Potential buyers and their advisers have flocked to Saratoga Springs, N.Y., to examine the 152 horses cataloged in this year's Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale of selected yearlings Aug. 5-6. The following are some second session horses (hips 77-152) turning heads.
Hip 82, bay colt by Malibu Moon —Layreebee, by Tale of the Cat
Andrew Cary with Select Sales said the traffic has been particularly strong for this colt, whose second dam is graded stakes winner Voodoo Lilly. Layreebee was unraced, but Voodoo Lilly has produced 10 winners out of 11 foals to race, including Magical Illusion who placed in the Coaching Club American Oaks (gr. I).
Hip 84, bay colt by Distorted Humor —Life Well Lived, by Tiznow
"A very nice colt out of a full sister to Dubai World Cup (UAE-I) winner Well Armed. The Distorted Humor cross has worked very well on this family. It's come up with a grade I-caliber horse in Helsinki, who is a half brother to Well Armed by Distorted Humor. This horse looks like the perfect combination of Distorted Humor and Tiznow. He has a little size from Tiznow but has the body and the balance of Distorted Humor and a great walk like a lot of the Distorted Humors have," said Mark Taylor of consignor Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent.
Hip 101, bay colt by Unbridled's Song—Parisian Affair, by Mr. Greeley
"He's just a big, strong colt. His mother was a beautiful mare. I bought her for Mrs. (Betty) Moran (Brushwood Stable) years ago and she could run. She won a stake and her first foal won a stakes. This colt just has all the qualities that one would like in an Unbridled's Song. He's got the size and the scope and looks very sound," said Reiley McDonald of consignor Eaton Sales, agent.
Hip 103, chestnut colt by Distorted Humor —Pink Diamond, by Mineshaft
"He has a lot of size and he is like a big cat walking around the sales grounds. We tried to sell the mare but didn't—thank goodness. He is a big, forward horse and this is the right kind of sale," said Griffin Mayer, head of sales for consignor Nursery Place, agent.
Hip 104, bay colt by Lemon Drop Kid —Present Danger, by Souvenir Copy
Antony Beck, the owner of Gainesway that is the consigning agent for Graves, et al., said this "striking, powerful colt" has earned attention on the sale grounds. The colt is out of stakes-placed mare who is a half sister to stakes winner Derrianne.
Hip 106, bay filly named Super Sensitive by Street Sense —Quickest, by Forest Wildcat
"The Street Sense filly is just spectacular," said Pat Costello of consignor Paramount Sales, agent for Vincent Colbert
Hip 108, bay filly by Distorted Humor —Dancinginmydreams, by Seeking the Gold
"She is a Distorted Humor filly from a live Phipps family that is still in production. An exceptional physical." —Craig Bandoroff of Denali Stud
Hip 117, bay colt by Tiznow—She's a Winner, by A.P. Indy
"He's a half brother to (grade I winner) Bluegrass Cat . If you've seen the good Tiznows, this is what they look like. He has really good balance, class, very correct horse, great walk on him; and the mare's fantastic. She's had four stakes horses (three winners, one placed) including Bluegrass Cat. If somebody's trying to win a classic race, he's the kind of horse they're looking for," said Mark Taylor of consignor Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent.
Hip 127, Solar Solstice, bay filly by Blame —Solar Echo, by Spinning World
"A very racey, athletic filly by Blame. The mare was grade I stakes-placed. She's a very good-looking filly; a good advertisement for Blame. He was a top-class racehorse." —Craig Bandoroff of Denali Stud
Hip 129, bay filly by Galileo—Song to Remember, by Storm Cat
"I think she is the perfect example of what a Galileo looks like. She has this beautiful neck, great shoulders. She is not a heavy-framed horse. She is light and very racey. That's the way they come. They're the ones you pick up the paper and read about every Sunday and Monday. He's the greatest sire in the world, and I think American breeders should be all over Galileo fillies and mares any time we can get our hands on them. They are so tough and hard; we need to start to get that back into our racing stock," said Reiley McDonald of consignor Eaton Sales, agent.
Hip 134, bay colt by Medaglia d'Oro —Stop Traffic, Cure the Blues
"He's a half brother to Cross Traffic, who won the Whitney (Invitational Handicap [gr. I]) yesterday. He's just a very nice horse. This mare has been so consistent the last five or six foals and she's got a very nice 2-year-old and a very nice 3-year-old. (Trainer) Chad Brown has both of them and they look like runners, too. He's one of the nicest Medaglia d'Oro's I've seen," said Mark Taylor of consignor Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent.
Hip 142, bay colt by Blame —Tell Seattle, by A.P. Indy
Consigned by Woodford Thoroughbreds, agent, the Blame colt is a half brother to stakes winner Paris Vegas. Stakes-winning second dam Won't She Tell is a half sister to Triple Crown winner Affirmed. "This colt has got a terrific walk, a long stride on him," said Matt Lyons, Woodford's general manager. Blame, champion older horse and winner of the 2010 Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I), has his first crop of yearlings this year.
Hip 148, dark bay or brown filly by Pulpit—Uninhibited Song, by Unbridled's Song
This filly offered by Select Sales is the only daughter of Pulpit among three Pulpit yearlings in the sale. She is out of stakes winner Uninhibited Song, a half sister to grade II stakes winner Twilight Time and the producer of a winner.
Eric Mitchell, Ron Mitchell, Claire Novak, and Emily Walden contributed to this story.
