New York-bred yearling sale holds appeal at all levels
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Fasig-Tipton’s second act in Saratoga Springs this month comes with its New York-bred preferred yearling sale. While the smoke from the fireworks of the select sale the week prior will still be clearing, this auction is by no means an afterthought. With a good deal of positive momentum in New York, including strong purses for statebreds and the new Belmont Park coming alive next month, opportunities abound.
Although it will be hard-pressed to match its record figures across the board from last year, this auction is expected to have high demand and continue producing strong results, especially with the New York-bred purse parity program being partially phased in this year on the New York Racing Association circuit.
“It’s a great time to sell,” said David Cannizzo, who, with his wife, Carolyn, owns Mountain View Farm in Gansevoort. “With the purse parity, the purses going up, the breeder awards going up, the stallion awards going up, selling a horse, you put some money in your pocket. You get [breeder awards] and you’re taking money off the top.”
Fasig-Tipton has cataloged 318 entries for the New York-bred sale, which takes place over two sessions. The Sunday, Aug. 16, session begins at 7 p.m. following the day’s races down the block, while the Monday, Aug. 17, session, on a dark day, will begin at noon.
“This is a must-attend sale for those looking for high quality yearlings,” Fasig-Tipton president Boyd Browning Jr. said. “We’ve assembled a strong catalog this year that showcases the best of the New York-bred crop. With expanded purse parity coming to the NYRA circuit in 2027, the New York-bred program will go from strength to strength. There has never been a better time to participate.”
Eclipse Award recipient Funny Cide, winner of the 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, was a graduate of the 2001 Fasig-Tipton New York-bred sale and was among the biggest names to fly the flag for this program as it grew. In more recent editions, 2020 Belmont Stakes winner Tiz the Law and Grade 1 winners Americanrevolution, Rhetorical, Usha, and Varda have sold through the ring in Saratoga. Rhetorical is the reigning New York-bred horse of the year.
“There’s obviously a real excitement for the New York program” said Harlan Malter, managing partner for Ironhorse Racing and now Ironhorse Stallions in Schuylerville.
Flagship stallion Bucchero, sire of Eclipse Award champion Book’em Danno, will be represented by his first New York-bred yearlings in this year’s sale.
“The reality is that winning a race at Saratoga, winning a race at Belmont [is thrilling],” Malter said. “That’s the one unique perspective I have. I run a very large racing syndicate, and I know what the end users feel like and what you’re trying to do, and there’s a lot of excitement for the racing.”
Higher-level horses, of course, generate the bulk of headlines fon the NYRA circuit, which will be anchored at the new Belmont Park following the summer meet in Saratoga. However, smaller breeders and racetracks also benefit from sales activity in the state.
Finger Lakes in Farmington is in the midst of its 91-day season, and its 14 stakes races are exclusively for New York-breds. The richest race of the season, and one of the richest races for statebred juveniles, is the $175,000 New York Breeders’ Futurity on Oct. 12. Last year’s winner, Arctic Beast, was a graduate of the 2024 Fasig-Tipton sale.
“On our backside, when we look at our horse population, 70 to 80 percent of our horses on the grounds are New York-breds,” said Todd Haight, director of racing operations at Finger Lakes. “So I don’t know where we would be if we didn’t have this great New York-bred program. I think we’d be in trouble getting these races filled, so it’s so important.”
At every level, the yearlings coming through this New York-bred sale will enter an important economic ecosystem. According to Najja Thompson, executive director for the New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc., the state has up to 300 farms with Thoroughbred activity, while the industry has a $3.3 billion economic impact on the state and provides more than 19,000 jobs.
“Now is the perfect opportunity to get involved with New York,” Thompson said. “We’re developing opportunities for the value of breeders and owners for the purchasers of New York-breds at the sales.”