The 2018 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale kicks off August 6-7. Agents, trainers, and owners alike have flocked to the prestigious sale in search of new recruits for their stables. With over 200 different horses to choose from, there will undoubtedly be some future stars hidden among the crowd. There is an aura of mystery surrounding these young horses, as they are unraced, and therefore, untested. However, there is one important clue that will help allude to potential greatness. That clue lies within the pedigree of each horse, and for some of them, the royal blood that is coursing through their veins makes them stand out more than others.
A dark bay filly marked as Hip 19 stands out among the crowd due to her flashy pedigree. She is by the red-hot stallion, Medaglia d'Oro, who is known for passing his talent along to his daughters. As a stud, Medaglia d'Oro has sired countless champions, such as 2009 Horse of the Year, Rachel Alexandra, multiple graded stakes winning champion, Songbird, and the ultra-talented Wonder Gadot, who is fresh off of two dominating wins over the boys in the Queen's Plate and Prince of Whales Stakes, respectively. Other notable winners that Medaglia d'Oro has produced are New Money Honey, Elate, and Breeders' Cup Champions, such as Talismanic and Bar of Gold. Medaglia d'Oro has produced horses that have won on multiple surfaces and distances, making him a very versatile sire.
Medaglia d'Oro isn't the only thing that Hip 19 has going in her favor. The filly is out of the 2015 Champion Female Sprinter, La Verdad. On the racetrack, La Verdad won an impressive 16 times out of 25 starts. Throughout her career, La Verdad won or placed in several graded stakes events, including a gallant runner-up effort in the 2015 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint.
Hip 19 has been given the name, La Kara Mia. She is the first foal out of La Verdad, but with a family history as rich as hers, the sky's the limit for this regally-bred filly.
Another eye-catching Medaglia d'Oro yearling is Hip 204. This dark bay filly is out of the Vindication mare, Dawn Raid. As a broodmare, Dawn Raid has produced three winners from four horses to race, including Exaggerator, who won major stakes races during his career, such as the Saratoga Special (Gr.2), Santa Anita Derby (Gr.1), Preakness Stakes (Gr.1), and Haskell Invitational (Gr.1).
Hip 27 is an extremely promising prospect. She is a bay filly by War Front, and is out of the mare Life Happened. Life Happened is the very dam of the infamous turf-star, Tepin. On the racetrack, Tepin rose to glory on 13 separate occasions, including dominating wins in prestigeous events, such as the Breeders' Cup Mile (Gr.1), Queen Anne Stakes (Gr.1), and Woodbine Mile (Gr.1), just to name a few. Tepin made headlines on racing's biggest stage, and even took the spotlight internationally when she swept to victory at Royal Ascot.
The mere relation to Tepin makes Hip 27 appear special, but the rich family history doesn't end there. Hip 27 is also a half-sister to multiple graded stakes winner, Vyjack, and graded stakes placed, Prime Cut. To date, all five of Life Happened's foals to race have made it to the winner's circle, and for some, the record books. There is a lot to like about Hip 27, and she will definitely be one to keep an eye on as time goes on. If this filly inherits even a fraction of the power that her regal bloodlines allude to, she will be a force to be reckoned with on the track.
The mighty Breeders' Cup champion and two-time Horse of the Year, Curlin, has a couple of standouts of his own lurking in the Saratoga Sale. He is the sire of Hip 20, a brown filly out of the Danzig mare, Leaveminthedust. All six of the foals that have hit the track for Leaveminthedust have been winners, including graded stakes winner, Leavem in Malibu, and graded stakes placed, Danzig Moon.
Another prospect form Curlin is Hip 21, a chestnut colt out of the Pulpit mare, Leh She Run. As a broodmare, Leh She Run has produced six winners, which include the likes of Remsen Stakes winner, O'Prado Again, and graded stakes placed, First Romance. Leh She Run has also produced, Whom Shall I Fear, who is the dam of multiple graded stakes winning millionaire, Fear the Cowboy.
Anticipation has been thick in the air when it comes to American Pharoah's first-crop of yearlings, and the wait is finally over. After 37 long years of waiting, American Pharoah dashed into the history books and proved to the world that the Triple Crown could still be won. After he racked up wins in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont, he scored in the G1 Haskell Invitational and Breeders' Cup Classic, concluding his brilliant career with 9 wins from 11 starts. His time on the racetrack was thrilling, but short-lived, and now it will be up to his many colts and fillies to carry on his legacy and continue his brilliance through their own stories. Hope and potential have surrounded these youngsters from day one, and there are quite a few in this sale that appear to have particularly bright futures ahead.
