Fasig-Tipton Midlantic's smaller and more select sale of 2-year-olds in training, held over two days, starting Monday, May 20, saw a record average and a substantial rise in median from the previous year for 249 juveniles sold.

The two-day sale grossed $16,675,000, nearly identical to the 2012 figure of $16,721,000 for 312 horses sold. The average increased nearly 25% to $66,968 (from $53,593 a year ago), and the median price was $40,000, compared to $28,000 in 2012. The percentage of buy-backs was down to 14.7 percent.

"This was a strong sale," said Fasig-Tipton president Boyd Browning Jr. "We had quality throughout the catalog. Any sale is only as good as the horses that go through the ring. Consignors brought the right horses here, and they were rewarded."

Nine of the 11 Maryland-breds offered were sold, for an average of $74,667. The top-priced filly at the end of the first session, and the highest-priced Mid-Atlantic-bred of the sale, was sold by David and JoAnn Hayden's Dark Hollow Farm. With Niall Brennan Stables as agent, the chestnut daughter of Pure Prize—Bamba, by Not For Love, brought a final bid of $240,000 and was purchased by Charles J. Cella. The filly is a full sister to the Haydens' stakes winner and Maryland-bred champion Plum.

The other Maryland-bred selling for six figures was a Fairbanks colt for $150,000 to Mr. Ed Savant. Bred by Sycamore Hall Farm LLC, the dark bay colt is out of the Two Punch mare So Smashing, and is a half-brother to multiple stakes winner and track record-setter Twelve Pack Shelly. He was sold by All in Sales (Tony Bowling), agent, which had purchased him as a yearling for $15,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Eastern Fall Yearling sale.

Five of the top seven Maryland-breds sold were out of mares by local stallions–three were out of Not For Love daughters; one was a Two Punch mare, the other by Waquoit.