Join now & win money today! Get Started

$3.2M Nyquist Colt On Top As Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Blazes Out of the Gate

---

by Jessica Martini & Christina Bossinakis

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY – The Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale had its first seven-figure result just 19 hips in when Amr Zedan bid $2 million for a colt by Curlin, and it produced the last of the first session’s 15 million-dollar yearlings when M.V. Magnier and Peter Brant went to $1.9 million for a colt by Gun Runner, the very last hip through the ring. Somewhere in the middle of the action-packed session, a colt by Nyquist claimed the day’s top spot when selling for $3.2 million to Randy and Jenny Boyd’s Boyd Racing.

At the close of business Monday night, 79 yearlings had grossed $54,395,000–more than half of the 2025 auction’s total record gross of $100,845,000. The session average of $688,544 was well ahead of last year’s total sale record figure of $626,366, as was the session median of $500,000. The record 2025 cumulative median was $450,000.

During last year’s opening session, 77 yearlings grossed $39,975,000 for an average of $519,156 and a median of $400,000.

“It was a tremendous start to the 105th Saratoga Yearling Sale tonight,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning, Jr. “Literally from beginning to end, from hip number two–since hip one was a scratch–to the last horse in the ring tonight. The energy was palpable. The bidding activity was very, very strong. It was a tremendous session.”

Browning said Monday’s results confirmed the optimism that had been building around the sale all summer.

“We were optimistic when we put together the Saratoga catalogue,” he said. “We were more optimistic when the horses unloaded off the vans and we saw them on the sales grounds. We got even more optimistic as we saw the level of activity on the sales grounds with people looking, got even more optimistic when the we saw the vetting, in terms of repository activity. But despite our optimism, it exceeded our expectations.”

Browning added the 2026 Saratoga auction still had to come out strong for its second session Tuesday.

“We like where we are at halftime, and we hope to be able to put together another great sale tomorrow night,” Browning said. “We have another bunch of really, really good horses to go through the ring tomorrow night. I’ll sleep a little better tonight. But we’ve still got half the work to do.”

Tuesday’s final session of the Saratoga sale begins at 6:30 p.m.

Nyquist Colt Steals the Show at Fasig Opener

Flattered by a trio of yearlings to bring over seven figures on Monday, Nyquist was represented by Monday’s session-topping yearling, secured for $3.2 million by Brittany Linton on behalf of Randy and Jenny Boyd’s Boyd Racing. Offered as hip 83, the colt was consigned by Gainesway, acting as agent for Stonestreet.

Out of GII Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes winner Slammed (Marking), the Feb. 11 foal is bred on a similar cross to GISWs Nysos and Immersive.

Slammed, with this colt in utero, was purchased by Stonestreet for $1.1 million at the 2024 Fasig-Tipton November Sale. This is her first foal.

According to Randy Boyd, the operation veered off its original plan heading into Monday’s session.

“We came here with a strategy of buying two fillies, but we just fell in love with this colt,” he admitted. “And like we say, we have a strategy, we stick to it, but every month we change the strategy. [Monday], we changed the strategy, but it was just a colt that we couldn’t pass up.”

During Monday’s session, a quartet of Nyquist yearlings sold–from five through the ring–for a gross of $5,975,000 for an average of $1,493,750.

“The sire, Nyquist, of course,” said Boyd when asked what attracted his team to the colt. “I just think it’s just going to be an amazing colt. We think it has a possibility to be a Kentucky Derby horse one day.”

What’s next for the colt?

“Well, I can say that you’ll initially go to Paul Sharp and that’s where he’ll do his initial training,” Boyd confirmed. “But we haven’t got the race trainer yet.”

Returning to the prime directive later in the sale, the Boyd’s also secured hip 104, a filly by Quality Road, for $1.5 million. A daughter of GIII Indiana Oaks winner and GI Acorn Stakes runner-up Talk Veuve to Me (Violence), the Mar. 20 foal was also bred-sold by Stonestreet. Denali Stud acted as agent. Talk Veuve to Me is a half-sister to the stakes-placed Tiffany Case (Uncle Mo), the dam of champion Nitrogen (Medaglia d’Oro).

“We’re buying fillies for the long term,” Boyd added. “We want to buy fillies that have great potential to be a broodmare, and hopefully, they’ll have a good career while they’re racing. But the most important thing is to buy quality broodmares.”--CBoss

$3.2 million #FasigSaratoga – Monday

Hip 83, a Nyquist colt out of SLAMMED, sells for $3.2 million to Boyd Racing, Brittany Linton, agent. Consigned by @Gainesway, agent for @StonestreetFarm. pic.twitter.com/9RtmbZpGPj

— TDN (@theTDN) August 11, 2026

Ward All Shook Up Over $2.3-Million Gun Runner Colt

Trainer Wesley Ward went to $2.3 million to acquire a colt by Gun Runner (hip 78) from the Taylor Made Sale Agency consignment Monday at Saratoga and shortly after signing the ticket on the yearling, the client gained a partner in the colt’s breeder, Three Chimneys Farm.

“Everything,” Ward said when asked what he liked about the yearling. “I trained for Goncalo Torrealba and Three Chimneys. And Doug Cauthen and his team bring me out every year to see the horses in the sale. This was my favorite for the year so far. He’s just a beautiful colt. I was very excited for him to come here. And sometimes they get here and they can go one way or the other and this horse just kept going the way that we wanted. Everything I want in a race horse. It looks like he’s going to be, not just a really good horse, but also it looks like he could be a really nice 2-year-old for next year. So we’re really excited.”

The colt is out of 2015 GI Kentucky Oaks runner-up Shook Up (Tapit), who is also the dam of the stakes-winning and multiple graded-placed King Ottoman (Curlin).

“Goncalo jumped in and Three Chimneys is going to take half the horse,” Ward said. “We’re going to put our partnership together for the other half.”

Of the colt’s final price tag, Ward added, “I thought he was a $2-million horse and we had to go a couple more to get him, but we were excited.”

Three Chimneys purchased Shook Up for $1.65 million at the 2015 Keeneland November sale.

