At Fasig-Tipton Saratoga, a Gun Runner Colt Brings $2.7 Million

The 2024 Champion 3-Year-Old put on a show at Saratoga, defeating Highland Falls to secure yet another 'Win and You're In' berth to the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic

Top Price on Opening Night of Fasig-Tipton August Sale / FASIG-TIPTON

SARATOGA SPRINGS, New York (Special for Turf Diario).- As It Does Every August, the Historic Humphrey S. Finney Pavilion Became the Epicenter of the Select Yearling Market with the Opening of Fasig-Tipton’s Saratoga Sale

The first session lived up to its billing, with 77 yearlings sold for a total of $39,975,000. The average price reached $519,156, while the median held firm at $400,000. The RNA rate was just 12.5%.

But beyond the strong figures, it was the sale of nine yearlings for seven figures that truly marked the night—an all-time record for an opening session at the Saratoga Sale.

The undisputed star of the evening was Hip 37, a Gun Runner colt consigned by Stone Farm and hammered down to Winchell Thoroughbreds for $2.7 million. Out of GSW America (A.P. Indy)—already the dam of MGSP First Captain (Curlin), now standing in Brazil—the colt hails from one of the most illustrious female lines in the book, descending from Better Than Honour, Rags to Riches, Peeping Fawn, and Denon. He was bred in Kentucky by Bobby Flay Thoroughbreds.

“It was a tremendous start to the Saratoga Sale,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning. “There was strong competition from the first hip to the last. It’s a great tribute to our selection team, the consignors, and the buyers who trust us with their very best yearlings each year.”

Among the highlights:

• Hip 36, a Good Magic colt out of Alpha Zulu (Shanghai Bobby), sold for $1.6 million to Hoolie Racing. His female line includes G2 winner Recapturetheglory, Canadian champion Are You Kidding Me, and G1-placed Kehoe Beach.

• Hip 29, a Justify half-brother to champion sprinter Caravel, was purchased by Qatar Racing for $1.4 million. Out of Zeezee Zoomzoom (Congrats), he was consigned by Hunter Valley Farm and bred in Pennsylvania by Elizabeth M. Merryman.

• Hip 66, a Not This Time colt out of Classic Strike (Smart Strike), was sold for $1.4 million to Kjell Andersen, a new face in the game inspired by Netflix’s Race for the Crown. The dam has already produced nine winners, including GSW Union Strike and G1SW Handsome Mike.

• The top-priced filly was Hip 13, a Curlin daughter out of Two Sixty (Uncaptured), purchased for $1.3 million by Windancer Farm and bred by Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings.

• Flightline’s first yearlings made their debut at auction, with Hip 34, a daughter of the unbeaten champion, bringing $1.1 million from West Point Thoroughbreds. The filly is out of a daughter of American Pharoah, and her third dam is MG1W Dream Supreme.

Three other yearlings hit the $1 million mark late in the evening:

• Hip 97, a Constitution colt purchased by Pedro Lanz for KAS Stables, from the family of champion Halfbridled.

• Hip 101, a Uncle Mo colt out of Full Tap (Tapit)—already the dam of GSP Cafe Society—was bought by M.V. Magnier and White Birch Farm.

• Hip 109, also by Constitution, was picked up by Repole Stable. His dam is a half-sister to none other than Flightline, adding more allure to the final offering of the night.

With such a strong and competitive start, anticipation is high for the sale’s conclusion on Tuesday evening.