Keeneland Association in Lexington, Ky., will hold a new select horses of all ages sale on June 23 as part of its launch of a digital auction platform, the company announced on Friday.
Following the Ocala Breeders' Sales Co.'s spring sale on June 9-12, there are additional major-market venues remaining to sell 2-year-olds this season.
The Ocala Breeders' Sales Co. annually has the unenviable pole position for the 2-year-old sale season in North America, tasked with establishing market momentum. But in this season like no other, the Florida auction house faces this task not once, but twice, and in daunting economic circumstances.
In times of economic uncertainty, the Thoroughbred market often tends toward proven stock – as was seen following the market crash in fall 2008, when stud fees and sale prices for young sires took a hit. That makes the results for young sires during the only 2-year-old sale of 2020 thus far, the Ocala Breeders' Sales Co.'s March sale, even more impressive.
In response to the changing racing industry calendar, Fasig-Tipton and the Ocala Breeders' Sales Co. have come to an agreement to swap dates for a pair of yearling sales this October.
Keeneland auctioneer Cris Caldwell, known for his booming baritone and quick wit from the auction stand, died Friday after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 63.
Keeneland will utilize its video capabilities to support consignors and buyers for its September yearling sale in the event that COVID-19 impacts the physical inspection of yearlings or attendance at the sale, the company announced in a recent update on its operations.
Keeneland and Fasig-Tipton, the two major Lexington, Ky.-based Thoroughbred auction companies, have jointly announced restrictions on the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), corticosteroids, and bronchodilators including Clenbuterol, for horses at their auctions, effective immediately.
Fasig-Tipton, one of the nation's major auction companies, has announced that it will consolidate its three summer selected yearling sales into a single sale in September in Kentucky, the first concrete effect of the coronavirus pandemic on the yearling sale calendar.
Gulfstream Park held North America's first 2-year-old races of the season in mid-April, a welcome look to the future in the midst of the evolving coronavirus pandemic. However, the immediate future for this division remains uncertain. The pandemic forced the cancellation of Keeneland's spring meeting, which traditionally opens the 2-year-old season, as well as the final weeks of Aqueduct's spring meet, which also cards juvenile action. Belmont Park and Churchill Downs have pushed back their upcoming meets; Churchill was to have contested a rich early-season target in the $150,000 Kentucky Juvenile, part of the now-postponed Kentucky Derby week.
