TOP racemare Tepin was bought by Coolmore Stud for $8 million at Monday's Fasig-Tipton November Sale in Kentucky.
The six-year-old daughter of Bernstein won five Grade 1 races in North America during her racing career and she also won the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot. Retired after finishing second in the Breeders' Cup Mile a year ago, she is in foal to Curlin.
Remarkably Tepin was not the top lot at Monday's sale. That honour fell to nine-times Grade 1 winner Songbird who was purchased by Mandy Pope's Whisper Hill Farm for $9.5 million.
Songbird, retired in August this year, is the second most expensive broodmare prospect sold at auction; the most expensive was Havre De Grace, purchased for $10 million at this sale in 2012, also to Pope.
A pair of filly foals tied for a new sale record early in the evening when sold for $1 million each.
The first through the ring was a daughter of Street Sense who is a full-sister to Grade 1 winner Callback. That filly was purchased by Reynolds Bell, agent for Alpha Delta from the consignment of agent Paramount Sales.
The second was a filly from the first crop of Triple Crown winner American Pharoah. That filly, a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Bodemeister, was purchased by Narvick International from the consignment of Eaton Sales.
Overall, 19 horses sold for $1 million or more, up from 15 in 2016. The gross was $74.2 million, a new record for the November Sale, up 37% from last year. The average was $645,217, up 4.9% from 2016, while the $250,000 median tied for second best at this sale all time. The buyback rate was 18.4%.
FULL FASIG-TIPTON & KEENELAND SALES REPORTS IN THE IRISH FIELD NEXT WEEKEND
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