Last year the sale was held over two days and featured yearlings as well as broodmares and weanlings. This year, the sale company held a two-day yearling sale, Aug. 11-12, with 106 yearlings selling for $1,294,300, an average of $12,210. Seventy-seven yearlings (42.1%) failed to meet their reserves. By Expensive Decision, Long Distance was sold in foal to Malibu Moon and purchased by John McMahon for $45,000. Consigned by BlueChip Stock, agent, Long Distance is out of the Phone Trick mare Reverse the Call.Long Distance produced a New York-bred Posse colt, named Long Chase, Feb. 9, and has an unraced 2-year-old Artaxfilly, Listening Post.
Numbers fell at the second annual New York Breeders' Sales Co.'s Saratoga fall mixed sale, held Oct. 16 at Saratoga Race Course. The 9-year-old stakes winning mare Long Distance topped the one-day sale. The sale of 116 horses grossed $690,500, down 43.3% from last year's figure of $1,218,700. The average dropped 6.7% from $6,381 to $5,953. The median remained the same at $2,500. Of the 290 horses offered 128 failed to find new homes compared to 2004 when 190 horses from the 414 catalogued failed to sell. The 2005 RNA rate was 44.1%.