“That colt has been a star from day one and a farm favorite, all the grooms, managers, everybody liked the horse,” Doug Cauthen said. “And he came up here and really showed himself very well. The sales company, the consignors all did a great job and we expected him to bring in that realm.”

Of the decision to stay in on the colt, Cauthen said, “We asked him after the fact and he kindly said we could stay in. So that’s great because we do like the horse a lot.”

Cauthen added, “Almost all the [Three Chimneys] horses go to auction and Goncalo loves partnering with people. So if people come up, he likes to stand behind his product and we’ll stay in with them. As long as he’s going to a trainer he’s comfortable with, he’s very open to it.” @JessMartiniTDN

Into Mischief Colt Tops Flying Dutchman’s Saratoga Shopping List

Hunter Rankin said he was finding plenty of competition while bidding on behalf of Flying Dutchmen during Monday’s first session of the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale, but even so the Boersma family’s racing operation came away with five new yearlings for a total of $5,225,000.

The group was led by a colt by Into Mischief (hip 91) purchased for $2.3 million from Hill ‘n’ Dale at Xalapa, which was consigning the colt on behalf of his breeder, Don Alberto Corporation. The yearling is out of multiple graded-placed Stellar Sound (Tapit), a half-sister to Grade I-placed ‘TDN Rising Star’ presented by Hagyard Luminance (Tale of the Cat), whose dam Silent Serenade (Unbridled’s Song) was purchased by Don Alberto for $1.025 million at the 2017 Keeneland January Sale carrying the filly that would become Stellar Sound. A full-brother to hip 91 topped last year’s Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale when selling for $4.1 million to Coolmore and White Birch Farm.

Hip 91 c. INTO MISCHIEF o/o Stellar Sound sells for $2,300,000 at The 105th Saratoga Sale! Congrats to the connections:

B: Flying Dutchmen @flyingdutchky
C: @HillnDaleFarm, agt for @hsdonalberto
Br: Don Alberto Corporation pic.twitter.com/r90OrRuCT9

— Fasig-Tipton (@FasigTiptonCo) August 11, 2026

“He’s out of a great mare,” Rankin said of the yearling. “They breed great horses over there and it’s fun to buy horses off them. He was a really nice horse. We are just really excited to get him.”

Flying Dutchman also purchased a colt by Cody’s Wish (hip 50) for $950,000 and a colt by Curlin (hip 51) for $800,000–both from Lane’s End–a colt by Life is Good (hip 30) for $675,000 from Taylor Made Sales Agency, and a full-brother to GI Preakness Stakes winner National Treasure (Quality Road) (hip 102) for $500,000 from Bridie Harrison, agent for Peter E. Blum Thoroughbreds.

“There is a lot of a negative stuff people say about the business, but there are a lot of people excited about it,” Rankin said. “Our group is excited and I know a lot of new groups who are excited, too. We’ve been outbid a bunch tonight. That’s a really good thing for the business. We have tried really, really hard. It’s a good sign for this market.” @JessMartiniTDN

Curlin Colt Wows Early at Fasig-Tipton Saratoga

With only a handful of yearlings having passed through the ring at Monday’s Fasig-Tipton Saratoga opener, a colt by supersire Curlin drew a cool $2 million from Donato Lanni bidding on behalf of Amr Zedan. Plying his trade from the balcony above the main sales ring, Lanni was accompanied by Zedan in addition to Hall of Famer Bob Baffert.

“He’s a horse that the whole team liked. Bob loved the horse,” said Lanni. “He was a horse that impressed us from the very beginning. At Saratoga, you have so much time to look at these horses, if you ever have a reason to get off a horse. We just stayed on the horse.””

“There’s not going to be too many of those Curlins left,” added Lanni. “Unfortunately, he’s getting a little older. He had the [Kentucky] Derby winner [Golden Tempo] this year and he’s been such a great sire.”

Out of Merlazza (Medaglia d’Oro), hip 19 was consigned by Hill ‘n’ Dale at Xalapa.

“Pedigree looks like he’ll stretch out,” added Lanni. “He’s a very mature colt, very athletic colt. Just a really, really cool colt.”

Merlazza is a full-sister to the dual Grade III-placed Gold Standard and a half to Mapit (Tapit), responsible for GSW and GISP Where’s My Ring (Twirling Candy). This is the extended family of MGISW Dream Supreme.

“You never know what they’re going to bring, but the good ones always seem to cost a lot. I know there was a lot of competition for the horse. I’m a very happy guy.”

Curlin, who stands at Hill ‘n’ Dale, was withdrawn from breeding service earlier this season.

“Curlin has been everything to Hill ‘n’ Dale,” said Hill ‘n’ Dale’s Jes Sikura. “He’s been the flag bearer at Hill ‘n’ Dale for the last decade. He’s been our Classic sire, America’s Classic sire. He got his Kentucky Derby winner. He’s had a son win every leg of the Triple Crown, Breeders’ Cup Classic, everything. And now that there’s obviously a little bit more of a limited number of horses, they’re in high demand.”

In regard to Monday’s fourth top-priced yearling of the session, Sikura explained, “To be up here in Saratoga, it’s such a great sale to look the way he did, move the way he did, and show the way he did all week.”

He added, “I think the way he moved, he was a beautiful mover with a huge overstep. He was also strong, sleek, light on his feet. So I think as a whole, he stood out and he looked like he has a lot of room to develop to be a strong, robust, athletic curling colt. So there were a lot of things about him physically that stood out and made him a star and achieved the result he just did.”

Asked about the price, he said, “Probably past the expectations. I though he was going to sell really well. I didn’t really have a number in mind, nor do I think anybody did, but I think that was definitely a little past the range we were expecting.”–CBoss

Gunning to the Very End

Some might have been worried that their yearling would be strolling through the sales ring as the very last offering of an evening session, however, agents Hanzly Albina and Ron Blake were not among them. When their striking Gun Runner colt strode into the sales ring at the end of the night, several key players were still sitting in the pavilion. Among them, the Coolmore team in tandem with White Birch Farm’s Peter Brant, who changed things up by sitting on the upper level to do their bidding. When all was said and done, the partners landed Hip 113 for $1.9 million, ending the evening as the fifth highest-priced colt of the session.

