51 head on Tuesday.

For complete results, please visit www.barretts.com.