TIMONIUM, MD -The Fasig-Tipton Eastern Fall Yearlings Sale, with a new name, format, and spot on the calendar, produced results largely in line with the 2025 renewal of what was then the company's Midlantic Fall Yearlings Sale. For the one-session auction, 189 yearlings–separated out by region–sold for $5,867,500. The average of $31,045 inched just ahead of the 2025 figure of $30,920, while the median remained steady at $20,000. With 40 horses reported not sold, the buy-back rate fell from 18.3% a year ago to 17.9% this year.“It was a very encouraging Eastern Fall Yearlings Sale today,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning, Jr. “Gross sales were up significantly over the 2025 levels, the average showed a modest increase, and the median was steady. More importantly, there was a high level of energy throughout the sale. I think it's encouraging in the regional marketplace–when we've seen some struggles–to have the positive momentum that was demonstrated today. I think it gives us a foundation to build upon for 2027, 2028, and beyond.”A filly by Cody's Wish brought the auction's highest price when selling for $300,000, with breeders Dr. Tom and Chris Bowman taking on Sean Clancy as a partner on the daughter of How My Heart Works. The mare has now had three sale-toppers at the Midlantic autumn sale.A total of six yearlings sold for six figures Tuesday, while seven hit that threshold a year ago.“There are very positive things that continue to happen in the Midlantic region, between Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, New York, New Jersey, etc,” Browning said. “There is a sense of regional cooperation on the racetrack side of things, which has got to be a positive sign. We made a significant push to prioritize creating sections to highlight the benefits of each state-bred program, or state-certified program, and I think it's very, very encouraging. There is not a question in my mind that the key going forward is to have continued support, and frankly stronger support, from the regional breeders with quality product to bring to this marketplace. The sales results that have been produced at the Timonium sales, whether at the 2-year-old sale or the yearling sale, have always been very good. And I often said that there is more money here than there are horses. And I think the same was true today. We are committed to continue to make efforts to improve and enhance the sale, enhance the experience and encourage people to come to this sale–whether it's a buyer or a seller, and we've got some positive things to build on from the 2026 results. We will be back, hopefully, bigger and stronger in 2027 than we were this year. But it was a very encouraging sign.” 'I Didn't Want to Lose Her': Bowman Gains Partner on Cody's Wish FillyChris Bowman told her daughter–and consignor–Becky Davis she did not want to sell her filly by Cody's Wish (hip 98) Tuesday in Timonium. Even so, when Davis saw her mother signing the $300,000 ticket on the yearling, she marched down the aisle to her seat.Chris and Tom Bowman | Fasig-Tipton“She came down, and said, 'Mom! What did you do?'” Bowman said later. “I told her, I didn't want to sell her in the first place. We might have a partner on her, so that would be good. We have a couple different people we've spoken to. I didn't want to lose her.”Bowman and her husband Tom bred the filly in the name Bowman and Higgins Stable, keeping the name they bred in with longtime partner Milton Higgins, who passed away in 2023.The yearling, named How Bad Can That B, is out of How My Heart Works (Not For Love) and is a half-sister to multiple stakes winner Monday Morning QB (Imagining) and group-placed Asawer (Nyquist). The mare is a half-sister to the dam of Cyberknife.“There is just a lot of sentiment there,” Bowman explained. “We named her How Bad Can That B because that was Milton's favorite little saying, anything good that happened, even if it was the littlest thing, how bad can that be? I didn't want to bring her to the sale, but we have to be realistic because we are running a farm. We put a reserve on her–$100,000, but I told my daughter I was going to bid on her.”Later in the session, the sale sheets confirmed a new partner on the filly when Clancy Bloodstock was added to the purchaser line, along with Bowman's Dance Forth Farm.“I just loved her type and I loved her pedigree,” Sean Clancy said after confirming he had bid on the filly originally. “I love the Bowmans and the way they raise horses.”Clancy purchased Good Night Shirt (Concern) from the Bowmans before selling the future two-time champion steeplechaser on.