by Pete Denk

A Tiznow colt sold for $170,000 to top the second session of the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Eastern fall yearling sale, but total sales, average price, and the buy-back rate continued to lag significantly behind the sale's previous three editions.

Fasig-Tipton reported 155 of 254 yearlings offered as sold for a total of $2,768,300 on Tuesday at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium, a 40% decline compared with the corresponding session last year.

Average price was $17,860, a 24.8% drop compared with session two last year. Median declined 16.3% to $9,000 on day two, and the buy-back rate moved from 21.5% a year ago to 39%.

“I think we have a depressed market, and yesterday’s national trauma, in reflection, had little to do with the sales drop,” said Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Director T. Mason Grasty, referring to the 777-point drop of the Dow Jones industrial average on Monday. “It’s more a reflection of the national sales market, a la Keeneland [September yearling sale], and what we’ll expect to see in Kentucky in two weeks [at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky fall yearling sale].”

Through two days, Fasig-Tipton reported 326 horses as sold from 518 offered for a total of $5,551,700—a 37.5% decline compared with total sales after two sessions last year. Average is down 29.2% to $17,030, and median is down 8.4% to $9,500.

The buy-back rate stands at 37.1%, compared with 27.2% at this point last year. Six horses have reached the $100,000 mark. With one session to go, the sale is far behind last year’s total of 27 six-figure horses.

The session-topping Tiznow colt was purchased by Jay Em Ess Stable. Welker Sales Agency consigned the colt on behalf of Perry Flynn of Greensboro, North Carolina.

Bayne Welker, as agent, bought the colt privately from breeder Rob Whiteley’s Liberation Farm after he was listed as reserve not attained on final bid of $47,000 at the 2007 Keeneland November breeding stock sale.

“I usually buy [Mr. Flynn] one horse a year for resale, and he gets it ready, and it’s kind of a hobby therapy for him that he enjoys,” Welker said.

Welker said the recent success of Tiznow was the major factor in the colt’s price.

“I think he was appreciated because of his sire, who has just done no wrong this year. His horses have been winning Grade 1s, listed stakes, and it’s not just one horse that’s carrying him. He’s got multiple horses out there that are running at the top level,” Welker said. “This horse had a pedigree that stood out amongst everything in this book, and he was a big, free-moving colt.”

Trainer Chad Brown, representing former harness driver Malvern Burroughs of Saratoga Springs, New York, purchased the day’s highest-priced filly, a $105,000 filly by first-crop sire Purge.

Paramount Sales, agent, consigned the filly out of Canadian champion two-year-old filly Brusque, by Canaveral.

The third and final session begins Wednesday at 10 a.m. EDT

For hip-by-hip results, click here.

Pete Denk is sales editor for Thoroughbred Times