Besecker Dispersal Powers Midlantic December Sale

Timing can be key when it comes to Thoroughbred horse sales, as was abundantly clear Dec. 10 at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic December Mixed and Horses of Racing Age Sale at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium.

The sale topper, Laddie Liam, was purchased by the Green family's DJ Stable for $450,000 and came into the auction fresh off a victory over the weekend in the Dec. 7 Maryland Juvenile Futurity at Laurel Park.

Laddie Liam (Hip 302) was offered by Northview Stallion Station (David Wade) as agent for the dispersal of Joseph Besecker. The 2-year-old colt has earned $128,556 gleaned from three wins and two third-place finishes in five career starts. He was produced from the Quiet American mare Buffgirl, a half sister to two stakes winners and the dams of $2.2 million-earner Prayer for Relief  and grade 2 winner Miss Sunset.

Bred in Maryland by Hillwood Stables, Laddie Liam was purchased by Besecker for $14,500 from Dark Hollow Farm, agent, at last year's Midlantic December sale. The colt is from the first crop of Golden Lad , who stands at Northview for a $5,000 stud fee in 2020, and was represented by seven horses in the catalog after the last round of pre-sale withdrawals.

Trainer Gary Contessa, who advised the Greens on the colt's purchase, said Laddie Liam was already on their radar as a potential purchase and the weekend stakes win only helped seal the deal.

"He had already run the numbers we wanted to see," Contessa said. "He was on our radar and the Futurity juiced it for us. We knew he was a horse we would want, but the question was whether we could afford him. We came to get a good horse and we got him."

Contessa, who saw the colt for the first time Monday, was impressed with the physical specimen.

"When I saw him he blew me away," said Contessa, who was looking forward to the colt being at his Belmont Park barn Wednesday. "He is a really a big handsome, sturdy colt. He's got the walk, the shoulder, and the hip. He dotted all the I's and crossed all T's."

Not surprisingly, horses from the Besecker dispersal paced the sale. The Pennsylvania-based owner, whose stable ranks seventh by earnings in 2019 with more than $4.8 million, is selling nearly all his racing and breeding stock to devote more time to family and his charitable organization as well as a result of his frustration with ongoing issues within the racing industry.

From 364 cataloged, Fasig-Tipton reported 249 horses were sold for $4,383,700, an average price of $17,605, and a median of $8,000, all sizable increases over the 2018 edition that saw 201 horses gross $1,911,100, an average price of $9,508, and a $5,000 median.

The Besecker dispersal accounted for $3,005,300 of gross proceeds, with 95 of 97 head offered selling for an average $31,635.

Second-highest price of $210,000 was paid by Chuck Zacney for Mine Not Mine (Hip 310), also a juvenile son of Golden Lad sold as part of the Besecker dispersal. The colt, who broke his maiden impressively on debut Nov. 14 at Laurel, was produced from the grade 2-winning Unbridled mare Belterra, a half sister to stakes winner Taketheodds and to the dam of Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner Cathryn Sophia.

Bred in Maryland by Robert T. Manfuso, Mine Not Mine was purchased by Besecker for $72,000 from Chanceland Farm at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic October Yearling Sale.

Besecker, who has explained he was reluctantly dispersing his horses due to the constraints on his time, said the prices the horses fetched exceeded his expectations but that more importantly it was affirmation of the racing program he put together. Besecker, the father of four, is founder, CEO, and president of Emeral Asset Management and the Emerald Foundation.

"It was very difficult," Besecker said of the selloff. "I think I was more happy with the validation of the process (than the prices). It helps validate what I thought was the right thing. It should prove to people that whatever your process is if you stick with it you can make money in this business. There was a lot of effort and hard work that went into trying to find these opportunities."With Northview handling the bulk of the Besedker dispersal, general manager and director of sales David Wade said the results exceeded expectations.

"It exceeded what we thought they would bring, but we thought they were going to sell well when we saw all the pre-sale activity at the barn and all of the vet work on those horses," Wade said. "Laddie Liam and Mine Not Mine both sold very well, but there were a lot of other horses in there that can run and we hope have great racing ahead of them."