Fasig-Tipton Midlantic juvenile auction hopes to ride boost from market, Preakness

As the 2-year-old sale season in North America comes to its rough midway point, the anticipation is high as the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic juvenile auction returns to its traditional spot in mid-May, where it has found great success.

The Midlantic sale is set for Monday and Tuesday at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium, just a short drive from Pimlico, where the Preakness Stakes is contested on Saturday. In past years, the sale has drawn reflected luster from the biggest local weekend of racing, as well as a deep buying bench of horsemen attending the sale following the races.

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Last year, the Midlantic sale was pushed to late June as the coronavirus pandemic upended the juvenile sale season. It was still led by a $1.1 million Uncle Mo colt, marking the sixth consecutive year the sale has produced a seven-figure horse. Hopes are high for the marketplace to continue the momentum seen in the first half of this season as it returns to its traditional spot on the calendar. The Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co.’s March and April sales both posted double-digit gains in the average price, and the April sale recorded a record gross.

In between those sales, the boutique Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream sale, which was canceled in 2020, finished with strong figures led by three seven-figure horses. Bloodstock agent Gary Young says the competition at the top of the marketplace is fierce.

“If they click all the boxes, you think, by looking at them and looking at the pedigree page, you might think you’re going to get a horse for $200,000 to $300,000,” said Young, who selected Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit out of last year’s juvenile market. “But you better be prepared to go deeper than that. You better be prepared to go deeper. It’s been that way for a few years. I’ve gotten really lucky in the $100,000 to $150,000 range over the years. . . . Right now, that range is almost nonexistent.”

Fasig-Tipton conducted a pre-sale under-tack show on the dirt racetrack at Timonium, and the three sessions of works and gallops by the juveniles concluded with 11 horses by 11 different sires tied for the fastest furlong, the traditional yardstick for this marketplace, at 10 seconds.

“Buyers have tremendous confidence buying off our dirt racetrack,” Fasig Midlantic sales director Paget Bennett said in a release.

The furlong bullet workers were colts by American Pharoah, Maclean’s Music, Malibu Moon, Midnight Storm, Munnings, Nyquist, Quality Road, and Tom’s Ready, and fillies by Empire Maker, Palace, and Race Day. This is the first crop for both Grade 1 winner Midnight Storm and multiple graded stakes winner Tom’s Ready. The others are all established sires, with American Pharoah and Nyquist the youngest standouts among those.

Triple Crown winner American Pharoah – like Midnight Storm, a son of Pioneerof the Nile – led first-crop sires of 2019 and second-crop sires of 2020. He was to be represented by his first classic starter on Saturday, with Ram in the Preakness Stakes. Fellow champion and classic winner Nyquist was last year’s leading freshman sire.

Among the smaller group of juveniles to work a quarter-mile, a colt by More Than Ready and a filly by Union Rags set the standard, each working in 21 2/5 seconds. More Than Ready is the sire of Tom’s Ready.

In addition to the bullet workers, highlights among the 587 horses cataloged, prior to outs, include half-siblings to Eclipse Award champions Jaywalk, Midnight Bisou, and Points Offthebench. The catalog also includes half-siblings to Canadian champions Serenading and Youcan’tcatchme, as well as a foal out of Canadian champion Catch the Thrill; half-siblings to Grade 1 winners Beach Patrol, Finley’sluckycharm, Lady Ivanka, and Warren’s Veneda; and juveniles out of Grade 1 winners Gomo, Lighthouse Bay, Linda Linda, Photo Call, and River’s Prayer.