Taiba Off to Strong Start at F-T July Yearling Sale

Trepidation always accompanies a sire's first yearlings offered at public auction. The stallion farm and the breeders may all have confidence in the quality but, in the end, the buyers are the jurors. Spendthrift Farm had four first-crop stallions represented this week at Fasig-Tipton's The July Sale in Lexington, the first American yearling auction of the year, and the verdicts were largely positive for all of them. Three-time grade 1 winner Taiba and grade 1 winner Arabian Lion were both represented by six-figure averages among stallions represented by two or more sold. While 2022 champion 2-year-old male and multiple grade 1 winner Forte only was represented by one sold, his daughter out of Screaming Skylar (Hip 161) at $280,000 was the sixth-highest-priced yearling at the sale. Warrendale Sales consigned Hip 161. Taiba, Arabian Lion, and Forte all had progeny among the top 12 yearlings by price. The farm's fourth first-crop sire Zandon, who entered stud at the lowest fee among the four and consequently did not attract as strong of an initial book of mares, still was represented by a six-figure sale consigned by Colin Brennan Bloodstock. The son of Upstart, who won the 2022 Blue Grass Stakes (G1) and ran third in the Kentucky Derby (G1) and Travers Stakes (G1), entered stud at $12,500 and now stands for $7,500. He was represented at the July sale by a $125,000 colt (Hip 237) that was bought by Starlight Racing. "All four of our young stallions had a good sale, and there are a lot more good ones out there that we will see in Saratoga and in September," said Mark Toothaker, Spendthrift's stallion sales manager. "That Zandon colt looks just like Zandon," he continued. "We pulled up the BloodHorse Stallion Register photo while we were looking at him at the sale and it looked like you had cloned him. I think a six-figure yearling gives breeders confidence." Toothaker said he expected the progeny by Taiba and Arabian Lion to do particularly well at the July sale because so many of them look like they could be early 2-year-olds. "They have great big hips and look like they could just fly at a 2-year-olds sale," he said. "Taiba stretched out and Arabian Lion stretched out in their races, but their progeny look early. They have a little more substance than the Fortes." Phil Hager's Taproot Bloodstock bought Taiba's top seller, a $300,000 bay colt (Hip 36) out of the Tiznow daughter Dayfa, who is from the same immediate family as Gun Runner, Saint Liam, Funtastic, and Quiet Giant. Taylor Made Sales Agency consigned the colt for Don Alberto Corp. Baccari Bloodstock and trainer Kenny McPeek as agents bought the top-priced Arabian Lion yearling, a $270,000 filly (Hip 77) out of the Declaration of War mare Declarative, who is out of the family of grade 1 winner and sire Cuvee and graded stakes winner Will He Shine. Gainesway consigned Hip 77. Toothaker said Taylor Made offered a Forte filly (Hip 60) that was a standout individual, but he suspected the pedigree skewed too much toward turf. The filly is out of the Irish-bred Azamour stakes winner Goodyearforroses, who won stakes on dirt, turf, and all-weather surfaces but got her graded stakes win on the grass in the 2017 Santa Ana Stakes (G2T) and ran second in the Gamely Stakes (G1T). The filly would be a buyback on a final bid of $72,000. "She was a little too grassy for the July sale," Toothaker said about Hip 60. "But, we have some monster Fortes going to the Saratoga sale. They are very athletic and not heavy-made horses. They are elegant horses and really good movers." Other first-crop yearling sires represented among the top 12 by price include Aidrie Stud's 2023 Kentucky Derby winner Mage, who sired Hip 55, a $270,000 colt out of the stakes-placed winner French Politics that Tom McCrocklin bought out of Airdrie's consignment. Also, Ashford Stud's multiple grade 1 winner Gunite sired a pair of $250,000 yearlings—Hip 105 and Hip 90. Scanlon Training and Sales bought Hip 105, a chestnut colt out of Mademoisellejackie, from the Mulholland Springs consignment; and St Elias Stables bought Hip 90, a chestnut filly out of Kissin Kim, from Buckland Sales, as agent. The July sale also provided a reminder to breeders that stallions considered valuable their first year at stud should not be overlooked during their next three seasons, according to Toothaker. This reminder came from Spendthrift Farm's leading third-crop sire Vekoma, who was the July sale's leading sire by average at $242,000 and sired the sale topper, a $600,000 colt (Hip 135) bred and sold by Shawhan Place. Shawhan Place bred the Uncle Mo winner Passionate Dream to Vekoma, his fourth year at stud, when his first crop was getting started at the races. The son of Candy Ride (ARG) stood in 2024 for $15,000. He went on in 2024 to become the leading North American freshman sire by progeny earnings, by number of winners (39), and by number of black-type performers (14). He continued on to be the leading second-crop sire of 2025. "We had a lot of people who bred to Vekoma for $15,000, taking a shot during his fourth year before anything got to the races," Toothaker said. "If they got a horse they like, then those breeders all have a chance to get rewarded."