Hip 26 is a chestnut filly by American Pharoah, who is out of the Malibu Moon mare, Life At Ten. During her career as a racehorse, Life At Ten galloped to victory 8 times out of 22 career starts, and hit the board a total of 10 times. Life At Ten took home several graded stakes victories during her time on the track, including scores in Grade 1 events such as the Ogden Phipps Handicap and Beldame Stakes. Life At Ten has currently produced two different winners, including the graded stakes placed, Singing Bullet.
American Pharoah is also the sire of Hip 62, who has a very intriguing pedigree. This bay colt is out of the Touch Gold mare, Party Silks. With a sire who aced the testing 1 1/2 mile Belmont Stakes, and a dam who is by the 1997 Belmont Stakes champion, Hip 62 is a colt that is rich with the promise of class and stamina. However, the appeal doesn't end there for this yearling, as he comes from a mare that has already stamped herself as a gifted producer. All three of Party Silks' horses to race have been winners, including the highly talented, Upstart, who has won and placed in multiple graded stakes events.
American Pharoah's bay filly marked as Hip 171 is sure to turn some heads. This filly is out of the Cat Thief mare, Beholden, who has produced five different winners thus far in her career as a broodmare. Her Indian Charlie filly, Brazen Persuasion, won the Schuylerville Stakes (Gr.3) back in 2013, and her E Dubai colt, Behold De Buy, scored in the Gold Rush Futurity, and placed in three other stakes events during his career.
Another new stallion with a lot of promise is the multiple graded stakes winning son of A.P. Indy, Honor Code. Out of the Storm Cat mare, Serena's Cat, Honor Code has a pedigree rich with class, making him a very exciting prospect to carry on the incomparable legacy that his sire created during his years in the breeding shed. There is a lot to look forward to with Honor Code's first crop of yearlings, and before we know it, their royal bloodlines will be put to the test.
Honor Code has a bay filly in the sale labeled as Hip 54. The leggy yearling is out of the the mare, My Way, who is by 1995 Breeders' Cup Juvenile champion, Unbridled's Song. My Way has currently produced 5 winners, including J Serino, who won the Veteran Stakes at Zia Park.
Hip 54 has been given the name, Solo. A quick glance at her pedigree reveals classic names that trace back to infamous legends of the sport, such as A.P. Indy, Storm Cat, Seattle Slew, Secretariat, Unbridled, and Mr. Prospector. While the jury is still out on whether or not this filly will make it to the winner's circle, her family tree clearly shows that she was bred to do big things.
Honor Code's bay filly marked as Hip 79 is yet another interesting one to watch. The filly is out of Rehocracy, who is the very dam of multiple graded stakes winner, Egg Drop. Rehocracy has produced five winners during her time as a broodmare, and the talent doesn't end there. Rehocracy is a sister to the mare, Redoubled Miss, who scored and placed in several stakes events during her time on the track, suggesting that talent and the will to win are strong traits within this family line.
Hip 93 is a flashy copper filly who sports a dazzling pedigree. She is by Candy Ride, the very sire that produced Breeders' Cup Champion and Horse of the Year, Gun Runner. The dam of this filly is Sambuca Classica, who is best known for producing the Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner and Champion Two-Year-Old of 2016, Classic Empire. Sambuca Classica has also produced two other stakes winners so far, who are named, Anytime Magic and Uptown Twirl.
To date, all five of the foals that Sambuca Classica has produced have found their way to the winner's circle, giving Hip 93 and very promising future. Both of her parents have produced a Breeders' Cup champion, and that makes this chestnut filly a very interesting prospect moving forward.
As a sire, Tapit has dominated countless sales over the years with his progeny. As expected, the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale is loaded with beautiful Tapit babies. Among them are two that standout in particular. The first one is Hip 137, a bay filly out of the Galileo mare, Twirl. With leading names in the industry such as Tapit and Galileo on her side, Hip 137 instantly looks intriguing. While Twirl hasn't produced a winner yet (her first foal is a two-year-old of 2018, which has not started), her family history only adds to the charm that Hip 137 carries. Twirl is a full-sister sister to not one, but two multiple stakes winning champs, Misty For Me, and Ballydoyle. Twirl is also a winner herself, as she claimed the Irish Stallion Farms E.B.F. Hurry Harriet Stakes in 2012.
