A filly from the first crop of the Storm Cat stallion Rainmaker brought $77,000 Monday to top the opening session of the Fasig-Tipton Texas yearling sale at Lone Star Park. Mike and Britt Mulligan's Florida-based pinhooking operation Leprechaun Racing purchased the bay filly from Judy Curry's JLC Horses.
Produced from the 10-year-old winning Tabasco Cat mare Namora, the filly is a half-sister to winners Five Star Cat and Pixie Stix. Other family members include grade II winner Diana Dance; grade III winners Cool Halo, Nagurski, and Miss Grindstone; and Canadian champion Deceit Dancer.
The final figures for the session were a mixed bag. The median price increased 16.1% from a year ago, but the gross revenue and average price declined 20.0% and 8.7%, respectively.
The 121 horses sold grossed $1,331,600 and averaged $11,005. The median was $6,500. During the same session in 2006, 138 horses were sold for a gross of $1,664,100, an average of $12,059, and a median of $5,600.
The buy-back rate rose from 33.3% last year to 38.9% this year.
The Texas sale's second and final session starts at 10 a.m. (CDT) Tuesday.