By Shelby O’Neill
For much of the Fasig-Tipton Texas sale of 2-year-olds in training April 5, it looked as though no horse would push past the six-figure mark. But in the final minutes, a Flashy Bull filly went well beyond with a $170,000 price tag.
The sale, which was held on the grounds of Lone Star Park near Dallas, concluded with increases in the average and median prices.
From a significantly smaller catalog, 98 horses were sold for a gross of $2,065,800, which wasn’t too far off from the 2010 gross of $2,371,900 for 139 head. The average increased a whopping 23.5%, from $17,064 last year to $21,080. Meanwhile, the median climbed from $10,500 to $15,000, enjoying a 42.9% upswing. The buy-back rate remained nearly unchanged.
“I’m absolutely pleased with the results,” said Tim Boyce, director of sales for Fasig-Tipton Texas. “The average was up, the median was way up, and we almost hit the same gross with less horses.”
The sale-topper came from the consignment of Twin Oaks Training Center, which served as agent for H. Allen Poindexter, who had purchased the filly for $17,500 at the 2010 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July select yearling sale.
“She was just a very special filly from the beginning,” said Eddie Milligan of Twin Oaks. “I was very happy with her work.”
A Florida-bred from the first crop of her sire, the gray or roan filly worked an eighth of a mile in :10 1/5, the co-fastest time for the distance during the under tack show April 3. She is the first foal out of the winning High Yield mare Destiny’s Yield, who is a half sister to multiple stakes winner Brush Over (by Broad Brush).
“She had the best work in the sale,” said Bill Martin, who purchased the filly in partnership with Carl Moore. “She had a big, powerful stride, and she did it the right way.”
Martin and Moore indicated the filly would be trained by Bret Calhoun in Kentucky.
The second-highest seller was a Kentucky-bred daughter of Kafwain purchased outright by Moore for $70,000. A full sister to multiple stakes winner Red Lead (by Red Bullet), the bay filly was consigned by Pike Racing, agent, and also posted a time of :10 1/5 during the under tack show. She is out of the stakes-placed winner Upside (by Unaccounted For),