Armed with only a pair of yearlings on Day 1, Blake-Albina sold both of them, including a Gunite colt (hip 39) that sold earlier in the session for $310,000.

Were they concerned about the late post?

“No,” affirmed Albina. “We thought we were going to close it out pretty strongly and they would wait around for us. So I wouldn’t say we were worried. If we’d been the last horse tomorrow, we may have been worried. But today we’re okay with it. It’s a Gun Runner, so that’s going to keep them in the seats.”

Hip 113 c. GUN RUNNER o/o Toni Tools sells for $1,900,000 at The 105th Saratoga Sale! Congrats to the connections:

B: M V Magnier & @WhiteBirchFarm_
C: Blake-Albina Thoroughbred Services, agt
Br: Newtownanner Stud Farm@Three_Chimneys pic.twitter.com/JfUYTatXb4

— Fasig-Tipton (@FasigTiptonCo) August 11, 2026

Out of SW Toni Tools (Roaring Fever), the colt is a half-brother to GI Darley Alcibiades Stakes winner and millionaire Candied (Candy Ride {Arg}).

Asked what made the chestnut so special, Albina responded, “He obviously has an extremely good pedigree. He’s a 3/4-brother to a Grade I-winning filly and he is by the best dirt sire in the world. And he’s a specimen that, in the best sale of the finest horses in the year, stood out. And the buyers know what they want. They want the best stuff. They want the best times, the best mares, and the best physicals. And he embodied all three of those things.”

He added, “We were flattered by all the people who looked at the horse and gave us praise. It just reaffirms what you’re doing and that you’re trying to do it the right way.”–CBoss

Owens Strikes for Uncle Mo Colt

“He’s going to be a Derby winner,” Lori Owens said after purchasing a colt by Uncle Mo (hip 54) for $1.5 million in the name of her B-4 Farms Monday in Saratoga. The colt was consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency on behalf of his breeder, Barbara Banke’s Stonestreet. The yearling is out of Grade I winner and former ‘TDN Rising Star’ presented by Hagyard Rachel’s Valentina (Bernardini), a daughter of champion Rachel Alexandra (Medaglia d’Oro).

Owens said the colt would likely be trained by Steve Asmussen.

From Abilene, Texas, Owens has been in racing for the better part of a decade now and has campaigned Canoodling (Pioneerof the Nile), winner of the 2022 GIII Wilshire Stakes and GIII Megahertz Stakes, and multiple stakes winner and multiple graded-placed Bye Bye Bobby (Quality Road) with trainer Todd Fincher. @JessMartiniTDN

#FasigSaratoga – Monday

Hip 54, an Uncle Mo colt out of RACHEL’S VALENTINA, sells for $1.5 million to B-4 Farms LLC. Consigned by @TaylorMadeSales, agent for @StonestreetFarm. pic.twitter.com/MZ5T9Qie5r

— TDN (@theTDN) August 11, 2026

‘The One We Came For’: Holliday Nabs Nyquist Filly for $1.375 Million

Marc Holliday, CEO of SL Green and chairman of the New York Racing Association Board of Directors, had one horse on his wish list when he came to the Saratoga sale Monday and it was mission accomplished when he went to $1.375 million to acquire the filly by Nyquist (hip 49) from the Paramount Sales consignment.

The yearling is out of Pray for Leslie (Bernardini) and is a half-sister to multiple graded winner Praying (Vekoma).

“She was the one we came here for,” Holliday, who did his bidding alongside bloodstock agent Dan Hayden and trainer Carlos Martin, said. “She’s that cross of Nyquist with Bernardini mares I think is going to be something that we’re going to have a lot of fun with on the racetrack and for many years in the breeding shed. So I’m very, very happy with how it turned out.”

The filly was bred by Jeff Kerber and Jeff Prunzik.

Holliday concluded, “She’s an extremely well-balanced filly and she vetted Triple A-plus. For me, that’s what I look for for this kind of purchase. We’re going to send her down to Ocala and see how she develops.” @JessMartiniTDN

$1.15-Million Gun Runner Filly a Career High for Veteran Breeder Stautberg

Caroline Stautberg has been selling yearlings in Saratoga for three decades and the Monkton, Maryland, breeder had her biggest sale to date Monday in Saratoga when her Gun Runner filly (hip 108) sold for $1.15 million to RTM Racing. Consigned by Bluegrass Thoroughbred Services, the chestnut, bred on a foal share with Three Chimneys Farm, is out of graded-placed Tapit‘s World (Tapit) and is a full-sister to multiple graded stakes winner and Grade I-placed Il Miracolo.

“This is the highest,” Stautberg, with a big smile, confirmed of the sale.

Stautberg admitted she had expected the filly could become her highest seller before she went through the ring Monday.

“But, I was thinking in the neighborhood of $700,000 or maybe $800,000 if everything went great. So I was delighted. And very surprised.”

Tapit‘s World’s 2-year-old daughter Worldly Charm (Vekoma), who sold for $150,000 at Saratoga last August, recently made her racetrack debut, finishing third in the My Dear Stakes at Woodbine.

“I still have the mare,” Stautberg said of Tapit‘s World, who she purchased for $175,000 at the 2015 Fasig-Tipton November sale. “She is carrying a Gun Runner, but she also has a Gun Runner weanling that [farm manager] Darin [Martin] says looks just like this one, if not better.”

Asked what it was like watching her first million-dollar sale, the 85-year-old Stautberg, who has just six broodmares, said, “I don’t know. It was just unreal. It was beyond belief.”  @JessMartiniTDN

Nakauchida Lands Two Seven-Figure Yearlings on Day 1

One of only two buyers to secure a pair of seven-figure yearlings during Fasig-Tipton’s initial session, Japanese trainer Mitsumasa Nakauchida extended to $1.9 million for hip 100, a filly by Not This Time, and hip 70, a colt by Life Is Good that brought $1 million. Both yearlings were consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency as agent.

“It was a little bit more than what I expected, but the market is strong and Saratoga is such a good sale,” said Nakauchida of his biggest expenditure of the evening. “Everyone’s here, so you got to push very hard to secure a very good yearling.”

