Fasig-Tipton moves select juvenile sale to week of Florida Derby

Fasig-Tipton will conduct its marquee Gulfstream sale of selected 2-year-olds in training during the lead-up to the track's biggest day of racing, which is anchored by the Florida Derby, the sale company has announced.

The sale will be held on Wednesday, March 28, with an under-tack preview show scheduled for two days prior. The Florida Derby, the final race in Gulfstream's Kentucky Derby prep series, will be held on Saturday, March 31. This year, the Florida Derby was the centerpiece of a marathon card that included eight other stakes, five of them graded. Two consecutive Florida Derby winners -- Nyquist and Always Dreaming -- have gone on to capture the Kentucky Derby.

This year's Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream sale was held on March 1, three days prior to the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes, the final local prep for the Florida Derby.

“Moving our 2018 Gulfstream sale three weeks later allows us to be a part of the excitement of Florida Derby week,” Fasig-Tipton president Boyd Browning said in a release. “Positioning the sale around the Florida Derby should bring the auction added exposure, and the timing should work well for both buyers and sellers.”