Larger catalog, bigger purses fuel optimism for Fasig-Tipton New York-bred preferred yearling sale

While Kentucky is the epicenter of North American breeding activity and produces more than half the registered Thoroughbred foal crop annually, it’s a common refrain that a good horse can come from anywhere. Perhaps no regional program better exemplifies that than New York – and New York-breds can win anywhere, too.

Some of the top-earning New York-breds of all time are the late Eclipse Award champion Funny Cide, who captured the nation’s imagination with his run through the American classics in 2003; Mind Your Biscuits, who won the Group 1 Golden Shaheen in Dubai twice; and Japanese Grade 1 winners A Shin Forward and Moanin. All are graduates of the Fasig-Tipton New York-bred preferred yearling sale, which will be renewed on Aug. 13-14 in the midst of a Saratoga meeting that is offering particularly lucrative purse incentives for statebreds running in open company.

“I think the New York-bred program is really at a pinnacle time right now,” said Najja Thompson, executive director of the New York Thoroughbred Breeders. “We have a future that will be aligned with the new Belmont Park down the road. . . . We have unparalleled purse incentives for open-company New York-breds in selected categories . . . and it’s just a phenomenal time. We’re seeing New York-breds compete and win at the highest of levels. Just a phenomenal time to not only participate, but to get involved in the program at all levels.”

The Sunday, Aug. 13, session of the sale at the Humphrey S. Finney Pavilion will follow the day’s races down the street at Saratoga Race Course. The Monday session will begin at noon. There are 364 entries in the catalog, compared to 283 last year.

“Our catalog has grown substantially this year, while our quality has remained high,” Fasig-Tipton president Boyd Browning Jr. said, noting that more than $60 million will be distributed in purses, incentives, and awards for New York-breds, in addition to purse enhancements at Saratoga. “As always, this is a great time to own a New York-bred.”

Last year’s sale was led by an as-yet-unraced full brother to Grade 1 winner Cave Rock, who sold for $700,000, the auction’s second-highest all-time price. He helped the overall figures to a strong performance, with the sale grossing a record $20,175,000. The average was $107,314, soaring 17 percent from the prior year’s edition, and the auction’s second-highest all-time. The median jumped 6 percent from the prior year, and the $74,000 figure also was the second-best in history.

This year’s sale will have that high bar to clear figure-wise, but sports a strong catalog, including an Improbable filly out of Grade 3 winner Georgie’s Angel, making her a half-brother to Cave Rock and last year’s sale-topper. Also on offer is a Dialed In colt who is a full brother to one of this year’s most exciting statebred runners, Kentucky Oaks runner-up Gambling Girl.

While both of those offerings are by Kentucky sires, New York’s stallion base is well represented. There are 11 yearlings cataloged by Central Banker (McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds) and two by state record-setter Freud (Sequel Stallions), currently the top two on New York’s general sire list. Well-regarded freshman Solomini (McMahon) has eight cataloged, while fellow freshman Disco Partner (Rockridge Stud) has two.

New York’s solid first-crop sire class is led by Honest Mischief (Sequel), who has 16 yearlings from his well-supported first year on offer. The class also includes Grade 1 winner Fog of War (Questroyal/Hidden Lake) with one yearling, Kentucky Derby runner-up Lookin At Lee (Irish Hill and Dutchess Views Stallions) with one, stakes winner King for a Day (Irish Hill) with one, and graded stakes winner Name Changer (Kaz Hill Farm) with two.

“If you look at the yearling sale at Saratoga, [many of] the biggest sellers are Kentucky-sired New York-breds, but New York has some pretty useful stallions,” said George Adams, principal of the regionally invested Housatonic Bloodstock. “A horse like Central Banker. Freud is still turning them out. And they’ve brought in some very interesting new stallions recently. . . . If you have a New York-bred, I think that’s probably the one regional market that’s done the best, because there’s so much money out there.”