Out of Grade III winner and GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies third Girl Daddy (Uncle Mo), the bay filly is a full-sister to On Time Girl, winner of the GII Eight Belles Stakes and GIII Forward Gal Stakes.

Hip 70 is the second foal out of Seabrook (Speightstown), a daughter of SW and GSP Regia Marina (Medaglia d’Oro). This is the family of GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner and champion Midshipman and the late MGISW sire Frosted.

The conditioner explained he was also drawn to the colt’s athleticism.

“He’s by good stallion,” he said. “He’s not as proven yet, but I like Life Is Good. And I saw a few of them last year and as 2-year-olds and they are training good. So I think he’s going to be a good stallion in the future. So we just took a gamble buying one of them.”

Life Is Good is already the sire of Susumu Fujita’s Lizhitsumodoraichi, a debut winner over 1800 meters at Niigata Racecourse on Aug. 2.–CBoss

Stewart Extends to $1 Million for Nyquist Colt

John Stewart’s Resolute Bloodstock also entered the fray at Fasig-Tipton on Monday, purchasing a pair of colts. Leading the duo was hip 75, a colt by Nyquist out of Me and Mine (Bernardini) who brought $1 million. From the extended family of European champion Hold That Tiger in addition to GI Belmont winner Editor’s Note, the bay was consigned by Eaton Sales.

“When they walked him out, he just had a lot of class about him,” explained Chelsea Stewart. “He was great on the shank, and checked all our boxes. He walked fantastic. We really loved him.”

Asked about the seven-figure price, she added, “He was one at the top of our list, and I think we were happy with the value that we got on him. We were expecting them to kind of be in that range, but you never know what the sales. Sometimes they go through the roof, but we were thrilled with the outcome.”

According to Stewart, the cross was also important in pushing the purchase across the finish line.

“As soon as we saw that he was a Nyquist colt out of a Bernardini mare, we were like, ‘Oh, we’ve got to go look at him,’” she said. “It’s the same cross as [Grade I winner] Nysos, so the sky’s the limit. I mean, it’s got a huge hip on him, so you know he’s going to be speedy. So we’re excited.”

Earlier in the session, the Stewarts also secured hip 15, by Life Is Good. Out of Mae Never No (Ire) (No Nay Never), the Apr. 17 foal was a member of the Gainesway consigment.

Stewart confirmed that Resolute will partner with MyRacehorse on the Florida-bred colt.

When asked what the Resolute team is currently looking for, Stewart confirmed that quality colts were the primary target.

And while the Stewarts have become well-known buyers over the past few years, she confirmed that the team have expanded into a new direction in 2026.

“This is our first year we’re taking yearlings to the market and we’ll be selling [at Keeneland September],” confirmed Stewart. “And we’ve retained nine fillies. So we’re just adding them up, but we’re selling about 16 or 17 at Keeneland.”

Resolute sold a pair of yearlings at Fasig-Tipton in July and will earmark an additional two or three for Fasig October.

“We sold our first two at Fasig in July and those both went off successfully, so we were excited with that,” she said. “And then we also have a son of [MGISW] Caravel (Mizzen Mast) and [yearling by Frankel {GB}] at Tattersalls. So we’ll be selling in Europe as well. It’s the first year for everything.”–CBoss

NOTHING BUT NET

Life is More Than Good for Taylor

Taylor Made Sales Agency sent a pair of colts by Life is Good through the sales ring Monday in Saratoga on behalf of two different pinhooking partnerships and both yearlings provided handsome profits to their investors.

Early in the session, Flying Dutchmen purchased a colt by Life is Good (hip 30) for $675,000. Mike Rose and Keiber Rengifo purchased the dark bay out of Most Empressive (Empire Maker) for $185,000 at last year’s Keeneland November sale.

“I went down to Florida in February and saw that colt,” Taylor Made’s Marshall Taylor said. “And from from the time I saw him, he had a beautiful shape. Every time we brought that colt out, he never turned a hair. He just kept going every time he walked. He just gave the same effort every time, and he’s such a beautiful horse. He looks like a horse that could be running over the Saratoga track this time next year.”

That early result was eclipsed later in the session when Taylor Made sold another colt by the WinStar stallion (hip 70) for $1 million to Mitsu Nakauchida. Out of Seabrook (Speightstown), the yearling was purchased by Charlie Allen on behalf of Terry Stephens Racing for $260,000 at Keeneland last November.

“The first one we sold, he looked like a horse who would be running across the street, or might be running Keeneland next April. He looked like a real early, precocious horse. He had a really fast body, had a big walk, and he just looked like one of those horses that they’ll be running early. The second one we just sold, he was a leggier two-turn-looking horse.”

Of the two sets of partners, Taylor said, “We’ve sold for both of them for several years. Both of them came from Ocala. So I was down in Ocala, and I’d keep going from one stop to the next, so I’d get to see them both. But once Life Is Good started rolling with winners, I knew Saratoga was a great choice.” @JessMartiniTDN

The post $3.2M Nyquist Colt On Top As Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Blazes Out of the Gate appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Flying Dutchmen Springs for $2.3M Into Mischief Colt

---

Hunter Rankin, Flying Dutchmen’s president, signed the $2.3-million ticket Monday night at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale for an Into Mischief colt out of Stellar Sound (Tapit). The gray or roan colt was consigned by Hill ‘n’ Dale at Xalapa, agent for Don Alberto Corporation. Sent through the ring as Hip 91, the March-foaled colt was bred in Kentucky by Don Alberto. His yet-unnamed full-brother sold at this same sale last year for $4.1 million to Coolmore and White Birch Farm.

Stellar Sound, three-times graded placed, is a granddaughter of MGISW Versailles Treaty (Danzig). Into Mischief’s runners out of Tapit mares include GISW Pretty Mischievous, winner of the 2023 GI Kentucky Oaks.

