FOR the second year running a son of Flatter topped the Fasig-Tipton July Sale, held last Tuesday week in Lexington, Kentucky.

China Horse Club and Maverick Racing partnered to pay $440,000 for the sale topping colt out of the stakes-placed Ruth And Neva. The dam is a half-sister to graded stakes winner Sassy Sienna and from the immediate family of champion Silvestro and Group 1 winner Romildo. “I’d say we’re happy,” said vendor Indian Creek’s Shack Parrish. “We knew he was nice; he did really well.”

A first-crop daughter of Frosted was the top filly, selling for $330,000. She is out of the stakes-placed Street Sense mare Humble Street. The filly was purchased by Danielle Bricker for Let’s Go Stables. “She had a huge walk,” said Bricker. “I expected she was going to be a bit pricey. The right horses are selling for the right price.”

Also selling for $330,000 was a colt from the first crop of juvenile champion and classic winner Nyquist. He was purchased by Irishman Ben McElroy, agent for Corinthian Medical/Wilson Sisk. The colt is a half-brother to Red Vine, a multiple Grade 1 placed stakes winner of more than $775,000.

McElroy selected 15-length maiden special weight winner and Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes runner-up Kimari at last year’s sale, and indicated that he expected the colt to be expensive.

“He’s a good representative of the sire. I thought he was one of the best horses in the sale. Nyquist was a champion juvenile, won the Kentucky Derby… what’s not to like?”

“The first horse in the ring brought six figures and the last horse in the ring brought six figures,” said Fasig-Tipton president Boyd Browning. “All in all, it felt very similar to last year. It was a stable, consistent market,” he added. Overall, 202 yearlings sold for $18,621,000, down 6% from 2018, while the average of $92,183 was back 9%. The median was unchanged at $75,000.

The yearling sale was preceded by the seventh edition of the July Selected Horses of Racing Age Sale. Jalen Journey, a close second in the Grade 3 Smile Sprint Stakes at Gulfstream Park on June 29th sold for $510,000 to top the sale. A total of 95 horses sold for $6,548,500, a fall of 30%, and for an average of $68,932, a drop of 26%. The median was $45,000, down 10%. Twenty lots sold for $100,000 or more.