Medaglia d’Oro on Top at Record-Setting October Sale
A record-setting renewal of The October Sale ended Thursday with an historical high in gross and average.
In sum, 981 yearlings sold for $35,812,900, good for an average of $36,507 and median of $12,000. Gross was up 39.4% over 2016, while average rose 10.4%. The previous record gross and average were attained in 2014, when 837 yearlings sold for $30,006,200, averaging of $35,850.
A colt by internationally successful sire Medaglia d’Oro topped the sale when sold for $700,000 during the sale’s third session. Offered as Hip 736 by Baccari Bloodstock, agent, the popular colt was purchased by Mark Casse, agent.
“There were a lot of happy faces and a lot of people who really had meaningful and significant sales this year,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning. “That’s probably the most encouraging thing from our perspective. You can bring a legitimate horse here and get paid real money.”
Medaglia d’Oro was also responsible for the sale’s top filly, Hip 967, who was purchased for $350,000 by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners from the consignment of Lane’s End, agent.
Colts by Violence, Curlin, and Into Mischief sold for $400,000 or more during the four-day sale, all eclipsing last year’s top price of $350,000. Into Mischief was popular during the final session, accounting for three of the top six prices on the day.
Two colts shared topped billing during session four when sold for $400,000. First through the ring was Hip 1178, a colt by Into Mischief purchased by Mike Ryan, agent from the consignment of Dromoland Farm. The second was Hip 1265, a son of Curlin purchased by Mark Casse, agent from the consignment of Hill ‘n’ Dale Sales Agency, agent. The session’s top filly was a $260,000 daughter of Into Mischief purchased by Tracy Farmer from the consignment of Four Star Sales, agent.
On the overall gains, Browning added, “It gives everybody confidence in the marketplace moving forward to further assess sales placement, to make sure they get the right horses in the right places. If you have a horse that might need a little more time from a maturity standpoint, you don’t have to push. You’ll be rewarded for doing the right thing by the horse and bringing it to a venue like this.”
Overall, 110 horses sold for six figures or more compared to 71 last year, with 35 topping the $200,000 mark, an increase over 17 last year. The RNA rate was 22.6%.
Results are available online
