$1.25 Million American Pharoah Colt Leads Way at Fasig
Thursday’s session of the Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearlings Showcase saw an American Pharoah colt sell for $1.25 million to Speedway Stables, topping the session and ending the sale as the most expensive colt to go through the ring.
Consigned by Denali Stud for breeders Bayne and Christina Welker as Hip 400, the colt is a half-brother to multiple Grade I-placed Neolithic. The colt’s multiple stakes winning dam Swingit became the dam of five winners from five to race when her 2-year-old won her debut last Friday on the Grade I Kentucky Oaks undercard.
All but one of the colt’s first seven dams have produced at least one stakes horse with his fourth dam Carnauba also the winner of the Group I Oaks d’Italia.
“We just thought he was an absolutely stunning horse,” agent Marette Farrell told Thoroughbred Daily News after signing the ticket. “We were the underbidder on his half-sister last year, who was the ‘TDN Rising Star’. We had seen this horse on the farm and knew how much his connections thought of him and Bob Baffert, who is going to train him, loved him. I was on the phone with K.C. Weiner, who coached me through this. We are thrilled to get him. We think he is a really special horse and it looks like the mare has already produced a couple of very good horses. He fits what Speedway wants and what Bob Baffert is looking for.”
American Pharoah had a strong Fasig-Tipton sale with his seven to sell averaging $375,000 with a median of $275,000. Four of those brought more than $250,000 with all seven bringing six figures.
His second most expensive of the sale and most expensive filly was the $300,000 Hip 197 purchased by Cheyenne Stables. Out of the Giant’s Causeway mare La Vita Bella and bred by H. Allen Poindexter & Zayat Stables, the filly was consigned by Wynnstay Sales. The May born yearling saw an update after the catalogue was released with her half-sister placed twice in the last month.
The $300,000 offering is out of a half-sister to two stakes winners, including Grade II winner and Grade I placed Know More with her third dam the successful broodmare Qui Bid.
It was a successful day for last year’s Champion Freshman Sire with American Pharoah also registering another graded stakes winner when Pista won a Group II in England.