THREE sons of Scat Daddy featured among the five yearlings to sell for $200,000 or more at the inaugural Fasig-Tipton Turf Showcase Yearling Sale on Sunday. This was a low-key first effort and only half of the yearlings offered found new owners. This was the first North American sale consisting entirely of yearlings with ‘turf appeal’ and all yearlings catalogued were selected on the basis of both conformation and pedigree.

Two lots sold for $250,000 and both were from the last crop of the hugely successful Scat Daddy. Lothenbach Stables gave that amount for the first offspring of the stakes winner Harbingerofthings, offered by Vinery Sales on behalf of the colt’s breeders Spendthrift Farm. Later de Meric Stables matched the price when securing the first foal of the Danehill Dancer mare Luvly Rita who was placed in Ireland and the USA and was formerly trained by David Wachman. She is a daughter of the Group 2 placed Hold Me Love, a full-sister to both Yesterday and Quarter Moon and was offered by Taylor Made Sales Agency. The third Scat Daddy to feature was one of three yearlings to sell for $200,000 and was also from the Taylor Made draft. This colt is a grandson of the stakes winner Maxxi Arte, a Danehill Dancer mare who is from the family of Group 1 winner Linngari and Mont Ormel, and Hunter Valley Farm bought. Taylor Made also sold the top-priced filly, a Kitten’s Joy full-sister to the stakes winner on turf, Kitten’s Cat and she was snapped up by Cheyenne Stables.

Darby Dan Farm acted as agent for the sale of a colt by Malibu Moon out of the El Prado mare Article Rare. She won the Group 3 Prix des Reservoirs at two and was runner-up in the Group 1 Prix Saint-Alary. The colt’s third dam is the outstanding racemare Allez France. Michael Stinson will race this $200,000 purchase.

“We really didn’t know what to expect coming into the night, and I think we learned some things, both positive and some areas [for] improvement,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning on the sale’s inaugural session. “There was a great group of buyers here. One thing we learned on the buyer side of things is [that] it takes time to change behaviour. It was an interesting evening.”