Medaglia d’Oro Filly Pure Gold at The July Sale

A filly by exceptional sire Medaglia d’Oro lit up the board late in the session during The July Sale on Tuesday, hammering down for a record-tying $1,000,000.

Offered as Hip 290 by Bluewater Sales, the sale topping filly was purchased by Lawrence Best’s OXO Equine. The filly is the first foal out of Hung the Moon, a young stakes winning mare by Malibu Moon. The price equals a record set in 1982 when a filly by Northern Dancer out of Bold Melody (Bold Ruler) sold for $1,000,000 and is good for tie-fourth best all time inclusive.

“You’re always thrilled to have a horse break out and kind of get through the ‘glass ceiling’ like the million dollar filly did late today,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning. “It just demonstrates the strength of the market [and] if you put good horses in front of quality buyers, anything can happen. She was a lovely filly.”

This renewal of The July Sale posted gains across the board, with the sale topper more than doubling last year’s top price ($475,000 for a Curlin colt out of Franscat) and 18 yearlings sold for $200,000 or more versus 17 in 2016, with 49 fewer horses offered.

“Obviously, a [very] good day,” remarked Browning. “Average was up, gross was up, median was up, RNA rate’s down… The market’s still [good], but there’s still some discipline. It’s not runaway, it’s not overly heated. There’s still some selectivity in the marketplace… It’s a healthy market. It sure bodes well for the rest of the yearling sales upcoming this year.”

The sale’s top colt (Hip 194) was a yearling from the second crop of 2013 Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Orb, which sold for $310,000 to Kenny McPeek, agent for Fern Circle from the consignment of Gainesway, agent.

Among first-crop sires, Airdrie Stud’s Cairo Prince led the class with eight yearlings sold from as many offered for an average of $141,875, more than 14 times his 2015 stud fee, including two colts sold for more than $250,000.

Overall, 172 horses sold for $16,107,000, an improvement of 2.2% over last year, when 183 horses sold for $15,756,500. The average was $93,645, an 8.8% increase over $86,101 in 2016. The median, $70,000, was 16.7% better than $60,000 last year. The RNA rate was eight points lower than in 2016.

Full results are available online.