Mill Ridge Farm's general manager Price Bell says the Fasig-Tipton sales in Saratoga are special because the boutique catalog and several days of showing allow more time to spotlight individual horses, and for buyers to spend time with a horse they're interested in.
The three months preceding the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling sales saw the loss of prominent sires Malibu Moon and Bernardini, both sons of the great A.P. Indy. Each had a pair of yearlings for what will be their third-to-last crops change hands in Saratoga, with quiet results that will likely set the table for more demand this fall.
Every consignment faces its challenges preparing for and executing its work at a Thoroughbred sale, but South Point Sales Agency faced a massive hurdle at this month's sales in Saratoga. Agency co-founder Mike Recio was stricken with sudden and severe sepsis on July 24 and has had a lengthy stay in a Lexington, Ky., intensive-care unit as he continues to recover.
The Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred yearling sale made a triumphant return to its usual place on the calendar. After last year’s edition of the sale was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, this renewal, led by a $495,000 Uncle Mo filly, finished with significant gains from its most recent edition two years ago.
The Fasig-Tipton New York-bred yearling sale found a vibrant marketplace upon its return Sunday evening. An Uncle Mo filly brought the hammer down at $495,000 to lead an opening session that posted an uptick in average and median figures.
New York-breds have acquitted themselves well against open company on the racetrack in Saratoga this summer. They've also done the same in the sales ring in Saratoga.
Two dispersals of high-profile Thoroughbred operations continued to play out in the background of the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga selected yearling sale, with four yearlings from Sam-Son Farm and one from Pin Oak Stud selling.
Todd Pletcher was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in a ceremony at Fasig-Tipton's Humphrey S. Finney Pavilion. Most likely not considered by voters was Pletcher's record of turning out runners who go on to succeed as stallions. However, it certainly became relevant when crowds returned to the pavilion for the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga selected yearling sale. A group of 27 yearlings by former Pletcher trainees changed hands at the boutique sale for $13.14 million, an average of $486,667.
The average yearling price at Tuesday’s Northern California yearling and horses of racing age sale in Pleasanton was the highest since the 2015 sale, according to the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association, which conducted the auction.
Keeneland has announced that 4,034 yearlings, representing a sizeable percentage of the North American foal crop, have been cataloged for its bellwether September yearling sale, which will take place over 11 sessions from Sept. 13-24.