“I've known them forever and I liked the filly,” Clancy said. “I went as far as I could go [bidding] and was really disappointed. I went around the corner and saw them signing and asked if they would be interested in partnering.”Clancy admitted somewhat sheepishly, “I think Becky had probably already yelled at them. And then I pounced on them–and I felt bad doing that. But I did it because I didn't want anybody else to go to them.”Clancy said the filly would be sent south to be Virginia-certified and will likely be trained at Fair Hill Training Center with a trainer to be determined.How My Heart Works has had four six-figure yearlings sell at the fall auction, including the $205,000 sale topper in 2023 and the $165,000 topper in 2024.Even the 14-year-old mare, bred and campaigned by the Bowmans and Higgins, has sentimental value to the family.“We've had her in the family for a while,” Bowman said. “Becky named her. One of her little girls let another girl beat her in a race when she was four and Becky asked her why she let her get in front of her. She said, 'Mom that's just how my heart works.'”How My Heart Works has a weanling filly by Essential Quality and was bred back to Quality Road.Vekoma Filly to Perkins for PartnershipTrainer Ben Perkins, Jr. signed the ticket at $240,000 on a filly by Vekoma (hip 68) during the Fasig-Tipton Eastern Fall Yearlings Sale. The yearling was bred by Leo Holt Angelinos Racing in Maryland and was consigned by Bill Reightler. Perkins purchased the filly's dam, Bells Irish Fancy (Dunkirk), for $50,000 at the 2016 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May sale and trained the mare, who hit the board in nine of 18 starts with four wins and earnings of $110,590, for Angelinos Racing.Hip 240, a Vekoma filly | Fasig-Tipton“She is a nice filly,” Perkins said. “She was on the farm where we have our horses and a lot of people saw her. She was always a pretty filly. She's very athletic. She wasn't big, but she always looked like a nice athlete.”Asked who he purchased the filly for, Perkins said, “We're not really sure yet. We're going to put a partnership together.”Plans for the filly will likely include a trip to Virginia.“We will probably send her to Virginia now to get her certified there,” Perkins said. “Hopefully we will have her for the spring.”Cowherd Takes the Reins from Bill ReightlerThe Midlantic consignor ranks lost one of its best when Bill Reightler passed away in July, but the Maryland horseman was well-represented at the Fasig-Tipton Eastern Fall Yearling Sale Tuesday when longtime assistant Ron Cowherd presented 22 horses in the final Bill Reightler consignment.“It was very emotional to be without Bill,” Cowherd said. “But he was on my shoulder. He got me through it.”Ron Cowherd | Fasig-TiptonDespite being a native of Lexington, Cowherd said his family was never involved in horses before he went to work for Taylor Made Sales Agency.“My family owns daycares,” Cowherd said with a smile. “I started working for Taylor Made, just doing the sales. A gentleman who worked for Bill asked me if I wanted to work for him.”Cowherd worked for Reightler for 15 years, the last eight as his assistant and sales director.“After a couple of years working for Bill, he asked me what I wanted to do,” Cowherd said. “I told him I was interested in consigning and we started looking at horses, pedigrees, conformation. He just took me under his wing. And he taught me. Bill always told me the only way you can get good at it, is to look at horses.”Cowherd said he and Reightler had discussed him eventually taking over the consignment, but the plans moved forward when Reightler lost his battle with pancreatic cancer this past summer.“I was with Bill four days before he passed away and he told me, 'Ron, you're ready.' We had talked about taking over, but maybe two or three years down the road. I knew whether it was one horse or two, I was going to sell here.”Cowherd is already looking ahead to future consignments, which will be offered under the Bill Reightler/Ron Cowherd Agency.“I want to keep his name, so he's recognized,” Cowherd said. “All the clients have been great. They are all going to consign with me next year.”In addition to offering horses in Maryland, Cowherd hopes to consign at Kentucky sales, just as Reightler did.“I would like to follow in Bill's footsteps,” Cowherd said.The post Amongst a Sea of Changes, Fasig-Tipton Eastern Fall Yearlings Sale Stays Steady appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.