The Fasig-Tipton Midlantic fall yearling sale enters its 2016 renewal with plenty of wind at its back. The auction comes as the local Maryland-bred program is on the upswing, and graduates have been flying the banner with big wins on the track and some high-return pinhooks.
Promise Me Silver, who won the first eight races of her career in a streak capped by a victory in the Grade 3 Eight Belles at Churchill Downs in 2015, has been retired, trainer Bret Calhoun said Wednesday.
Fasig-Tipton has cataloged 1,250 yearlings for its Kentucky fall yearling sale, to be held over three sessions Oct. 24-26 in Lexington, Ky.
Like a global Thoroughbred convention, international buyers descended upon the recently concluded Keeneland September yearling sale, with outfits from five continents showing that the American Thoroughbred is in demand the world over.
Taylor Made Sales Agency led all consignors by gross for the 18th time since 1985 and the fourth time in the last five years. The Taylor family's operation, which is active across all six books of the sale, finished with 282 yearlings sold for $32,899,300.
Commercial juggernaut Tapit finished as Keeneland September's leading sire by gross for the fifth consecutive year, with 31 yearlings sold for $19,835,000. A distant second was the late Scat Daddy, with 54 sold for $13,379,000, led by the $3 million sale-topper. Tapit also led by average sale price among stallions with three or more offspring sold at $639,839, a position he also held in 2014. He narrowly edged out War Front, who finished at $633,947.
There were plenty of positives to be found at the 2016 Keeneland September yearling sale, with the upper and middle markets performing better than expected and a $3-million Scat Daddy colt becoming the most expensive horse sold at the auction since 2010. However, a lack of strength in the lower-market sessions, a trend seen in sales earlier this year, led to an overall steady renewal of the bellwether auction, with some slight declines.
The polarization of the marketplace became more apparent as the Keeneland September yearling sale moved into Book 6 on Saturday, with comparable figures at the top of the marketplace but declines in overall returns and a much higher buyback rate.
Following an impressive showing through the first four books of the Keeneland September yearling sale, a new setup for Book 5 was a factor in the declines from that portion of the catalog.
There was little fanfare when Phipps Stable made its return to the buying bench during Book 1 of the Keeneland September yearling sale, landing a Malibu Moon filly for $675,000 and a Tapit filly for $430,000.
