The North American juvenile sales calendar, which takes place over the first half of the year, was scrambled by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, with several sales postponed or scrapped altogether, and those that survived struggling in a restrained marketplace. Last year, with sales returning to their traditional places on the calendar, market enthusiasm came roaring back, with many sales posting improved or even record results. A very similar slate of sales this season will provide the chance for that strong marketplace to settle into a place of stability. There are only a few calendar changes from major auction companies Keeneland and Fasig-Tipton. Keeneland, which has reimagined its April sale in recent years, will move the sale this year to neatly tie it to the end of its spring race meeting. Meanwhile, Fasig-Tipton, which took over the California sales from Barretts in 2019, will put its Santa Anita sale of 2-year-olds in training on hiatus this year, citing logistical issues with stall space at Santa Anita and a small number of eligible horses for the catalog. Horses that had been intended for that sale, including many California-bred or -raised juveniles, will now have to find another marketplace to slot into. Fasig-Tipton is, however, creating additional outlets for horses of racing age, as it recently announced the launch of its standalone digital auction platform. Fasig-Tipton Digital will debut with a selected sale from March 17-22, featuring racing and/or broodmare prospects, active broodmares, and horses of racing age. Fasig-Tipton has integrated online bidding into its live auctions since the onset of the pandemic as travel and gathering restrictions impacted traditional Thoroughbred sales. Keeneland and the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co., the nation’s other major auction houses, have done the same, with Keeneland using its platform to host periodic standalone digital sales last year as well. “We are excited to officially launch Fasig-Tipton Digital, which will serve as a complement to our traditional live auction calendar,” Fasig-Tipton president Boyd Browning Jr. said in a press release. “The Thoroughbred business is increasingly focused on creating liquidity by selling horses at opportune times, and this platform allows us to serve the marketplace by facilitating those transactions.” Dates for Fasig-Tipton’s other forthcoming standalone digital sales will be announced at a later date. Here is a look through the other live auctions on tap for this 2-year-old sales season, in chronological order. Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co.’s March sale of 2-year-olds in training March 15-16, Ocala, Fla. Under-tack show March 10-12 The OBS March sale has pole position and must establish market momentum. The 2020 edition fell just as the pandemic was gripping the nation – in fact, the opening session took place the day the Kentucky Derby’s postponement was announced – causing its figures to stumble. Last year, the sale was led by a $750,000 Practical Joke filly to post double-digit gains as it rebounded in a positive omen for what proved a strong marketplace. All three of the OBS sales are preceded by under-tack preview shows on the Ocala Training Center’s all-weather Safetrack surface. Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream sale of selected 2-year-olds in training March 30, Hallandale Beach, Fla. Under-tack show March 28 The Fasig-Tipton Florida sale moved to Gulfstream Park, where 2-year-olds have the opportunity to breeze over a variety of racing surfaces, in 2015, and improved its figures each year through 2019, when it recorded record average and median figures. The sale was canceled by the pandemic in 2020, and last year returned with a $2.6 million Nyquist colt leading the way. Texas Thoroughbred Association 2-year-olds in training sale April 6, Grand Prairie, Texas Under-tack show April 4 The Texas sale, held a few weeks prior to the start of the race meeting at Lone Star Park, comes on the heels of a successful summer yearling sale for the state. The sale saw improved average and median figures. Sales graduates and accredited Texas-breds made eligible through consignor or buyer berths will be eligible for the two $150,000 divisions of the Texas Thoroughbred Association Futurity on Lone Star’s closing weekend. Additionally, sales graduates will be eligible for the new Texas Thoroughbred Association Derby and Oaks for 3-year-olds, both to be held at Sam Houston in 2023. Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co.’s spring sale of 2-year-olds in training April 19-23, Ocala, Fla. Under-tack show April 10-16 The OBS April sale is considered the auction company’s flagship sale and also is something of a bellwether for the national market. The auction typically offers the largest catalog of the season and is seen as a market with a broad spectrum of horses for buyers at all levels. Last year’s auction posted a record gross as it returned to its traditional spot on the calendar. Keeneland April horses of racing age sale April 29, Lexington, Ky. The Keeneland April sale, which will certainly include some 2-year-olds among its horses of racing age, will be presented the evening of the final card of Keeneland’s spring race meeting, in the sale pavilion adjacent to the racetrack. The Kentucky racing circuit moves down the highway to Churchill Downs beginning April 30, with the Kentucky Derby a week later. “Keeneland is excited for this opportunity to bridge racing and sales and capitalize on the energy of the spring meet,” Keeneland vice president of sales Tony Lacy said in a press release. “By hosting the April sale on a race day, we will introduce some race fans to the sales arena and hopefully develop new participants over time. We also can showcase the sale before industry focus moves to Louisville and Kentucky Derby week.” The Keeneland April sale was a popular 2-year-old auction for decades before changes to the economy resulted in that sale being placed on hiatus following its 2014 edition. The sale returned in 2019 as a combined event for 2-year-olds and horses of racing age. A similar event was planned for 2020, but was forced to be canceled, along with Keeneland’s spring race meeting, by the first wave of the pandemic. Last year, Keeneland conducted an April horses of racing age sale on the final Monday of April – three days following the conclusion of the spring meet, and five days before the Kentucky Derby. The sale, led by the $310,000 colt Crew Dragon, was presented as an integrated event, with horses located both on-site at Keeneland or off-site at their training locations, at the consignors’ choice. A similar format will be in place for this sale. Keeneland auctioneers will preside over all offerings on-site. Buyers both on-site at Keeneland and working remotely using telephone or internet bidding will be able to bid on all offerings. “Keeneland is unique in its role as both a racetrack and sales company, and we want to continue to strengthen the synergy between those two operations,” Keeneland vice president of racing Gatewood Bell said. “The timing of the April sale enables trainers to make adjustments to their racing stables as they move to their summer bases.” Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-year-olds in training sale May 23-24, Timonium, Md. Under-tack show May 17-18 The Fasig-Tipton Midlantic sale typically draws a large crowd of horsemen remaining in town from the Preakness Stakes at nearby Pimlico the weekend prior. After the sale was displaced to June in 2020 by the pandemic – with the Preakness itself pushed to October – it returned to its traditional spot on the calendar in 2021 and finished with records for gross, average, and median. The sale has produced seven-figure horses in six consecutive years, including Eclipse Award champion Gamine, who set a sale record when she brought $1.8 million in 2019. While this sale is nationally prominent, it also is a vibrant marketplace for horses bred in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New York and eligible for those state programs, as well as those eligible to be certified in Virginia, Delaware, and other nearby states. The Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association recently announced the creation of a stakes series for Pennsylvania-sired, Pennsylvania-bred juveniles this season. The series will consist of two stakes races – one for fillies and one for open juveniles – on Aug. 22 and Sept. 24 at Parx Racing. The first races in the series will be worth $100,000, the second worth $200,000. The Midlantic sale is another that provides juveniles with an ability to breeze over a dirt racetrack, at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium. Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co.’s June sale of 2-year-olds and horses of racing age June 7-9, Ocala, Fla. Under-tack show May 31-June 4 In addition to providing an option on the calendar for late-blooming juveniles or those who were scratched from or failed to meet their reserve at prior auctions, this sale offers a selection of active racehorses. Last year’s edition finished with a record average and a record-tying median. Fasig-Tipton Kentucky horses of racing age sale July 11, Lexington, Ky. Although this sale is not part of the traditional 2-year-olds in training sale calendar, it will provide an opportunity for sellers to strike while the iron is hot with juveniles and perhaps give buyers a chance to stock up for the major summer race meetings.