Record-Setting Curlin Colt Tops Strong Renewal of Midlantic 2YO Sale

A chestnut colt by Curlin (Hip 388) led the way at the 2017 edition of the Midlantic Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale when sold for $1,500,000 during the second and final session of the sale on Tuesday. The price tag was both a record for this sale and for a Thoroughbred sold at public auction in the state of Maryland. This increasingly popular sale produced a seven-figure sale-topper for the third consecutive year.

The sale-topper, whose physical was strongly reminiscent of his sire, was purchased by Breeze Easy & John C. Oxley from the consignment of Hartley/de Renzo Thoroughbreds, agent. The seller purchased the colt from the 2016 Fasig-Tipton July Sale, which he sold for a sale-topping $475,000 when offered by St George Sales.

Several other colts proved popular on the day, including an $850,000 Distorted Humor half-brother to Grade 1 winner Lochte (Hip 490, purchased by Simon Callaghan, agent from the consignment of Eddie Woods, agent); an $800,000 Ghostzapper colt out of a full sister to graded stakes winners Kauai Katie and Winding Way (Hip 516, purchased by Baoma Corp from the consignment of Cary Frommer, agent); and a $710,000 colt from the first crop of Orb (Hip 373, purchased by Dennis O’Neill from the consignment of Crupi’s New Castle Farm).

The sale’s top-selling filly was the first session’s top-priced offering, a Smart Strike filly (Hip 79) offered by Hartley/de Renzo Thoroughbreds, agent which fetched $525,000 from Xavier International Bloodstock, agent.

All told, 78 two-year-olds sold for six figures or more, compared to 69 in 2016.

In total, 330 horses changed hands for a total of $25,237,000, good for a 9.1% increase over last year’s gross of $23,136,400 for 337 sold. The average was $76,476, an 11.4% increase over $68,654 in 2016, while the median was $35,000 up 9.4% from $32,000 last year. The RNA rate was 19.9%, compared to 25.9% in 2016.

Full results are available online.