Tapit's chestnut filly labeled Hip 222 has an interesting pedigree, as well. Hip 222 is out of the Not For Love mare, For Royalty. Winner of the Mountianeer Juvenile Fillies Stakes at the age of two, For Royalty went on to produce four current winners as a broodmare. Her most accomplished filly to date is Constellation (Bellamy Road), who has won and paced in multiple graded stakes events. For Royalty's other three foals are each graded stakes placed.
Among Tapit's many talented offspring is 2014 Belmont Stakes winner, Tonalist. This multiple graded stakes winning beast entered stud in 2016, and will still have to prove himself as a stallion. However, the combination of his pedigree and race record suggest that he will have an auspicious career as a stud. Just like his sire, Tonalist has quite a few standouts in this sale.
Hip 95 is by Tonalist and out of the Touch Gold mare, Saphiria. As mentioned before, Touch Gold was the 1997 Belmont Stakes winner, meaning that this bay colt has endurance loaded on both sides of his pedigree. Class is also strong on the maternal side of this yearling's pedigree, as his dam has produced six different winners, including the stakes winning filly, Bryan's Jewel.
Another interesting Tonalist colt is Hip 116. This dark bay colt is out of the Storm Cat mare, Storm Tide. Storm Tide made her only career start a winning one before going on to life as a broodmare, where she produced 4 winners, including American Lion, who won the Grade 3 Hollywood Prevue Stakes and Illinois Derby. This colt has a pedigree filled with winners, making him a colt that you will want to remember for the future.
Another new, young stallion to keep an eye on is Verrazano. This flashy son of More Than Ready was gifted with blazing speed during his time on the track, and already appears to be passing it on to his young. In this year's edition of the Kentucky Juvenile Stakes, Verrazano's colt, Myhotrodlincoln, placed a valiant second in the Grade 2 event.
Verrazano is off to a strong start at stud, and he will be represented in the Saratoga Sale by some nicely-bred individuals, including Hip 103, a filly out of Shawnee Moon. This brown filly is a half-sister to the graded stakes placed filly, Gibby, as well as, Giuseppe the Great, who placed in the Woody Stephens (Gr.2), Jim Dandy Stakes (Gr.2), and Pennsylvania Derby (Gr.1).
Another promising bay filly by Verrazano is Hip 105. This regal filly is out of the Empire Maker mare, Shehadmefromhello, which makes her a half-sister to Separationofpowers, who recently won the Grade 1 Test Stakes at Saratoga. With the raw speed from Verrazano and the staying power from Belmont Stakes champion Empire Maker in her pedigree, this filly has the potential to be gifted with speed and stamina.
Hip 123, a bay colt by Bodemeister, is yet another individual to keep an eye on. The dam of this colt, Swingit, shares something in common with the sire, creating a very promising match. Swingit is by 1998 Belmont Stakes winner, Victory Gallop. The sire of Hip 123 is also by a Belmont Stakes winner himself, as Bodemeister is by the mighty, Empire Maker, who won the classic event in 2003.
As a racehorse, Bodemeister possessed brilliant speed and staying power, and has already proven that as a sire, he can pass on similar talent to his young. But he is not the only one in this family tree that is known to produce winners. The dam of Hip 123 is the mare that produced Neolithic, who placed in 5 different graded stakes races, including third-place finishes in the two richest races in the world, the Pegasus World Cup and Dubai World Cup. With such a strong family tree, Hip 123 is a definite standout in this sale, and will be fun to follow moving forward.
Other intriguing Hips from the Saratoga Sale include Hip 86, an Empire Maker colt out of Rigoletta, who is the dam of Las Vegas Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner, Battle of Midway. Hip 174 is also bound to draw attention, as this brown filly has a pedigree loaded with potential. This filly is by Uncle Mo, who has sired countless winners such as Kentucky Derby hero Nyquist, and several graded stakes winners, such as Unbridled Mo and Outwork. The dam of Hip 174, Be My Prospect, is a proven producer, who has birthed 5 winners so far, including Cat Burglar, winner of the Santana Mile Stakes, and Aljalela, who placed in the Cellars Shiraz Stakes.
Mystery and lure surrounds each and every colt and filly in this sale. While some will rise to glory with age, others will not. This is the first step in their journey to their futures on the track, and it will be very exciting to follow these young horses as they move forward in life.
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