Fasig-Tipton Puts California 2YO Sale on Hold for 2022

Fasig-Tipton is putting its 2-year-olds in training sale at Santa Anita Park on hold this year due to logistics and the limited supply of 2-year-olds in California.

"We are taking a year off," said Boyd Browning Jr., president of Fasig-Tipton. "The numbers make it impractical and there are challenges, such as not having dedicated stalls at Santa Anita. Some trainers had to be displaced last year."

Browning said Fasig-Tipton will hold its California Fall Yearlings Sale Sept. 27 as scheduled at the Fairplex sales grounds in Pomona. Last year, this sale also offered horses of all ages. The auction sold 165 yearlings for a gross of $6,675,050 and a $40,455 average. For all horse types offered—broodmares, racing prospects, and weanlings included—the sale sold 177 horses for a gross of $6,933,550.

"We had a great yearling sale last year and were ecstatic with the results," Browning said. "We are very bullish about the California market with some new stallions coming in. As for the 2-year-olds, we still think it is an important spot in the market."

Following the end of Barretts Equine Sales' 28-year run conducting sales in California in 2018, Fasig-Tipton stepped in to hold its first 2-year-olds in training sale in 2019 at Santa Anita. The sale was conducted using four rows of temporary barns in the track's parking lot, near the seven-furlong chute.

This inaugural sale sold 69 juveniles for a gross of $3,769,500 and averaged $54,630.

The California 2-year-olds sale got shelved in 2020 due to restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and returned last year to sell 53 horses of the 68 on offer June 23 for gross receipts of $2,981,000, an average price of $56,245 and a median of $50,000. Fifteen horses failed to meet their reserve. 

The 2021 edition was topped by a Tiznow  filly out of Soot Z (by Empire Maker) who worked in :10.3 at the under tack show held two days before she sold as Hip 36 with Pike Racing, agent. Spendthrift Farm scooped the juvenile up for $250,000, the leading price of the sale by $95,000. The filly was bred in Kentucky by Tolo Thoroughbreds and Art Tanaka.

As with any sale, there was solid demand for the horses attracting the most attention last year when eight horses sold for $100,000 or more. By comparison, the inaugural sale of 2019 sold 10 horses for $100,000 or more. The top of the 2021 market, however, was softer than in 2019. The top price at last year's sale landing at $250,000 compared with 2019 when four horses sold for $250,000 or more. The top seller in 2019 was a $420,000 Bernardini filly named Eclair , who went on to become a stakes winner.