At the Fasig-Tipton California Fall Yearlings sale held on Wednesday in Pomona, a colt from Arabian Lion’s inaugural crop captured attention by selling for a record $525,000 (video). The colt, bred in California by Richard Barton Enterprises and consigned by Barton Thoroughbreds as hip 202, was acquired by MWG Enterprises LLC with Michael McCarthy acting as agent. He is a chestnut yearling sired by Grade 1 Woody Stephens Stakes winner Arabian Lion (Justify) and is a half-brother to five winners out of the stakes-placed Empire Maker mare Imperial Pippin. Notably, this colt belongs to the immediate family of California-based Grade 1 winner Latent Heat, with his notable siblings including three-time stakes winner Pushiness (Kantharos).
Previously, the highest price at the California Fall Yearlings sale was $350,000, paid in 2021 for an American Pharoah filly. Since its inception in 2019, yearlings have consistently been the top-priced horses at the event, even with horses of racing age being added in recent years.
Other significant sales included an Uncle Mo filly (hip 62) who fetched $300,000, purchased by Mike Repole with Michael McCarthy as agent. Bred in California by Thomas W. Bachman and consigned by Havens Bloodstock Agency for Fairview LLC, this bay filly comes from her sire’s final crop and hails from the family of Grade 1 winner Fionn. Another notable sale was a Hard Spun filly (hip 251) who also sold for $300,000 to IJJ Racing. Bred by Lee Kleinmaier III and consigned by Havens Bloodstock Agency, she is out of Miss Segura, a full sister to Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner Structor and related to the Kentucky Oaks champion Always a Runner. Additionally, a City of Light colt (hip 116), bred by Richard Barton Enterprises in Kentucky and consigned by Barton Thoroughbreds, sold for $245,000 to JPM Bloodstock, agent for Blinkers On Racing Stable. This bay colt is out of the winning Hard Spun mare Bonus Spin, whose offspring include stakes winner Kangaroo Court.
In total, 137 yearlings were sold for a combined $4,863,700, marking a 5% increase from last year’s $4,617,900 when 143 horses were sold. The sale’s average price of $35,501 was the second-highest in its history, trailing only 2021’s average of $39,173. Meanwhile, the median price remained steady at $15,000, consistent with the past four years of this sale.
Complete results can be found online.
This article originally appeared in the Paulick Report’s News section on October 1, 2026. To add Paulick Report as a Preferred Source, click here.
Fan Take: This record-breaking sale highlights the growing prominence and quality of California-bred yearlings, signaling an exciting future for West Coast racing. High-priced yearlings from accomplished bloodlines like Arabian Lion’s first crop demonstrate the ongoing demand for horses with strong pedigrees, which could elevate the competitiveness and appeal of the sport nationwide.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
