Encouraging Outcome at F-T California Fall Sale

Yearlings proved extremely popular in the California market, as demonstrated by the strong showing at the Fasig-Tipton California Fall Yearlings and Horses of All Ages Sale. In pleasant fall weather with an outdoor setting at Fairplex in Pomona, the yearlings on averaged $40,683, topped by a $350,000 California-bred daughter of American Pharoah   consigned by Terry Lovingier's Lovacres Ranch as Hip 196.

The sale topper moved the bar along quite well for this sale, which began in 2019 with a $150,000 sale topper and sold one for $200,000 last year. Five yearlings brought $200,000 or more Tuesday. All five are Cal-breds, four by Kentucky sires American Pharoah, Practical Joke  , City of Light  , and Nyquist  , and the fifth by pensioned California sire Square Eddie .

"Today was the most encouraging day we've had in California in a sales environment in the last three years that we've been involved," said Boyd Browning Jr., president and CEO of Fasig-Tipton. "There was a dramatic increase in the average, the median doubled from the sale last year, the RNA rate was down. More important than that was the enthusiasm and energy that I think everybody could feel at the sale. It felt really good."

According to Browning, Fasig-Tipton sold 164 yearlings for a gross of $6,672,050. The median was $20,000, and the buy-back percentage was 24%. The total number of horses sold, including horses of all ages, was 177 for gross receipts of $6,933,550, with an average price of $39,173, and a median of $20,000. Fifty-seven horses failed to meet their reserve for an RNA rate of 24.4%.

In 2020, when the sale was strictly yearlings, 166 head sold for $3,735,700, an average of $22,504, and a median of $10,000. Ninety yearlings went unsold last year for an RNA rate of 35.2%.

Tom Beckerle, a partner in the American Pharoah stakes-winning filly Fi Fi Pharoah , purchased the sale topper, who is out of the unraced A.P. Indy  mare Ez Indy. The ticket was signed as Beckerle & Grey.

"I already own one of them, Fi Fi Pharoah, so I've got some buddies who wanted to get an American Pharoah," Beckerle said. "There will be about five in her. For breeding down the road we liked her too. Fi Fi Pharoah has already made us a couple of hundred thousand dollars, and we think she's going to do the same thing."

Beckerle owns Fi Fi Pharoah with her breeder, Lovingier, and Amanda Navarro. Fi Fi Pharoah is out of My Fiona, a Cal-bred champion Beckerle also raced with Lovingier and Navarro.

Lovingier bred the sale topper and consigned her through his Lovacres Ranch. The filly's dam is a half sister to 1998 champion 3-year-old filly Banshee Breeze and to the dam of multiple graded stakes winner American Anthem  .

Trainer Brian Koriner purchased the second highest-priced horse, a daughter of Practical Joke, for Samantha Siegel's Jay Em Ess Stable. Barton Thoroughbreds, agent, consigned the filly, who was bred by Richard Barton Enterprised out of the unraced Speightstown   mare Miss Lavinia. The mare, who has already produced stakes-placed Arch Cat, is a half sister to 2010 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G2T) winner More Than Real and to the dam of 2019 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Presented by Coolmore America (G1T) victor Structor .

"Samantha is very excited," said Koriner. "She hasn't bought any yearlings all year. She waited and she's very excited to get a Cal-bred by Practical Joke. The filly has good bone. She's bred to be very fast and maybe precocious."

The highest-priced colt brought the third-highest overall price of $275,000. Classic Bloodstock bought the son of Nyquist out of Soul Crusader (by Fusaichi Pegasus ) for Sasulito and Breckenridge. Sue Greene's Woodbridge Farm sold the colt as agent. Since the catalog, Soul Crusader's 3-year-old colt by Will Take Charge  , There Goes Harvard , ran second in the Runhappy Ellis Park Derby.

The buyers of the Nyquist colt were Danzel Brendmuehl of Classic, Colleen Smith of Breckenridge, and Don Cox of Sasulito. Brendmuehl and Smith have been friends for many years, even finishing each other's sentences.

"We loved everything about him—Nyquist, California-bred, very athletic," said Brendmuehl.

Smith immediately added, "He had a lovely attitude, laid back."

The colt, bred by Bud Petrosian, is from the female family of grade 1 winner Killer Graces  and grade 2 winner Chocolate Ride .

Brendmuehl said that they will probably pinhook the colt, perhaps in Florida or in California.

"California needs a 2-year-old sale," she said. "Boyd Browning's working very hard with Fasig-Tipton to make that happen. And if it happens, we'll be here with that colt to top the sale. We want them to have a sale here, and we're willing to put our money where our mouth is."

Browning emphasized that as good as the yearling sale was, it is only a first step. He noted that some of the reasons for the increases were compared to the difficulties with the pandemic last year. When Los Angeles County's restrictions were still tight, Fasig-Tipton had to switch quickly from Pomona to Los Alamitos and people were still reluctant to attend events.

This year's sale was well attended, with many around the outdoor facility. A wide variety of buyers made purchases, many to race but some to pinhook.

"The economy is strong," Browning said. "Handle is up, purses are up. There's a better positive vibe for the most part in the racing industry throughout the United States. And that's certainly a factor. We were supported by a few more top-end horses this year. Some breeders answered the call and supported us with higher-quality horses this year."

But he cautioned that there is still work to be done.

"There is still a significant commitment that needs to be done by the stakeholders in the California Thoroughbred industry—breeders, racetracks, those men and women who own horses, and those people who are involved with the industry," he said.