Early Voting, Practical Joke Fillies Top Outstanding First Session of New York Bred Yearlings

The first session of the 2025 Fasig-Tipton New York Bred Yearlings sale, conducted Sunday evening in the Humphrey S. Finney Pavilion in Saratoga Springs, seemed to echo the momentum from last week’s record-breaking Saratoga Sale. The opening session was marked by increases in gross, average, and median, and featured several historically significant prices among the offerings.

A filly from the first crop of Preakness S. (G1) winner Early Voting (hip 331) topped the session when sold for $525,000 to Jones/Everett, agent for Sabby and Gargon Racing (video). The bay filly was consigned by Thorndale Farm, agent. The price is the second highest paid for a filly at the New York Bred Yearlings sale, second only to a Malibu Moon filly sold in 2019. Hip 331 is out of the winning Ghostzapper mare Owl Moon, who has already produced four winners from as many starters, including stakes placed Blue Strike (Smart Strike). This is the immediate family of Grade 1 winner and multiple graded stakes winner Stormy Lucy. Hip 331 was bred in New York by Sequel Thoroughbreds & Tuscany Bloodstock.

“It was an outstanding opening session of the 2025 New York Bred Yearlings sale,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning. “The quality of the New York-breds that we’re exposed to in our inspection process continues to improve each and every year and that was indicative of the results tonight.”

Also among the top prices for the first session was a filly by Practical Joke (hip 329) sold for $500,000 to Repole Stable from the consignment of Hunter Valley Farm, agent (video). The price ties the third most expensive filly in this sale’s history, tied with an Outwork filly sold in 2019. The dark bay or brown filly is a half-sister to three winners out of the Gemologist mare Our Hope Diamond, herself a half-sister to Grade 2 winner Inside Straight. Hip 329 hails from the immediate family of Argentinian Horse of the Year Mirinaque (ARG). The filly was bred in New York by  Dutchess Views Farms, SGO Thoroughbred LLC, & Winding Road Thoroughbreds.

Rounding out the top five sold during the Sunday session were:

• A filly by Medaglia d’Oro (hip 393), sold for $410,000 to Taproot Bloodstock, agent, from the consignment of Hunter Valley Farm, agent. The dark bay or brown filly is out of the multiple stakes winning graded stakes placed Archarcharch mare Strategic Dreams from the immediate family of international graded stakes winner Express Tour. Hip 393 was bred by Rockridge Stud.
• A colt from the first crop of Life Is Good (hip 400), sold for $400,000 to Kenneth McPeek, agent, from the consignment of Sequel New York, agent. The gray or roan colt is a half-brother to three winners out of the unraced Tapit mare Tapas, including a stakes performer and a stakes producer, from the immediate family of Grade 1 winning millionaire New Year’s Day and Grade 2 winners Justwhistledixie and Moyhamen. Hip 400 was bred by Sequel Thoroughbreds and Magnolia Mares.
• A colt by Not This Time (hip 385), sold for $375,000 to DJ Stable from the consignment of Eaton Sales, agent. The bay colt is out of the Grade 2 winning Awesome Again mare Spacy Tracy, whose seven winners to date include five stakes performers, let by Grade 2 winner Belles Island, who is herself the Grade 2 producer. The immediate family includes Grade 1 winners Eliza and Dialed In. Hip 385 was bred by Daniel J. Burke and Kathleen Burke Schweizer.

“The momentum from The Saratoga Sale last week clearly continued tonight,” added Browning. “The sale started off very strong and ended very strong so it was a very good night.”

Over the course of the first session, 64 yearlings sold for $8,338,000, up 21.3% from when 66 sold for $6,860,000 a year ago. The average climbed 25.3% to $130,281 from $103,939 last year. The median rose 18% to $105,000 from $89,000 last year. The RNA rate was 23.8%.

Results are available online. The New York Bred Yearlings sale continues Monday at 12 PM.