$2.3 million #FasigSaratoga – Monday

Hip 91, an Into Mischief x Stellar Sound colt, sells for $2.3 million to @flyingdutchky from the consignment of @HillnDaleFarm, agent for @hsdonalberto. pic.twitter.com/yhQkNK4rfb

— TDN (@theTDN) August 11, 2026

The post Flying Dutchmen Springs for $2.3M Into Mischief Colt appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

$3.2M Nyquist Colt On Top As Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Blazes Out of the Gate

---

by Jessica Martini & Christina Bossinakis

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY – The Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale had its first seven-figure result just 19 hips in when Amr Zedan bid $2 million for a colt by Curlin, and it produced the last of the first session’s 15 million-dollar yearlings when M.V. Magnier and Peter Brant went to $1.9 million for a colt by Gun Runner, the very last hip through the ring. Somewhere in the middle of the action-packed session, a colt by Nyquist claimed the day’s top spot when selling for $3.2 million to Randy and Jenny Boyd’s Boyd Racing.

At the close of business Monday night, 79 yearlings had grossed $54,395,000–more than half of the 2025 auction’s total record gross of $100,845,000. The session average of $688,544 was well ahead of last year’s total sale record figure of $626,366, as was the session median of $500,000. The record 2025 cumulative median was $450,000.

During last year’s opening session, 77 yearlings grossed $39,975,000 for an average of $519,156 and a median of $400,000.

“It was a tremendous start to the 105th Saratoga Yearling Sale tonight,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning, Jr. “Literally from beginning to end, from hip number two–since hip one was a scratch–to the last horse in the ring tonight. The energy was palpable. The bidding activity was very, very strong. It was a tremendous session.”

Browning said Monday’s results confirmed the optimism that had been building around the sale all summer.

“We were optimistic when we put together the Saratoga catalogue,” he said. “We were more optimistic when the horses unloaded off the vans and we saw them on the sales grounds. We got even more optimistic as we saw the level of activity on the sales grounds with people looking, got even more optimistic when the we saw the vetting, in terms of repository activity. But despite our optimism, it exceeded our expectations.”

Browning added the 2026 Saratoga auction still had to come out strong for its second session Tuesday.

“We like where we are at halftime, and we hope to be able to put together another great sale tomorrow night,” Browning said. “We have another bunch of really, really good horses to go through the ring tomorrow night. I’ll sleep a little better tonight. But we’ve still got half the work to do.”

Tuesday’s final session of the Saratoga sale begins at 6:30 p.m.

Nyquist Colt Steals the Show at Fasig Opener

Flattered by a trio of yearlings to bring over seven figures on Monday, Nyquist was represented by Monday’s session-topping yearling, secured for $3.2 million by Brittany Linton on behalf of Randy and Jenny Boyd’s Boyd Racing. Offered as hip 83, the colt was consigned by Gainesway, acting as agent for Stonestreet.

Out of GII Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes winner Slammed (Marking), the Feb. 11 foal is bred on a similar cross to GISWs Nysos and Immersive.

Slammed, with this colt in utero, was purchased by Stonestreet for $1.1 million at the 2024 Fasig-Tipton November Sale. This is her first foal.

According to Randy Boyd, the operation veered off its original plan heading into Monday’s session.

“We came here with a strategy of buying two fillies, but we just fell in love with this colt,” he admitted. “And like we say, we have a strategy, we stick to it, but every month we change the strategy. [Monday], we changed the strategy, but it was just a colt that we couldn’t pass up.”

During Monday’s session, a quartet of Nyquist yearlings sold–from five through the ring–for a gross of $5,975,000 for an average of $1,493,750.

“The sire, Nyquist, of course,” said Boyd when asked what attracted his team to the colt. “I just think it’s just going to be an amazing colt. We think it has a possibility to be a Kentucky Derby horse one day.”

What’s next for the colt?

“Well, I can say that you’ll initially go to Paul Sharp and that’s where he’ll do his initial training,” Boyd confirmed. “But we haven’t got the race trainer yet.”

Returning to the prime directive later in the sale, the Boyd’s also secured hip 104, a filly by Quality Road, for $1.5 million. A daughter of GIII Indiana Oaks winner and GI Acorn Stakes runner-up Talk Veuve to Me (Violence), the Mar. 20 foal was also bred-sold by Stonestreet. Denali Stud acted as agent. Talk Veuve to Me is a half-sister to the stakes-placed Tiffany Case (Uncle Mo), the dam of champion Nitrogen (Medaglia d’Oro).

“We’re buying fillies for the long term,” Boyd added. “We want to buy fillies that have great potential to be a broodmare, and hopefully, they’ll have a good career while they’re racing. But the most important thing is to buy quality broodmares.”--CBoss

$3.2 million #FasigSaratoga – Monday

Hip 83, a Nyquist colt out of SLAMMED, sells for $3.2 million to Boyd Racing, Brittany Linton, agent. Consigned by @Gainesway, agent for @StonestreetFarm. pic.twitter.com/9RtmbZpGPj

— TDN (@theTDN) August 11, 2026

Ward All Shook Up Over $2.3-Million Gun Runner Colt

Trainer Wesley Ward went to $2.3 million to acquire a colt by Gun Runner (hip 78) from the Taylor Made Sale Agency consignment Monday at Saratoga and shortly after signing the ticket on the yearling, the client gained a partner in the colt’s breeder, Three Chimneys Farm.

“Everything,” Ward said when asked what he liked about the yearling. “I trained for Goncalo Torrealba and Three Chimneys. And Doug Cauthen and his team bring me out every year to see the horses in the sale. This was my favorite for the year so far. He’s just a beautiful colt. I was very excited for him to come here. And sometimes they get here and they can go one way or the other and this horse just kept going the way that we wanted. Everything I want in a race horse. It looks like he’s going to be, not just a really good horse, but also it looks like he could be a really nice 2-year-old for next year. So we’re really excited.”

The colt is out of 2015 GI Kentucky Oaks runner-up Shook Up (Tapit), who is also the dam of the stakes-winning and multiple graded-placed King Ottoman (Curlin).

“Goncalo jumped in and Three Chimneys is going to take half the horse,” Ward said. “We’re going to put our partnership together for the other half.”

Of the colt’s final price tag, Ward added, “I thought he was a $2-million horse and we had to go a couple more to get him, but we were excited.”

Three Chimneys purchased Shook Up for $1.65 million at the 2015 Keeneland November sale.

