THE four-day Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fll Yearling Sale this week featured close to a record number of entries and produced record gross and average figures.

The top lot was a $700,000 Medaglia d’Oro colt who was the most expensive horse sold at the October sale since 2013.

The sale ended on Thursday with 981 horses sold for a record $35,812,900, up 39% from last year’s three-day sale, when 777 horses were sold for $25,691,500. The previous record aggregate came in 2014 when 837 yearlings sold over three sessions for $30 million.

The average sale price was also a record figure of $36,507, up 10% from $33,065. The median saw a decline of 17% to $12,000 from $14,500.

A total of 35 horses sold for $200,000 or more, compared with 17 the previous year.

“I think what there’s been is a significant shift in buyer confidence in this sale,” Fasig-Tipton president Boyd Browning said afterwards. “That shift in confidence is a result of an improved quality of product being presented by the consignors and owners of horses to this sale. At the end of the day, it all begins and ends with the horse. We had a lot of nice horses on the grounds.”

“You can bring a legitimate horse here and get paid real money,” Browning said. “It gives everybody confidence in the marketplace going forward to further assess sales placement, to make sure they’re getting the right horses in the right places. If you have a horse that might need a little time from a maturity standpoint, you don’t have to push. You’ll be rewarded for doing the right thing by the horse, and bringing it to a venue like this.”

Trainer Mark Casse was responsible for three of the sale’s five most expensive horses, landing the sale-topper during Wednesday’s third session, a $700,000 Medaglia d’Oro colt. Casse signed the ticket as agent for a partnership.

The colt is out of the stakes-winning Seeking The Gold mare Broadway Gold, who is the dam of six winners from seven runners. He is a full-brother to Grade 3 winner Golden Lad and a half to Grade 2 winner Broadway’s Alibi and Grade 1-placed stakes winner R Gypsy Gold.

“It’s a good pedigree,” Casse said. “Obviously, with Medaglia d’Oro doing so well with the horse in California and the horse in New York, (two-year-old Bolt d’Oro and three-year-old filly Elate) and now Violence is doing so well. When you find that package, it gets a bit expensive.” The colt was consigned by Baccari Bloodstock.

Casse also signed the ticket on behalf of owner John Oxley for the auction’s second-most expensive horse, a $500,000 Violence colt out of the Grade 3-placed Cuvee mare Witch’s Coven, consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency.

The final session on Thursday was led by a pair of $400,000 colts.

The first to sell was an Into Mischief colt who went to Mike Ryan, consigned by Dromoland as agent.

“It just didn’t work out at Keeneland, but I always believed in this colt,” said Gerry Dilger of Dromoland Farm. “He was an expensive foal but, every weekend now, this sire is coming up with runners. Mike Ryan bought Practical Joke, and I think he really loved this colt, and hopefully he’s as lucky with him as he was with Practical Joke.”

Later in the session, Casse struck for a Curlin colt for the same amount. The chesnut colt is the first foal out of the Grade 2-placed Stormy Atlantic mare Mekong Delta, from the family of Noalcoholic, Canadian champion Leonnatus Anteas, Italian champion Alea II, Preakness Stakes winner Red Bullet and Grade 3 winners Leo’s Starlet, Sandy’s Charm, and Sistercharlie.

“Curlin’s just a super-sire, and I thought he was a really pretty colt,” Casse said. “He’s a Canadian-bred, which never hurts our feelings. Maybe we can win the Queen’s Plate, if we can’t win the Kentucky Derby.”