Darley's Medaglia d'Oro and Gainesway's Tapit shared the limelight on the second day of the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale Aug. 9 as the only sires represented by a seven-figure yearling.
Medaglia d'Oro led the ranks with a $1.45 million filly out of Canadian stakes winner Whisper to Me, dam of multiple Canadian graded stakes winner Overheard. The filly was bought by Mandy Pope's Whisper Hill Farm and consigned by Denali Stud.
Tapit's top price was a $1.25 million gray colt out of Tiznow 's winning daughter Rote, who produced graded stakes-placed winner Royal Obsession. The colt's second dam, Song to Remember, produced grade I winner Magnificent Song and two other graded stakes-placed winners. Stonestreet Stables and M.V. Magnier partnered to buy the colt that was offered through the Gainesway consignment.
Overall Tapit was the leading sire by average and median, among stallions with three or more sold. The current leading sire in North America averaged $713,889 for nine sold and had a $650,000 median. Tapit's average fell below his results for the 2015 Saratoga sale primarily because he had two seven-figure yearlings a year ago—a $2 million colt out of Dress Rehearsal and $1.2 million colt out of Appealing Zophie.
Medaglia d'Oro ranked second by average and median. His six yearlings sold averaged $609,167, which was 12.3% higher than his 2015 Saratoga average of $542,500 for two sold.
Adena Springs Kentucky's Ghostzapper saw a significant gain in average compared with a year ago. The speedy son of Awesome Again had a $446,250 average with four sold this year compared to an average of $205,000 in 2015, when he was represented by two yearlings sold. PTK LLC bought the top-priced Ghostzapper yearling on the first night of the sale, paying $800,000 for a half sister to undefeated champion Songbird.
Ashford Stud's star second-crop sire Uncle Mo , currently ranked second to Tapit on the general leading sire list, had both the number of yearlings offered and average price jump. This year his seven yearlings averaged $428,571 and set a median of $500,000. At the 2015 Saratoga sale, he was represented by three yearlings that averaged $156,667 with a median of $140,000.
Uncle Mo had two yearlings sell for $650,000 on the opening day—a colt consigned by Gerry Dilger’s Dromoland Farm that sold to China Horse Club in partnership with M.V. Magnier, and a colt offered by Francis and Barbara Vanlangendonck's Summerfield agency purchased by John Oxley.
Fasig-Tipton Saratoga 2016 Yearling Sale
Top Sires by Average
(min. 3 sold)
| Sire | Offered | Sold | Average | Median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tapit | 11 | 9 | $713,889 | $650,000 |
| Medaglia d'Oro | 8 | 6 | $609,167 | $487,500 |
| Ghostzapper | 4 | 4 | $446,250 | $350,000 |
| Uncle Mo | 10 | 7 | $428,571 | $500,000 |
| Pioneerof the Nile | 4 | 4 | $405,000 | $250,000 |
| Speightstown | 6 | 5 | $331,000 | $275,000 |
| Scat Daddy | 10 | 8 | $306,875 | $292,500 |
| Bernardini | 8 | 6 | $295,000 | $305,000 |
| Paynter | 3 | 3 | $263,333 | $255,000 |
| Malibu Moon | 6 | 5 | $258,000 | $200,000 |