Cairo Prince colt sets record at Saratoga sale


A yearling colt from the first crop of Cairo Prince sold for $500,000 on the closing night of the Aug. 12-13 Fasig-Tipton New York-bred Preferred Yearlings sale, setting all types of records in the process.

The price was the highest of the sale and was the most ever paid for any horse at this sale. It was also the most paid for a yearling by a First-Crop Sire to date in 2017.

Just a few lots from the end of the auction, hip No. 589 was consigned by RFHF Bloodstock’s of Chris Bernhard and Elaine Peck and was purchased by Ciaran Dunne on behalf of Waves Bloodstock.

“I’ve never seen one like him,” Dunne said after signing the ticket on hip 589. “He’s as good as they come. We saw him three days ago, we’ve looked at him 20 times, and he gets better every time. We didn’t care that he was a New York-bred, he’s just a good horse. He could have been here last week [at the Select Sale] and if he was here last week, he would have fit last week. He would have fit anywhere.”

The partnership on the colt includes Kirk Wycoffs Three Diamonds Farm. “We’re big fans of Cairo Prince,” said Wycoff. “We’ve bred to him. We have two foals by him. We sold two fillies by him tonight with Bluewater. This colt walks better than any horse Ciaran has ever seen and we’ve been partners with Ciaran for five years and we trust his judgement.”

The colt comes from a Phipps family. Out of Garden City, who has produced six runners, all winners. The colt’s third dam, Pure Profit, produced the champion Inside Information, multiple Grade 1 winner Educated Risk, stakes winner Diamond, and the top-class producer Hidden Reserve.

Cairo Prince’s 2017 yearling sales average with 17 lots sold is $177,647, third-best among all Freshman Sires.