The Hennessy purchase, which broke the previous F-T Texas yearling record of $80,000 established in 1996, came from the consignment of Benchmark Training Center, agent. Benchmark is owned by TTA president Mike Barnett of Dallas. The colt is the second foal out of the Seattle Slew mare Driving Miss Sally, who is a sister to multiple Grade I winner A Wild Ride. The sale continues Tuesday.
A colt by Hennessy attracted a record bid of $150,000 from Tom Durant to highlight the opening day of the Fasig-Tipton Texas Yearling Sale Monday at Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie near Dallas. Durant, a car dealer near Fort Worth who's building a Thoroughbred racing stable after spending years in the Quarter Horse business, stopped bidding at $135,000 before getting back in. "He's a late foal (May 2), so I backed out at first," Durant said. "He's just a nice individual, and Hennessy is doing very strong with his 2-year-olds." Durant, who also bought Wild Hits for $21,000 at this sale last year before he won the Texas Thoroughbred Association Sales Futurity in April and earned $114,000, was active at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling sale earlier this month. He spent $250,000 on a Carson City colt and $165,000 on a Runaway Groom colt.