Maryland-based horses owned by the late Alfred G. Vanderbilt highlighted a strong Fasig-Tipton Midlantic winter mixed sale in February.
Horsemen "looking to invest in a piece of the Vanderbilt mystique" had a choice of three broodmares, two yearlings and four horses of racing age consigned by Don Litz's Litz Bloodstock Services. The nine grossed $298,000, for an average of $33,111.
The two most expensive were full siblings How Dry I Am (sold for $80,000) and stakes winner Ewer All Wet ($70,000), seventh-generation Vanderbilt homebreds out of Tall Glass O'Water descending from Native Dancer's full-sister Teahouse (out of Geisha). The Pons family's Country Life Farm purchased their half-sister Hey Up There for $18,000. Not in foal, the mare would be bred to the farm's Citidancer.
Purchased by Kathryn Clark, Ewer All Wet was turned over to trainer Rodney Jenkins, made his first start for his new connections that June, won six of nine for the year, four stakes, and earned $225,010. He would race for Clark through 2005 while earning nearly $300,000. Country Life's purchase was equally rewarding as all five foals out of Hey Up There were winners, among them stakes winner Sagamoon. The Citidancer filly, Mrs. Vanderbilt, was later sold and became the dam of graded winner Dancing Afleet.
n The year-end statistical review for 1999 saw Country Life Farm sire Allen's Prospect lead the region with $3,216,390 in progeny earnings. The 18-year-old son of Mr. Prospector and the Swaps mare Change Water was represented by 106 winners to top the nation for the third time, and second year in a row. His five stakes winners included undefeated Maryland-bred champion 2-year-old filly Gin Talking. Northview Stallion Station's Not For Love led the region's freshmen sires and ranked 10th nationally.
Twenty regional stallions had progeny earnings exceed $1 million for the year: 12 in Maryland, six in Pennsylvania (led by Peteski, who edged out Roanoke) and one each in Virginia (Secret Hello) and West Virginia (My Boy Adam).
The region's leading earner was not familiar to most: Japanese-based Virginia-bred Eishin Guymon. The group winner bred by Keswick Stables and sold for $36,000 as a Saratoga yearling amassed $851,726 of his career total $3,044,238. The highest-earning stateside runner was Maryland-bred Stellar Brush, a winner of three stakes, including the Grade 2 Ohio Derby, for earnings of $593,800.
