Session 2 of annual Fasig-Tipton auction continues high-stakes action

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The night picked up right where it left off for Session 2 of the Saratoga Selected Yearlings Sale at Humphrey S. Finney Sales Pavilion on Tuesday evening.

Opening up with Hip No. 122 after Hip No. 121 withdrew from the annual Fasig-Tipton auction, the second and final night of the 103rd Saratoga Sale wasted no time getting right back into the high-stakes action we witnessed in Session 1 on Monday.

Hip No. 22, a Medaglia d’Oro bay filly bred and raised by Stonestreet Farm and consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, got things rolling by commanding a $975,000 price tag to start the night.

The female yearling, born Feb. 4, 2023, has a sire that needs little introduction. He sired championship female champions Rachel Alexandra, Songbird, and Wonder Gadot, and her buyer’s likely have the same vision for her.

Her dam is Princess Julia, who is by Distorted Humor and, while she never won in her short, four-race career, she did place and show while hunting for the maiden-breaker she never got.

The second purchase of the second night came with an even bigger price tag.

Hip No. 123, a chestnut filly by Gun Runner out of Pure Clan, quickly broke the $1 million mark on just the second sale of the night when Whisper Hill Farm purchased the Kentucky-bred for $1.5 million.

Gun Runner, the No. 3 sire so far in 2024 by progeny earnings, was Horse of the Year as a runner and has 30 black type winners as a stud.

Pure Clan was also a Kentucky-bred and she won half of her starts from ages 2 to 4 to earn just shy of $1 million with multiple graded stakes on her impressive resume.

The price tag was likely a valid indication of the talent this filly may possess, but only time will tell.

Things stayed contentious among the bidders both inside and outside as the sale moved on...