Young 2-year-olds showcased at California sale
The results of Wednesday's January mixed sale at Fairplex in Pomona, Calif., will largely depend on buyers' enthusiasm for early-season 2-year-olds in training.
The results of Wednesday's January mixed sale at Fairplex in Pomona, Calif., will largely depend on buyers' enthusiasm for early-season 2-year-olds in training.

Kentucky Oaks winner and champion Abel Tasman opened the Keeneland January horses of all ages sale by fetching a record-tying $5 million from Coolmore – and the action didn't let up there.

Two young mares sold for $125,000 each to pace the action as the Keeneland January horses of all ages sale moved toward its finish line with gains across the board in Wednesday’s penultimate session.

Multiple graded stakes winner House Rules brought the house down, selling for $750,000 late in Tuesday's session of the Keeneland January horses of all ages sale to push the auction's Book 1 portion across the finish line with year-to-year gains.

Champion Abel Tasman sold for an auction-record-tying $5 million to Coolmore to help the Keeneland January horses of all ages sale get off to a strong start,

The sales market looks to continue its momentum with the Keeneland January horses of all ages sale, running from Monday through Thursday. The Lexington, Ky., auction has traditionally been a test of middle markets, but this year has a major star in Eclipse Award champion Abel Tasman, who figures to help buoy the overall figures.

The next 12 months will be a redefining period for the California sales market. Barretts Sales is gone, no longer conducting auctions in Del Mar and Pomona after a 28-year run. In its place, Fasig-Tipton has joined with Santa Anita for a 2-year-olds in training sale on June 5 and a yearling sale on Sept. 25.

The Fasig-Tipton Midlantic December mixed sale proved to be a coming-out party for the young regional sire Peace and Justice.

Keeneland has cataloged 1,555 horses for its January horses of all ages sale, set for Jan. 7-10 in Lexington, Ky.
The Fasig-Tipton Midlantic December mixed sale, a strong event in 2017, will look to continue that momentum and close the auction company's 2018 calendar with a bang. The single-session sale, the last of 12 conducted by Fasig-Tipton in its various jurisdictions this year, is Tuesday at the Maryland State Fair Grounds in Timonium.