In a world where a $30,000 claiming horse just won the Kentucky Derby, it’s kind of amazing to read that a new price record was set for a two-year old in training: $3.35 million. Yup, a two-year old son of Bernadini, Hip #385, just sold for more than 100x the cost of the Kentucky Derby winner, to Zedan Racing.

Rich Strike’s impressive win gave hope to the “little guys”, the folks who own one or two racehorses, the trainers who don’t have a string of stakes winners, the jockeys who ride at the smaller tracks. But in the rarified air in the top levels of racing, there are still owners willing to plunk down enormous sums of money for horses that may — or may not — live up to their purchase price.

The sale price is a new highwater mark for a Thoroughbred sold at public auction in the state of Maryland, eclipsing the previous record set at this sale in 2019, when Gamine sold for $1.8 million (Gamine won the Eclipse Award in 2020 and earned $1.7 million before retiring). Hip #385 is the highest-price offspring of Bernardini sold at public auction worldwide and is currently the most expensive Thoroughbred sold at public auction globally this year.

The dam of the record-breaking colt is G Note (sired by Medaglia d’Oro), who has already produced three winners. The second dam is Grade 2 winner Seeking the Ante, whose six foals are also all stakes winners.

“Anything can happen at Timonium, and it just did,” said Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Sales Director Paget Bennett, on the sale topper. “It just goes to show people can feel confident about bringing that type of horse to the marketplace here in Maryland…. With the :9.4 work and the Bernardini and the New York-bred, (Hip 385) had all the ingredients for it to go to seven figures.”

Three other two year olds tied for the session’s second-highest price, including:

• Hip 364, a colt by popular first-crop sire Bolt d’Oro, sold for $500,000 to Holly and David Wilson from the consignment of Kings Equine, agent. The dark bay or brown colt is out of the stakes winning Bernardini mare Forever Discreet (AUS), a daughter of group stakes winner She’s Discreet, who produced 13 winners from as many to race, including multiple stakes winners and stakes winner-producers. Hip 364 worked an eighth in :10 flat during the Wednesday session of the under tack show (video).
• Hip 443, a filly by Triple Crown hero American Pharoah, sold for $500,000 to Cherie Devaux, agent from the consignment of McKathan Bros., agent. The chestnut filly is the second foal out of Grade 3 winner, multiple Grade 2 placed Jordan’s Henny (Henny Hughes). Bred in Kentucky by Erv Woolsey and Ralph Kinder, Hip 443 worked an eighth in :10 flat during the Thursday session of the under tack show (video).
• Hip 487, a filly by the late Malibu Moon, sold for $500,000 to Maddie Mattmiller, agent for J. Kinchen and Black Type TB, from the consignment of Wavertree Stables, agent. The gray or roan filly is out the winner Unbridled’s Song mare Lorelei True, a half-sister to Grade 2 winner Sparky Ville, from the immediate family of Grade 1 winners Harmony Lodge, Magnum Moon, and Pinehurst. Hip 487 worked an eighth in :10 2/5 during the Thursday session of the under tack show (video).

Over the course of two days, 391 horses sold for $37,297,700, up 10.7 percent from the previous record of $33,692,000, set last year. According to Horse Racing Sense, The average price for a two-year-old thoroughbred in training is $94,247, and the average cost for a yearling is $84,722.

The most expensive racehorse ever was Fusaichi Pegasus. He sold for $4 million as a yearling and then sold for $68 million after winning the Kentucky derby and five other races. He won close to $3 million while racing but his “real” value was expected to be at stud. Sadly, his progeny did not perform well and his stud fee dropped to just $7500 in 2020. In comparison, American Pharoah’s stud fee is $200,000 and Tapit’s is $300,000. Bu

in 2020 his stud fee was reduced to $ 7,500. For comparison, American Pharoah’s stud fees start at $200,000, and Tapit demands $300,000. Gun Runner, one of the most sought after sires in 2022 (and who sired Preakness winner Early Voting), stands for $125,000, up from $50,000 in 2021.

Not sure how the math works for those very expensive 2-year olds. It will be interesting to see whether the Bernadini colt ends up being a Triple Crown contender next year.