More Than Ready Colt Hammers For $750,000 At Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Sale

The following appeared in The Paulick Report May 22nd. Kaleem Shaw of Northern Virginia made the day’s biggest purchase of a 2 year old More Than Ready colt.

Numbers at the opening session of the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic sale remained relatively steady Monday with the 2017 auction’s first day. Total sales of $12,066,000 were up 4.5 percent over last year’s opener, while average of $70,151 was down 1.5 percent. The median of $36,000declined by 10 percent.

The RNA rate for the first session was 23 percent, down slightly from the 25 percent that went unsold during the opening day in 2017.

Ben McElroy, left, with Kaleem and Arman Shah

A 2-year-old son of More Than Ready brought a final bid of $750,000 to top Monday’s opening session. Consigned as Hip 204 by Hartley/De Renzo Thoroughbreds, the colt had been purchased for $500,000 as a yearling. His dam, Embur’s Song (Unbridled’s Song), was champion Canadian older mare and is a half-sister to Dawn Raid, dam of Preakness winner Exaggerator.

Fasig-Tipton listed the buyer as Mr. Ed Savant Jr., a name used at previous horse sales by Thoroughbred owner Kaleem Shah, who along with his son, Arman, looked at prospective purchases with agent Ben McElroy and trainer Simon Callaghan.

Hip 204 went a furlong in 10 1/5 seconds in the under tack show, one-fifth of a second off the fastest time posted during the sale previews.

Michael Lund Peterson, who won last year’s Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont Park with More Spirit, paid $600,000 for a chestnut colt from the first crop of G1 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Mucho Macho Man. Consigned by Kip Elser’s Kirkwood Stables, agent, Hip 278 was produced from Itsagiantcauseway (by Giant’s Causeway), whose second dam, Strike a Balance, was the dam of 10 winners, including Canadian Horse of the Year and leading sire Peaks and Valleys. The Mucho Macho Man colt posted the fastest time for a quarter mile, 21 1/5 seconds, among the sales entries breezing the distance in the under tack show.

Colt from first crop of Mucho Macho Man sold for $625,000 to Michael Lund Peterson

At $325,000, the top-priced filly on Monday was Hip 246, a dark bay or brown daughter of Bernardini out of a Giant’s Causeway mare, Great Look, the latter an unarmed full sister to multiple graded stakes winner Winning Cause. Consigned by Paul Sharp, agent, the Bernardini filly was purchased by Charles J. Zacney, whose current stable star, Federico Tesio Stakes winner, Diamond King, races in the name of Zacney’s Cash Is King Stable in partnership..

The next-highest price point during Monday’s session was $300,000, shared by an Uncle Mo filly and a Maclean’s Music colt. The filly, consigned as Hip 106 by De Meric sales, was purchased by George Strawbridge’s Augustin Stables. She is a half-sister to five winners from as many to race out of the stakes winning Smart Strike mare Bisbee’s Prospect. She is from the immediate family of graded stakes winners Buy the Barrel, Demarcation, Fishy Advice, and Mauk Four.

The colt, consigned as Hip 146 by Scanlon Training and Sales, was purchased by Steve Young as agent. He is the second foal out of the unraced Indian Charlie mare Cheyenne Autumn, whose second dam is Test S. (G1) winner Missed the Storm. The colt’s immediate family includes champions Chris Evert, Chief’s Crown, Winning Colors, and Deep Sky, as well as Grade 1 winners Classic Crown, Sightseek, Tates Creek, Etoile Montante, and Tap Dance City.

Hips 301 – 600 are scheduled to be sold on Tuesday, May 22, with the session beginning at 2:00 p.m.

For full results, click here.