David Anderson stepped out at the Fasig-Tipton November sale on November 9 and purchased SUMMER IN SARATOGA, recent winner of the Grade 3 Dowager Stakes at Keeneland, for $630,000 as a racing or broodmare prospect. Summer in Saratoga, with earnings of $429,572, is out of the Grade 1 winning Arch mare LOVE THEWAY YOUARE who descends from her second dam ANDORA, whom Anderson knows well. Andora is the dam of graded stakes winners and Grade 2 placed Rare Opportunity, the dam of TOWER OF TEXAS, STREET SOUNDS, and SILVER HIGHLIGHT, all Canadian-bred stakes winners. This is also the family of Anderson-bred champion GRETZKY THE GREAT. Anderson owns Anderson Farms in St. Thomas.
The November Sale established a new record gross, selling more than $100,000,000 in the single session for the first time in the sale’s history, including 26 fillies and mares which sold for $1,000,000 or more.
Grade 1 producer Magical World, in foal to multiple Leading Sire Into Mischief, topped the sale when sold for $5,200,000 to Whisper Hill Farm and Three Chimneys Farm. Hill ‘n’ Dale Sales Agency, agent, offered the 11-year-old daughter of Distorted Humor as Hip 203. Magical World has produced four winners from four to race, including multiple Grade 1 winning millionaire Guarana (Ghostzapper); Grade 2 placed stakes winner Magic Dance (More Than Ready); and current three-year-old winner Beatbox (Pioneer of the Nile). Magical World is out of Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1) winner Pleasant Home from the immediate family of champion Sky Beauty and Grade 1 winners Violence and Tale of Ekati. Magical World also has a yearling colt by Gun Runner and foaled a colt by Quality Road this year.
“[It was a] remarkable evening tonight,” said Fasig-Tipton president Boyd Browning. “We were so fortunate to have a tremendous group of horses… It was almost impossible to believe the quality of horses on the grounds.”
Record-setting Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner Shedaresthedevil topped the racing/broodmare prospects on offer, selling for $5,000,000 to Whisper Hill Farm, Flurry Racing, and Qatar Racing from the consignment of Hunter Valley Farm, agent. Offered as Hip 232, the four-year-old daughter of Daredevil ran the fastest Kentucky Oaks in history, going 9 furlongs in 1:48.28 while defeating champions Swiss Skydiver and Gamine and Grade 1 winner Speech. Shedaresthedevil’s seven graded stakes victories also include this year’s La Troienne S. (G1) and Clement L. Hirsch S. (G1). To date, she has earned $2,331,458 under the tutelage of trainer Brad Cox and has won or placed in 15 of 17 career starts.
Eclipse Champion Swiss Skydiver was the sale’s top broodmare prospect, selling for $4,700,000 to Katsumi Yoshida from the consignment of Runnymede Farm, agent. Offered as Hip 246, the four-year-old daughter of Daredevil won five graded stakes last year en route to Champion Three-Year-Old Filly honours, including a victory in the Preakness S. (G1) over Kentucky Derby (G1) winner and subsequent Horse of the Year Authentic. Swiss Skydiver captured the prestigious Alabama S. (G1) at Saratoga last year at three and won this year’s Beholder Mile S. (G1). She won or placed 12 of 16 career starts and earned $2,216,480 for owner Peter Callahan and trainer Kenny McPeek.
“Our friends from Japan have become a major component of this sale,” said Browning when asked about the high level of participation from Japanese buyers. “We live in a global world and we’re fortunate that we have a global marketplace here.”
The sale’s top weanling was Hip 107, a filly by Curlin out of Grade 1 winner Sippican Harbor, which sold for $750,000 to West Bloodstock, agent for Robert and Lawana Low from the consignment of Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent. The chestnut filly is the second foal out of Spinaway S. (G1) winner Sippican Harbor, from the immediate family of Group 1 winner Peter Davies. Hip 107 was bred in Kentucky by Lee Pokoik.
Overall, 149 horses changed hands for a sale-record gross of $103,699,000, a 15.9% increase over the previous highwater mark set in 2018 when 141 horses sold for $89,473,000. The average rose 23.2% to $695,966 from $565,049 in 2020 and was good for second-highest average in sale history. The median was $300,000, up 50% from 2020 and good for third-highest median ever recorded at the November Sale. The RNA rate was 21.1%. Twenty-six fillies and mares sold for $1,000,000 or more.
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