"It [The record gross] doesn't happen without the trust and confidence of the best breeders, the best pinhookers, the best consignors in the world," Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning, Jr.
"The quality of horses that we had on the sales grounds this week was fantastic. You all heard the same rave reviews that we heard and it truly was a tremendous group of horses. I fully expect to see future catalogue covers stacked with outstanding graduates from this sale. But again, it doesn't happen without the support and trust and confidence of the men and women who own those horses, and raise those horses and consign those horses."
Darley heavy hitter Medaglia D'Oro had the two top lots on the second and final day of trade with a colt from Coco's Wildcat fetching $1.35 million and a filly from Dawn Raid selling for $1.3 million, not to mention a third filly from Veracity that also sold for $1million. Medaglia D'Oro had seven yearlings average an impressive $US785,000.
"It's very difficult to have a million-dollar horse, it's even harder to have three million-dollar horses in a night," Darley's Dan Pride told TDN.
"It's reflective of the diversity of the stallion. He gets them by any gender, colts, fillies, distance, surface. And they look the part when they show up at the sale. It's been a thrill to have him at the farm. Sheikh Mohammed wants the best stallions on the roster and certainly he fits the bill."
A regular visitor to Australia for Darley, Medaglia D'Oro turned 19 this year and is not on the roster for this spring with his last Australian bred foals will be born this spring. He does however have two outstanding Australian bred Group I winning sons available to local breeders in Vancouver and Astern.
Vancouver and Astern have also both shuttled to North America for Coolmore and Darley respectively so it will be interesting to see how their offspring are received and perform in the Northern Hemisphere
After achieving stunning success on the first day of the sale with two million dollar youngsters, American Pharoah was back in business with a filly from stakes-winner Funny Feeling selling for $875,000 on the second day.
Standing at Coolmore Australia this spring a fee of $66,000, American Pharoah had 10 yearlings sell at this sale at an average $US554,500.
Overall 2018 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Selected Yearling Sale Statistics