“That colt has been a star from day one and a farm favorite, all the grooms, managers, everybody liked the horse,” Doug Cauthen said. “And he came up here and really showed himself very well. The sales company, the consignors all did a great job and we expected him to bring in that realm.”

Of the decision to stay in on the colt, Cauthen said, “We asked him after the fact and he kindly said we could stay in. So that’s great because we do like the horse a lot.”

Cauthen added, “Almost all the [Three Chimneys] horses go to auction and Goncalo loves partnering with people. So if people come up, he likes to stand behind his product and we’ll stay in with them. As long as he’s going to a trainer he’s comfortable with, he’s very open to it.” @JessMartiniTDN

Into Mischief Colt Tops Flying Dutchman’s Saratoga Shopping List

Hunter Rankin said he was finding plenty of competition while bidding on behalf of Flying Dutchmen during Monday’s first session of the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale, but even so the Boersma family’s racing operation came away with five new yearlings for a total of $5,225,000.

The group was led by a colt by Into Mischief (hip 91) purchased for $2.3 million from Hill ‘n’ Dale at Xalapa, which was consigning the colt on behalf of his breeder, Don Alberto Corporation. The yearling is out of multiple graded-placed Stellar Sound (Tapit), a half-sister to Grade I-placed ‘TDN Rising Star’ presented by Hagyard Luminance (Tale of the Cat), whose dam Silent Serenade (Unbridled’s Song) was purchased by Don Alberto for $1.025 million at the 2017 Keeneland January Sale carrying the filly that would become Stellar Sound. A full-brother to hip 91 topped last year’s Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale when selling for $4.1 million to Coolmore and White Birch Farm.

Hip 91 c. INTO MISCHIEF o/o Stellar Sound sells for $2,300,000 at The 105th Saratoga Sale! Congrats to the connections:

B: Flying Dutchmen @flyingdutchky
C: @HillnDaleFarm, agt for @hsdonalberto
Br: Don Alberto Corporation pic.twitter.com/r90OrRuCT9

— Fasig-Tipton (@FasigTiptonCo) August 11, 2026

“He’s out of a great mare,” Rankin said of the yearling. “They breed great horses over there and it’s fun to buy horses off them. He was a really nice horse. We are just really excited to get him.”

Flying Dutchman also purchased a colt by Cody’s Wish (hip 50) for $950,000 and a colt by Curlin (hip 51) for $800,000–both from Lane’s End–a colt by Life is Good (hip 30) for $675,000 from Taylor Made Sales Agency, and a full-brother to GI Preakness Stakes winner National Treasure (Quality Road) (hip 102) for $500,000 from Bridie Harrison, agent for Peter E. Blum Thoroughbreds.

“There is a lot of a negative stuff people say about the business, but there are a lot of people excited about it,” Rankin said. “Our group is excited and I know a lot of new groups who are excited, too. We’ve been outbid a bunch tonight. That’s a really good thing for the business. We have tried really, really hard. It’s a good sign for this market.” @JessMartiniTDN

Curlin Colt Wows Early at Fasig-Tipton Saratoga

With only a handful of yearlings having passed through the ring at Monday’s Fasig-Tipton Saratoga opener, a colt by supersire Curlin drew a cool $2 million from Donato Lanni bidding on behalf of Amr Zedan. Plying his trade from the balcony above the main sales ring, Lanni was accompanied by Zedan in addition to Hall of Famer Bob Baffert.

“He’s a horse that the whole team liked. Bob loved the horse,” said Lanni. “He was a horse that impressed us from the very beginning. At Saratoga, you have so much time to look at these horses, if you ever have a reason to get off a horse. We just stayed on the horse.””

“There’s not going to be too many of those Curlins left,” added Lanni. “Unfortunately, he’s getting a little older. He had the [Kentucky] Derby winner [Golden Tempo] this year and he’s been such a great sire.”

Out of Merlazza (Medaglia d’Oro), hip 19 was consigned by Hill ‘n’ Dale at Xalapa.

“Pedigree looks like he’ll stretch out,” added Lanni. “He’s a very mature colt, very athletic colt. Just a really, really cool colt.”

Merlazza is a full-sister to the dual Grade III-placed Gold Standard and a half to Mapit (Tapit), responsible for GSW and GISP Where’s My Ring (Twirling Candy). This is the extended family of MGISW Dream Supreme.

“You never know what they’re going to bring, but the good ones always seem to cost a lot. I know there was a lot of competition for the horse. I’m a very happy guy.”

Curlin, who stands at Hill ‘n’ Dale, was withdrawn from breeding service earlier this season.

“Curlin has been everything to Hill ‘n’ Dale,” said Hill ‘n’ Dale’s Jes Sikura. “He’s been the flag bearer at Hill ‘n’ Dale for the last decade. He’s been our Classic sire, America’s Classic sire. He got his Kentucky Derby winner. He’s had a son win every leg of the Triple Crown, Breeders’ Cup Classic, everything. And now that there’s obviously a little bit more of a limited number of horses, they’re in high demand.”

In regard to Monday’s fourth top-priced yearling of the session, Sikura explained, “To be up here in Saratoga, it’s such a great sale to look the way he did, move the way he did, and show the way he did all week.”

He added, “I think the way he moved, he was a beautiful mover with a huge overstep. He was also strong, sleek, light on his feet. So I think as a whole, he stood out and he looked like he has a lot of room to develop to be a strong, robust, athletic curling colt. So there were a lot of things about him physically that stood out and made him a star and achieved the result he just did.”

Asked about the price, he said, “Probably past the expectations. I though he was going to sell really well. I didn’t really have a number in mind, nor do I think anybody did, but I think that was definitely a little past the range we were expecting.”–CBoss

Gunning to the Very End

Some might have been worried that their yearling would be strolling through the sales ring as the very last offering of an evening session, however, agents Hanzly Albina and Ron Blake were not among them. When their striking Gun Runner colt strode into the sales ring at the end of the night, several key players were still sitting in the pavilion. Among them, the Coolmore team in tandem with White Birch Farm’s Peter Brant, who changed things up by sitting on the upper level to do their bidding. When all was said and done, the partners landed Hip 113 for $1.9 million, ending the evening as the fifth highest-priced colt of the session.

