Uncle Mo Colt Tops Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Opener At $1.1 Million
Timonium, Md. – The Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale saw healthy returns during its opening session on Monday, including a seven-figure sale to the connections of last year’s record-setting sale topper.
A colt by Uncle Mo topped the session when sold for $1.1 million to Donato Lanni, agent for Michael Lund Petersen. Offered as Hip 118 by Pike Racing, agent, the colt worked an eighth in :10-flat during last week’s under tack show. Out of Miss Ocean City, the dark bay or brown colt is a half-brother to Grade 2 winner Azar from the immediate family of Grade 1 winning millionaire Twilight Agenda. The session-topper was bred in Virginia.
Last year, Petersen went to $1.8 million to secure a sale record-setting Into Mischief filly. Now named Gamine, that filly is undefeated in three starts, and won last weekend’s Grade 1 Acorn Stakes at Belmont Park in stakes-record time.
While the top colt was sired by a record-breaking champion freshman sire in Uncle Mo, the session’s next-highest price went to a son of current first-crop sire Not This Time.
Lauren Carlisle, agent went to $650,000 to secure Hip 213, a colt by the speedy G3 Iroquois Stakes winner and first foal out of the winning Indian Charlie mare Sanctissima. The chestnut colt was consigned by Classic Bloodstock LLC, agent, and worked an eighth in :10 1/5 seconds during the under tack show. Hip 213 was bred in Maryland.
Carlisle also purchased the session’s top filly, a daughter of 2019 leading sire Into Mischief, for $500,000 earlier in the day. Consigned as Hip 4 by Hoby and Layna Kight, agent, the bay filly is out of the graded stakes placed Dixie Chatter mare Global Hottie, from the immediate family of Horse of the Year Alysheba. The Kentucky-bred filly worked a quarter in :21 3/5 seconds during the under tack show.
Overall, 152 horses sold for $12,632,500, good for an average of $83,109 and a median of $40,000. The RNA rate was 20 percent.
The Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale continues tomorrow at 11 a.m. Eastern. Session 1 results are available online.
Larry Collmus ready to call Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Sale Day Two
Renowned track announcer, Larry Collmus, is making a different call this week. The familiar voice of the Triple Crown and Breeders’ Cup World Championships is calling in the sales ring at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-year-olds In Training Sale in Timonium, Md.
While sales might be new to Collmus, he is very familiar with Timonium. The Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium is where he saw his first Thoroughbred horse race and fell in love with the sport.
“I actually grew up here. Talk about full circle,” Collmus told The BloodHorse. “I was probably at Timonium before I even knew it. I think I was in diapers. It was where I watched my first race as a young kid, so it’s so neat to be back here.
“It was my father who installed the sound system at Timonium. I used to work for him in the summer while he would do some of the fair exhibits. He would have me be in the grandstand to make sure the sound was good enough during the races, and then I right away realized how much horse racing was what I wanted to do. I got interested in racing from there. He also put in the speaker system for the Fasig-Tipton sales, so it’s interesting that here I am back in Timonium where it all started.”
Collmus got his start by calling his first race at Bowie Race Track in 1985 at the age of 18. In 1985 and 1986, he served as the assistant announcer at Laurel Park, Pimlico, Bowie and Timonium Racetrack in his native Maryland.
In addition to being the voice of NBC since 2011, Collmus was the race caller for the New York Racing Association from 2015 until January 2020. He will head to California in July for the Del Mar meet to substitute as race caller for Trevor Denman, who will not be traveling from his Minnesota home this year due to concerns over COVID-19.
Collmus said he thought Fasig-Tipton knew he wasn’t working calling racing in New York anymore, and they reached out to see if he had any interest in working the sales. It sounded like fun and a new challenge. Collmus said he spent several days going over the pedigrees prior to the sale in preparation.
Collmus is working three shifts in the announcer’s booth during the sale. He called one set during Monday’s session and will call two on Tuesday.
On Monday, Larry Tweeted:
“Day one at the @FasigTiptonCo sale at Timonium was fun! Enjoyed the challenge of sales announcing and being out of my element. Everyone was super helpful to the “new guy.” Looking forward to tomorrow!”
Fasig-Tipton Press Release/Past The Wire Staff
Larry Collmus. Credit: NBC Sports Press Box
