By Sarah Mace
A record-setter when unveiled as a weanling last year, a bay New York-bred colt by Good Magic delivered once again on Monday when hammered to Michael J. Maker for $425,000 at the opening session of Fasig-Tipton’s 103rd renewal of the Saratoga Selected Yearling sale.
Bred by Richard Nicolai’s Fortune Farm and foaled at Anne Morgan’s Mill Creek Farm in Stillwater on February 11, 2023, the colt was offered by Eaton Sales, Agent, at Saratoga as Hip 118. Fortune Farm purchased his dam Popstar, a winning daughter of Medaglia d’Oro, for $29,000 at the 2023 Keeneland January sale with the sale colt in utero.
Popstar is the dam of three winners from three foals to start, led by stakes performer Lady d’Oro by Catholic Boy, who has twice added to her earnings tally since the catalogue was printed. In fact, the day before the Saratoga Sale opener she finished second in a Monmouth allowance. Another foal, Doctor Nash, updated his record with a second in the claiming ranks in late June. The colt’s second dam Catstar is a graded stakes performer, and third dam Advancing Star is a multiple graded winner. Popstar foaled a filly by Central Banker on February 14, 2024 and was bred back to Charlatan.
The public got its first look at the star colt at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Fall Mixed Sale, where he brought a sale-record $230,000 from C F Farm. At the time, breeder Richard Nicolai told the TDN, “I had a $175,000 reserve on him–not believing that I could hit the $175,000 reserve. But I figured if I got the $175,000, I would let him go. If I didn’t, I would sell him as a yearling. He was perfect in every way. But I was very, very surprised to see him bring $230,000. I thought he was a really good colt–good looker, good mover. His family was OK, it wasn’t jumping off the page. It kind of surprised me when he went that high.” The youngster’s appeal has only increased over time. Virtual inspection.
Another New York-bred to meet with success at the boutique Saratoga Sale was Hip 34, a dark bay or brown yearling colt by Medaglia d’Oro who was purchased by Saratoga Special for $175,000. Bred by Amsterdam Two Farm LLC, the colt was consigned by Machmer Hall Sales, Agent, for Machmer Hall Picturesque Farm and Redfield Farm. Virtual inspection.
Foaled on January 27, 2023 at Windhorse Thoroughbreds, LLC, the Medaglia d’Oro colt is out of Earth Shaking, an unplaced runner purchased in foal by Joe Teserio at the 2023 Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale for $82,000. Earth Shaking is a half-sister to graded winner Talk Veuve to Me as well as stakes performer and stakes producer Tiffany Case. She has produced five winners from five foals to start, including her first foal Souper Energizer, who has earned over $300,000 from 53 starts and most recently added to his bankroll when he finished fourth in a listed Stakes at Gulfstream Park on July 7. Earth Shaking foaled a filly by Mind Control on January 22, 2024 and has been bred this year to Americanrevolution.
Like the other New York-bred standout in the session, the colt debuted successfully at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Fall Mixed Sale, where he was purchased by Machmer Hall for $125,000.
The second and concluding session of the Fasig-Tipton 103rd Saratoga Sale will take place Tuesday, August 6, 2024 at the Humphrey S. Finney Pavilion, beginning at 6:30 PM. Click here for New York-bred hips and registration statuses.