Armed with only a pair of yearlings on Day 1, Blake-Albina sold both of them, including a Gunite colt (hip 39) that sold earlier in the session for $310,000.

Were they concerned about the late post?

“No,” affirmed Albina. “We thought we were going to close it out pretty strongly and they would wait around for us. So I wouldn’t say we were worried. If we’d been the last horse tomorrow, we may have been worried. But today we’re okay with it. It’s a Gun Runner, so that’s going to keep them in the seats.”

Hip 113 c. GUN RUNNER o/o Toni Tools sells for $1,900,000 at The 105th Saratoga Sale! Congrats to the connections:

B: M V Magnier & @WhiteBirchFarm_
C: Blake-Albina Thoroughbred Services, agt
Br: Newtownanner Stud Farm@Three_Chimneys pic.twitter.com/JfUYTatXb4

— Fasig-Tipton (@FasigTiptonCo) August 11, 2026

Out of SW Toni Tools (Roaring Fever), the colt is a half-brother to GI Darley Alcibiades Stakes winner and millionaire Candied (Candy Ride {Arg}).

Asked what made the chestnut so special, Albina responded, “He obviously has an extremely good pedigree. He’s a 3/4-brother to a Grade I-winning filly and he is by the best dirt sire in the world. And he’s a specimen that, in the best sale of the finest horses in the year, stood out. And the buyers know what they want. They want the best stuff. They want the best times, the best mares, and the best physicals. And he embodied all three of those things.”

He added, “We were flattered by all the people who looked at the horse and gave us praise. It just reaffirms what you’re doing and that you’re trying to do it the right way.”–CBoss

Owens Strikes for Uncle Mo Colt

“He’s going to be a Derby winner,” Lori Owens said after purchasing a colt by Uncle Mo (hip 54) for $1.5 million in the name of her B-4 Farms Monday in Saratoga. The colt was consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency on behalf of his breeder, Barbara Banke’s Stonestreet. The yearling is out of Grade I winner and former ‘TDN Rising Star’ presented by Hagyard Rachel’s Valentina (Bernardini), a daughter of champion Rachel Alexandra (Medaglia d’Oro).

Owens said the colt would likely be trained by Steve Asmussen.

From Abilene, Texas, Owens has been in racing for the better part of a decade now and has campaigned Canoodling (Pioneerof the Nile), winner of the 2022 GIII Wilshire Stakes and GIII Megahertz Stakes, and multiple stakes winner and multiple graded-placed Bye Bye Bobby (Quality Road) with trainer Todd Fincher. @JessMartiniTDN

#FasigSaratoga – Monday

Hip 54, an Uncle Mo colt out of RACHEL’S VALENTINA, sells for $1.5 million to B-4 Farms LLC. Consigned by @TaylorMadeSales, agent for @StonestreetFarm. pic.twitter.com/MZ5T9Qie5r

— TDN (@theTDN) August 11, 2026

‘The One We Came For’: Holliday Nabs Nyquist Filly for $1.375 Million

Marc Holliday, CEO of SL Green and chairman of the New York Racing Association Board of Directors, had one horse on his wish list when he came to the Saratoga sale Monday and it was mission accomplished when he went to $1.375 million to acquire the filly by Nyquist (hip 49) from the Paramount Sales consignment.

The yearling is out of Pray for Leslie (Bernardini) and is a half-sister to multiple graded winner Praying (Vekoma).

“She was the one we came here for,” Holliday, who did his bidding alongside bloodstock agent Dan Hayden and trainer Carlos Martin, said. “She’s that cross of Nyquist with Bernardini mares I think is going to be something that we’re going to have a lot of fun with on the racetrack and for many years in the breeding shed. So I’m very, very happy with how it turned out.”

The filly was bred by Jeff Kerber and Jeff Prunzik.

Holliday concluded, “She’s an extremely well-balanced filly and she vetted Triple A-plus. For me, that’s what I look for for this kind of purchase. We’re going to send her down to Ocala and see how she develops.” @JessMartiniTDN

$1.15-Million Gun Runner Filly a Career High for Veteran Breeder Stautberg

Caroline Stautberg has been selling yearlings in Saratoga for three decades and the Monkton, Maryland, breeder had her biggest sale to date Monday in Saratoga when her Gun Runner filly (hip 108) sold for $1.15 million to RTM Racing. Consigned by Bluegrass Thoroughbred Services, the chestnut, bred on a foal share with Three Chimneys Farm, is out of graded-placed Tapit‘s World (Tapit) and is a full-sister to multiple graded stakes winner and Grade I-placed Il Miracolo.

“This is the highest,” Stautberg, with a big smile, confirmed of the sale.

Stautberg admitted she had expected the filly could become her highest seller before she went through the ring Monday.

“But, I was thinking in the neighborhood of $700,000 or maybe $800,000 if everything went great. So I was delighted. And very surprised.”

Tapit‘s World’s 2-year-old daughter Worldly Charm (Vekoma), who sold for $150,000 at Saratoga last August, recently made her racetrack debut, finishing third in the My Dear Stakes at Woodbine.

“I still have the mare,” Stautberg said of Tapit‘s World, who she purchased for $175,000 at the 2015 Fasig-Tipton November sale. “She is carrying a Gun Runner, but she also has a Gun Runner weanling that [farm manager] Darin [Martin] says looks just like this one, if not better.”

Asked what it was like watching her first million-dollar sale, the 85-year-old Stautberg, who has just six broodmares, said, “I don’t know. It was just unreal. It was beyond belief.”  @JessMartiniTDN

Nakauchida Lands Two Seven-Figure Yearlings on Day 1

One of only two buyers to secure a pair of seven-figure yearlings during Fasig-Tipton’s initial session, Japanese trainer Mitsumasa Nakauchida extended to $1.9 million for hip 100, a filly by Not This Time, and hip 70, a colt by Life Is Good that brought $1 million. Both yearlings were consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency as agent.

“It was a little bit more than what I expected, but the market is strong and Saratoga is such a good sale,” said Nakauchida of his biggest expenditure of the evening. “Everyone’s here, so you got to push very hard to secure a very good yearling.”

