Average and Median Rise at Fasig-Tipton Texas Sale

At the end of Fasig-Tipton's two-day Texas summer yearling sale, held Aug. 28-29 at Lone Star Park, the sale company saw increases in average and median price while the gross slipped from last year's figure with fewer head going through the ring.

For the two days, Fasig-Tipton reported 272 yearlings sold for $3,228,900 and an average of $11,871-- an increase of 15% over last year's number. The median rose 22% over last year's figure to $5,500. The sale saw 135 horses failing to find new homes this year compared to 175 last year.

Last year the sale grossed $3,335,100 with 323 head selling for an average of $10,325. The median was $4,500.

"The median is up and buy-backs are down and we are very pleased," said Tim Boyce, Fasig-Tipton Texas director of sales. "Anytime you get the buy-back rate down, I feel like you are doing a service to the industry."

On day two, the sale saw 134 head sell for $1,564,800, to average $11,678. The median was $5,500 with 66 head failing to find new homes.

A Louisiana-bred son of Catastrophe topped the second and final session of the sale, bringing a final bid of $100,000 from Lee Young of Louisiana. The dark bay or brown colt was the sole offering from the consignment of his breeder, William C. Thomas of W.C. Thomas Farm.

The colt was produced from the Six Speed mare Satin Shoes and is from the family of stakes winners Pale Speed and Flashy N Smart.

Young, whose son Troy is a trainer in Louisiana and Texas, said he was attracted to the colt because of the 31 runners represented in the first four dams of the colt's pedigree. "He was just a very athletic-looking colt," Young said. "It's a gamble, but we're going to take him home and see what we've got. He won't race until he's three."

The $100,000 price tag is something Young expected. "I knew he was going to be high," Young said. "But I was going to get him. I just liked everything about him."

The Catastrophe colt represented two straight days of a Louisiana-bred topping the sale. During the first session Mike Akers of Dapple Bloodstock went to $140,000 to secure a Louisiana-bred daughter of Include   from the consignment of Terry Gabriel and Tod Wojciechowski's Elysian Bloodstock.