Keeneland, Fasig-Tipton announce joint biosecurity protocols for September sales

Keeneland and Fasig-Tipton have announced joint biosecurity protocols to guard against the spread of COVID-19 at their upcoming September yearling sales in Lexington, Ky.

Fasig-Tipton was forced to scrap three summer yearling sales in Kentucky and New York due to the coronavirus pandemic, instead consolidating into a selected yearling showcase to be held at its Newtown Paddocks facility in Lexington on Sept. 9-10. The company coordinated with Keeneland, which will host its bellwether September yearling sale from Sept. 13-25, to place the sales in close proximity, allowing both auction houses to coordinate with local and state officials as the pandemic continues.

A negative COVID-19 test within 10 days of entry to the sale grounds will be required of all consignors and staff, veterinarians and staff, farriers, van counter representatives, media, and any other person who will be interfacing with the public on a daily basis. Buyers are not required to be tested, but must complete a health questionnaire prior to the sale.

Keeneland will accept proof of a negative test from prior to the Fasig-Tipton sale. Tests are not required to be taken on the sale grounds, but testing will be available at Fasig-Tipton on Aug. 24-25 and Sept. 3-5, and at Keeneland Aug. 24-25, Aug. 31, Sept. 1-2, and Sept. 11-12.

Traffic onto the sale grounds will be limited, as neither sale will be open to the public, with attendance limited to credentialed participants. Buyers must pre-register online, and seating capacity will be limited in the sale pavilion. Both sale companies have added online-bidding options in recent months and have expanded their traditional phone-bidding programs for buyers unable or unwilling to physically attend the sales, with the ability of international buyers to travel still a question mark.

For those who do attend the sale, daily health screenings, including temperature checks, will be performed upon access to the grounds. Face coverings will be mandatory, in accordance with a current state mandate, and social distancing of at least six feet is required throughout the grounds.

“Keeneland and Fasig-Tipton are committed to providing the safest environment possible for both horses and humans on our grounds during the September sales,” Keeneland’s current president and CEO Bill Thomason and Fasig-Tipton president Boyd Browning Jr. said in a joint statement. “Given the proximity of our two sales in terms of both dates and locations, it is important that we provide consistent protocols for the convenience of our participants.”