Out of Grade III winner and GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies third Girl Daddy (Uncle Mo), the bay filly is a full-sister to On Time Girl, winner of the GII Eight Belles Stakes and GIII Forward Gal Stakes.

Hip 70 is the second foal out of Seabrook (Speightstown), a daughter of SW and GSP Regia Marina (Medaglia d’Oro). This is the family of GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner and champion Midshipman and the late MGISW sire Frosted.

The conditioner explained he was also drawn to the colt’s athleticism.

“He’s by good stallion,” he said. “He’s not as proven yet, but I like Life Is Good. And I saw a few of them last year and as 2-year-olds and they are training good. So I think he’s going to be a good stallion in the future. So we just took a gamble buying one of them.”

Life Is Good is already the sire of Susumu Fujita’s Lizhitsumodoraichi, a debut winner over 1800 meters at Niigata Racecourse on Aug. 2.–CBoss

Stewart Extends to $1 Million for Nyquist Colt

John Stewart’s Resolute Bloodstock also entered the fray at Fasig-Tipton on Monday, purchasing a pair of colts. Leading the duo was hip 75, a colt by Nyquist out of Me and Mine (Bernardini) who brought $1 million. From the extended family of European champion Hold That Tiger in addition to GI Belmont winner Editor’s Note, the bay was consigned by Eaton Sales.

“When they walked him out, he just had a lot of class about him,” explained Chelsea Stewart. “He was great on the shank, and checked all our boxes. He walked fantastic. We really loved him.”

Asked about the seven-figure price, she added, “He was one at the top of our list, and I think we were happy with the value that we got on him. We were expecting them to kind of be in that range, but you never know what the sales. Sometimes they go through the roof, but we were thrilled with the outcome.”

According to Stewart, the cross was also important in pushing the purchase across the finish line.

“As soon as we saw that he was a Nyquist colt out of a Bernardini mare, we were like, ‘Oh, we’ve got to go look at him,’” she said. “It’s the same cross as [Grade I winner] Nysos, so the sky’s the limit. I mean, it’s got a huge hip on him, so you know he’s going to be speedy. So we’re excited.”

Earlier in the session, the Stewarts also secured hip 15, by Life Is Good. Out of Mae Never No (Ire) (No Nay Never), the Apr. 17 foal was a member of the Gainesway consigment.

Stewart confirmed that Resolute will partner with MyRacehorse on the Florida-bred colt.

When asked what the Resolute team is currently looking for, Stewart confirmed that quality colts were the primary target.

And while the Stewarts have become well-known buyers over the past few years, she confirmed that the team have expanded into a new direction in 2026.

“This is our first year we’re taking yearlings to the market and we’ll be selling [at Keeneland September],” confirmed Stewart. “And we’ve retained nine fillies. So we’re just adding them up, but we’re selling about 16 or 17 at Keeneland.”

Resolute sold a pair of yearlings at Fasig-Tipton in July and will earmark an additional two or three for Fasig October.

“We sold our first two at Fasig in July and those both went off successfully, so we were excited with that,” she said. “And then we also have a son of [MGISW] Caravel (Mizzen Mast) and [yearling by Frankel {GB}] at Tattersalls. So we’ll be selling in Europe as well. It’s the first year for everything.”–CBoss

NOTHING BUT NET

Life is More Than Good for Taylor

Taylor Made Sales Agency sent a pair of colts by Life is Good through the sales ring Monday in Saratoga on behalf of two different pinhooking partnerships and both yearlings provided handsome profits to their investors.

Early in the session, Flying Dutchmen purchased a colt by Life is Good (hip 30) for $675,000. Mike Rose and Keiber Rengifo purchased the dark bay out of Most Empressive (Empire Maker) for $185,000 at last year’s Keeneland November sale.

“I went down to Florida in February and saw that colt,” Taylor Made’s Marshall Taylor said. “And from from the time I saw him, he had a beautiful shape. Every time we brought that colt out, he never turned a hair. He just kept going every time he walked. He just gave the same effort every time, and he’s such a beautiful horse. He looks like a horse that could be running over the Saratoga track this time next year.”

That early result was eclipsed later in the session when Taylor Made sold another colt by the WinStar stallion (hip 70) for $1 million to Mitsu Nakauchida. Out of Seabrook (Speightstown), the yearling was purchased by Charlie Allen on behalf of Terry Stephens Racing for $260,000 at Keeneland last November.

“The first one we sold, he looked like a horse who would be running across the street, or might be running Keeneland next April. He looked like a real early, precocious horse. He had a really fast body, had a big walk, and he just looked like one of those horses that they’ll be running early. The second one we just sold, he was a leggier two-turn-looking horse.”

Of the two sets of partners, Taylor said, “We’ve sold for both of them for several years. Both of them came from Ocala. So I was down in Ocala, and I’d keep going from one stop to the next, so I’d get to see them both. But once Life Is Good started rolling with winners, I knew Saratoga was a great choice.” @JessMartiniTDN

The post $3.2M Nyquist Colt On Top As Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Blazes Out of the Gate appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Flying Dutchmen Springs for $2.3M Into Mischief Colt

---

Hunter Rankin, Flying Dutchmen’s president, signed the $2.3-million ticket Monday night at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale for an Into Mischief colt out of Stellar Sound (Tapit). The gray or roan colt was consigned by Hill ‘n’ Dale at Xalapa, agent for Don Alberto Corporation. Sent through the ring as Hip 91, the March-foaled colt was bred in Kentucky by Don Alberto. His yet-unnamed full-brother sold at this same sale last year for $4.1 million to Coolmore and White Birch Farm.

Stellar Sound, three-times graded placed, is a granddaughter of MGISW Versailles Treaty (Danzig). Into Mischief’s runners out of Tapit mares include GISW Pretty Mischievous, winner of the 2023 GI Kentucky Oaks.

$2.3 million #FasigSaratoga – Monday

Hip 91, an Into Mischief x Stellar Sound colt, sells for $2.3 million to @flyingdutchky from the consignment of @HillnDaleFarm, agent for @hsdonalberto. pic.twitter.com/yhQkNK4rfb

— TDN (@theTDN) August 11, 2026

The post Flying Dutchmen Springs for $2.3M Into Mischief Colt appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.