F-T July Breeding Stock Sale Offers Niche Opportunity

The introduction of the Fasig-Tipton Breeding Stock Sale will occur July 12 in Lexington at Newtown Paddocks, with the first horse set to go through the ring at 2:00 p.m. ET.

Added to the calendar due to a dispersal of the Far From Over/Fountain of Youth Dispersal, the sale offers an opportunity for breeders and owners looking to change stock before the fall season. A selection of broodmares, broodmares with foals at foot, and broodmare prospects are at hand, including 15 mares (14 in foal) from the dispersal. As of Sunday evening, 51 offerings are set to go through the ring during the breeding stock sale.

"The impetus this year was the dispersal that came in, and we have had some inquiries in the recent years from consignors about adding an element of selling some broodmares and foals and broodmare prospects," said Fasig-Tipton president and CEO Boyd Browning Jr.

"With the world we live in, people are looking for equity opportunities and chances to buy and sell horses, so it's the perfect opportunity to mix this in with the yearling and the horses of racing age sale. The reaction thus far has been very positive, and there seems to be a reasonable amount of interest."

On the potential return of the breeding stock sale next July, Browning said, "The judge and jury will decide on Monday, but I think it will work. It might open up a niche opportunity for the future. We live in a world of adaptation and flexibility. Hopefully, we can react to the marketplace and continue to serve it in the most effective manner possible."

Stalwart stallions sire this draft of mares, among them Candy Ride  , Danehill Dancer , Elusive Quality , Empire Maker , Harlan's Holiday , Maclean's Music  , Malibu Moon  , and Quality Road  . Thirty-nine mares are in foal to covering sires that include Connect  , Far From Over , Lord Nelson  , Midnight Storm  , and Violence  , to name a few. Twenty-two mares have foals at foot by sires that include Astern  , Honor Code  , Far From Over, Street Boss  , and Violence. Nine broodmare prospects are offered.

"There are several mares in foal to the core group in Violence and Connect," Browning said. "(Where Connect is concerned), he is off to an interesting start. There is a lot of hope and potential with his 2-year-olds; they sold fantastically. You wouldn't expect them to be early, early 2-year-olds in terms of their performance necessarily, but they sure have created much interest.

"There is a nice group of covering sires and a lot of nice babies that will be selling alongside the mares, so you get an option for a 3-for-1 package."

While this sale is still a fledgling, the number of entries may indicate a need within the market.

"With the way the catalog looked on July 1 when it dropped, the addition of 32 more mare and foal pairs, compared to the 15 I have to sell, I would suspect it indicates that a big part of the marketplace thinks it's a good place to try," said consignor Stuart Morris, who will offer the Far From Over/Fountain of Youth Dispersal.

"I think it's a great time of year. You catch some live pedigrees and give people the opportunity to make capital instead of waiting for the fall. When you're buying the 3-for-1, you can sell the foal in November and maybe pay for your mare, then go into the breeding season without a lot out of pocket. I think it opens up opportunities for creative buyers, investors, and traders because it creates another venue where you can be advantageous and buy a nice young mare with foal and maybe sell the weanling and pay for the whole package in November or January."

Lyn Burleson of Burleson Farms is taking a cautious approach with the four mares he has set to sell.

"It was unforeseen for us," he said. "We just happened to have a client that was looking at reducing some stock in November, so we thought this would be the waters to test in and see what happens.

"It's pretty inconvenient for us, it's an odd time of the year with having a mare with a suckling still on the side, so it's something we haven't done before. I feel like the fall sales are better because you can have a mare and foal separated, but we will see."

Morris said he wouldn't be surprised to see this sale or something similar return to the July calendar if Monday's activity is viewed as a success.

"Knowing the creativity of Fasig-Tipton, if this venture is successful this year, I would say Fasig-Tipton will look hard at making it a potential segment of their marketplace in July, given their capacity to explore new opportunities," he said. "With this major reduction for the Far From Over/Fountain of Youth Breeders and the other mares and foals in this sale, the consignors are capitalizing on the marketplace."