Fasig-Tipton reaches out to consignors about July yearling sale in Kentucky

Fasig-Tipton, which annually opens the yearling sale season in North America, could be delayed due to the evolving coronavirus pandemic.

The juvenile sale season in the United States, which normally begins in March and runs through late June, has been upended, with that calendar wiped clean for April and May. The season is scheduled to resume in June and will conclude with a rescheduled Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. auction from July 14-17.

Fasig-Tipton is currently scheduled to open the yearling sale season with its July sale of yearlings and horses of racing age in Kentucky on July 13-14. In a memo to potential consignors this week, Fasig-Tipton indicated it could shift those dates, believing it is important for the yearling season to begin after 2-year-old sales have concluded.

“It would be premature to make such a determination at this time,” Fasig-Tipton’s statement read. “We will carefully evaluate and monitor the health conditions throughout the United States in the next few weeks before making that decision.”

The July yearling sale in Kentucky – a popular shopping spot for pinhookers – is scheduled to be followed by Fasig-Tipton’s boutique selected auction and its New York-bred auction in Saratoga. Following Fasig-Tipton’s summer activity, the yearling season focuses on Keeneland September, considered the bellwether for the market in North America as it tests the market at a number of levels with both pinhookers and international buyers shopping through a nearly two-week run. This year’s September sale is currently scheduled to open Sept. 14, just more than a week after the rescheduled Kentucky Derby on Sept. 5.

Fasig-Tipton also noted that it is currently not possible to conduct physical yearling inspections, which help determine placement in various sales, due to stay-at-home orders and travel restrictions. If these restrictions continue, they will surely impact other yearling sales.

The entry deadline for Keeneland September is currently listed on its entry form as May 1, and inspections during the summer help determine placement in the various books of the catalog.