Fasig-Tipton cancels June 2-year-old sale at Santa Anita

Fasig-Tipton has announced the cancellation of its Santa Anita 2-year-olds in training sale, which had been scheduled for June 3, in response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Fasig-Tipton took over the California auction market for Barretts last year and held its first 2-year-old sale during Santa Anita’s spring-summer race meeting. The current meet at Santa Anita was halted last Friday, with the track saying in a statement that it was operating “according with instructions received from Los Angeles County Health Department,” and under instructions issued by the California Horse Racing Board to comply with local health authorities. Fasig-Tipton cites those current restrictions in announcing its sale cancellation.

"Factors beyond our control have necessitated the sale's cancellation," Fasig-Tipton president Boyd Browning said in the release. “We greatly appreciate the support we received from those that had already committed entries, as well as the efforts and cooperation of Santa Anita's management and staff these past several months. With so much uncertainty, we felt it was best to go ahead and announce the sale's cancellation to provide sellers with ample time to redirect their horses to other venues."

The coronavirus pandemic has upended this juvenile auction season, with the next scheduled auction the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic sale in late May. The company has also announced the addition of another sale to that market in June to give horses displaced from other canceled sales an additional venue. The Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co.’s April sale has also been pushed to June, with its traditional June sale now slated for July.