NEWS
Stormy Pick sells for $700,000 at Fasig-Tipton November sale
Posted: Monday, November 05, 2001
Grade 1 winner Stormy Pick landed a final bid of $700,000 to highlight the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky November selected mixed sale on Sunday night at the Newtown Paddocks in Lexington. With agent Robert Courtney Jr. handling the bidding, Florida citrus grower and banker Jaime Carrion purchased the athletic and attractive three-year-old daughter of Storm Creek, who was the one of the final offerings in the single-session sale. Courtney prevailed after a lengthy bidding battle with representatives from the English operation Newsells Park Stud, which countered with bids of $10,000 after the two sides hooked at $600,000.
"We bought her to be part of his broodmare band. She'll stay right here, but we don't know who we'll breed her to," Courtney said. "She's in our program. I think that was a fair price."
Prices were fairly strong at the sale, which featured a significantly downsized catalog with an emphasis on weanlings from young sires.
Fasig-Tipton reported sales on 35 of the 60 horses offered for a total of $3,421,000, down 55.1% from last year's total of $7,625,000 for 57 sold. The sale's average decreased 26.9% from $133,772 in 2000 to $97,743 this year, while median rose 8.3% to $52,000. The buy-back rate rose slightly from 41.2% in 2000 to 41.7% this year.
Out of the Peterhof mare Program Pick and a product of Harry T. Mangurian Jr.'s Florida-based Mockingbird Farm operation, Stormy Pick was being offered as a racing and/or broodmare prospect. Fifth last time out in the Half Moon Stakes on October 20 at the Meadowlands, Stormy Pick has won seven of 15 career starts and has earned $441,900.
Stormy Pick was one of the country's top two-year-old fillies in 2000 with victories in the Spinaway Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course and Sorority Stakes (G3) at Monmouth Park for owner Raymond Dweck. A half sister to multiple 2001 stakes winner Expected Program, Stormy Pick was originally purchased by Dweck for $145,000 at the 1999 Ocala Breeders' Sales Co.'s August selected yearling sale.
Stormy Pick was consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent for Dweck.
Newsells Park Stud secured the sale's top-priced in-foal broodmare, going to $475,000 for multiple Grade 3 winner Evening Promise (GB). A five-year-old daughter of Aragon out of Rosy Sunset, by Red Sunset, Evening Promise was sold in foal to Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Fusaichi Pegasus.
Carrion also purchased the sale's top-priced weanling when Courtney signed a $250,000 ticket early in the evening for a filly from the first crop of Grade 1 winner Forestry. Consigned by Taylor Made Sales, the filly is out of the Valdez mare I'm No Pussycat, the dam of Grade 2 winner Sovereign Kitty from the immediate family of champion Family Style.
"Because of her pedigree, with Family Style in there, she has a lot of residual value," Courtney said. "We don't know what we'll do with her yet, whether we'll resell her or race her, but there's probably a good chance she'll go into the racing program. She is a lovely filly."
Fasig-Tipton's November sales calendar continues at 7:30 p.m. EST on Thursday with the fifth annual Adena Springs broodmare sale.—Tom Law
For complete results, access the Fasig-Tipton Web site at http://www.fasigtipton.com
