Gainesway Sales enjoyed a big day during the opening session of the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Selected Yearlings Sale August 10, selling several premier lots including the top colt - a son from the first crop of Bernardini out of champion Bird Town.

Selling as Hip 79, the handsome bay was signed for by John Ferguson for $1.3 million on behalf of Darley Stable. Bred by Marylou Whitney, the colt hails from regal bloodlines being out of Kentucky Oaks (G1) heroine Bird Town, a multiple Grade 1 winner and a half-sister to the Classic-winning and dual Classic-producing sire Birdstone. He was the fourth foal out of Bird Town, who resides at Gainesway.

"She was a champion racemare," Ferguson said. "She was the winner of the Kentucky Oaks, and a sister to the sire of the Kentucky Derby winner and Belmont S. winner. Those kind of horses - with Birdstone doing as well as he is and with Bird Town in the pedigree - if you end up having a racehorse, they are worth a great deal of money. And so, therefore, yes, it's a lot of money to spend on a horse, but there's a little more logic to it when there's a stallion of that caliber right up there in the pedigree."

Birdstone, who thwarted the Triple Crown bid of Smarty Jones in the 2004 Belmont S., was another
homebred for Marylou Whitney, who rarely offers her youngsters at auction.

"I think this has been a tough year for most people," said Gainesway's Michael Hernon. "Most people's 401Ks are now probably 201Ks. It was a business decision. There are times when raising a bit of cash is a good thing to keep the ball rolling."

Both Bird Town and Birdstone were conditioned by Nick Zito, who wound up being the underbidder to Ferguson. "We're delighted [with the result]," Hernon confirmed. "It was pivotal this afternoon that Nick Zito came back [to take a look]. Obviously, he has had great success in training Birdstone and the dam, Bird Town, to be a champion. It's the culmination of the auction process when you get two individuals who really want to buy a horse." Hernon added, "He's got a world of potential. He's by a very nice stallion in Bernardini, who was a great racehorse in his own right, out of a top race filly. You've got Birdstone right there in the pedigree, who's made an extraordinary start to his stud career by siring two individual Classic winners and looks like he could be any kind of stallion. This fellow has the attributes: he has the pedigree, he has the physical, and now he just has to perform on the racetrack to become an excellent stallion prospect in his own right."

According to Hernon, Hip 79 takes after his bottom side. "I think he throws straight to the female family, definitely. To me, he has a strong resemblance to Birdstone and to his dam. You could argue that that makes him even more appealing, and that's a comment Nick made to me earlier this afternoon. It was all there in black and white."

Bird Town produced a colt by Awesome Again in April and was bred back to Giant's Causeway.

Gainesway also sold notable individuals such as Hip 38, a precocious-looking colt from the first crop of Henny Hughes for $575,000, and Hip 59, an elegant filly by Gainesway stallion Mr. Greeley for $510,000. The buyer of the colt was Tom McGreevy as agent for top racing stable Fox Hill Farm. Bob Fled signed the ticket as agent for the Mr. Greeley filly, which was purchased on behalf of emerging owner Sagamore Farm.

Additionally, Gainesway was the consignor of an Eddington colt early in the sale as Hip 18, which sold for $300,000 to Robert Baker and William Mack. Three hips later, Gainesway sold a Mr. Greeley colt (Hip 21) for $250,000 to IEAH Stables with agent Nick Sallusto signing the ticket. Hip 58 proved to be another from the great lineup of colts offered Monday evening by Gainesway, as the son from the first crop of Borrego fetched $200,000 from Todd Quast, who bought the horse as agent for Goldmark Farm.

Gainesway Sales was a leading consignor on Day 1, selling eight lots for a total of $3,360,000.

Thoroughbred Daily News contributed to this report