Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale Again Breaks Records

Amr Zedan set his sights on two individuals at The Saratoga Sale Aug. 8 and wasn't going to leave New York until they were part of his star-studded stable with Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert. The duo propelled Fasig-Tipton to another record-breaking session, shattering the record-setting sale of 2022, but the "must-have" attitude was contagious among all buyers on both nights. 

It was Zedan's first visit to The Saratoga Sale and his initial purchase, the coveted first offering out of four-time champion Beholder , was a historic one. The energetic Curlin colt captivated an effervescent crowd both inside and outside the pavilion, eliciting applause as the price climbed higher and twice rearing up in the ring. 

"He looks like an athlete, and hopefully, everything goes well," Baffert said. "He's an outstanding individual. We loved him at the barn and were very excited to get him."

The colt by Curlin  , consigned as Hip 165 by Taylor Made Sales Agency on behalf of his breeder, Spendthrift Farm, saw rapid-fire bidding among multiple parties before agent Donato Lanni signaled a final bid at $4 million from the mezzanine level.

Lanni was flanked by Zedan and Baffert, who looked as though it was all part of Tuesday's plan.

"It's been a beautiful day and night and a very electric atmosphere," Lanni said. "Fasig-Tipton did a great job bringing a lot of good horses here. Seeing the market as strong as it is is so good. I think that horse people are probably the most resilient people in the world."

At the close of the evening, Lanni secured a second horse for Zedan, a $3.2 million son of Into Mischief  , consigned as Hip 228 by Indian Creek. Jeff Drown and Don Rachel bred the bay in Kentucky out of All American Dream , from the family of grade 1 winners Dream Supreme  and Majestic Warrior .

"We've experienced some magical nights in Saratoga in the past," Fasig-Tipton president and CEO Boyd Browning said. "You've heard me talk about the Saratoga magic, but we haven't seen anything like tonight. It was spectacular, from the first share in the ring to the very conclusion of the sale. It just goes to show you what happens when you have the opportunity to sell exceptional physical horses that have outstanding pedigrees to an unbelievable group of buyers."

"It's a special place, and it was truly an unbelievable night," Browning added. "I hope Mr. Zedan returns to Saratoga—his first trip to Saratoga had quite an impact on the sale overall—but it wasn't a one-man show. As you go through the results, you can see the consistency of the bidding throughout the night; at times, the auctioneers and bid spotters had trouble keeping up with the bidding. It was hard to keep up and had an unbelievable energy, atmosphere, and results tonight."

Lanni was the Day 2 leading buyer with his two purchases for gross receipts of $7,200,000. He also was the sale's leading buyer with a total of five yearlings as agent for gross figures of $9,225,000 at an average price of $1,845,000.

"It's gratifying to see people send their very best horses here and trust us and then have the results and success they had tonight," Browning said. "We hope we're here next summer and some of those fabulous horses that walked through the sales ring are running over there at Saratoga, breaking their maiden or talking about being Spinaway candidates. We hope some of the horses we sold last year run in the Travers and compete at the highest levels."

This year the second session recorded 77 yearlings traded of the 100 on offer for gross receipts of $43,585,000, up 14.6% over 2022. A record average of $566,039, a 10.2% increase, and a rise in the median to $400,000, up 6.7%, was attained. There were 23 horses who failed to meet their reserve, representing a 23% RNA rate.

Last year, the second evening of the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale saw 74 horses sold of the 93 to go under the hammer for gross receipts of $38,025,000. An average price of $513,851 and a median of $375,000 were recorded. An RNA rate of 20.4% represents the 19 yearlings who failed to meet their reserve.

Over the past two days of selling, 153 yearlings of the 203 through the ring were sold for gross figures of $74,780,000, posting an 11.7% increase over the record-breaking previous year. At an average price of $488,758, it shows a rise of 4.4% and a median of $375,000, which remained unchanged over 2022.

Cumulatively over the two days of selling last year, 143 individuals were traded of the 179 on offer for gross receipts of $66,955,000, setting a record for the sale. That created an average price of $468,217 and a median of $375,000 to break records again. The 36 yearlings who failed to sell represented an RNA rate of 20.1%.

Tuesday's final session saw eight yearlings sell for $1 million or more, while the two days of selling accounted for 10 seven-figure price tags.

Taylor Made Sales Agency finished Day 2 selling 11 of its 14-horse draft for gross receipts of $10,420,000 at an average of $947,273 to be the session's leading consignor. Over the two days Taylor Made sold 24 horses for a gross of $14,320,000 and an average of $596,667 to be the sale's leading consignor.

Fasig-Tipton will now shift to the New York-Bred Sale of Yearlings Aug. 13-14 here in Saratoga Springs.

"We've got a New York-bred sale starting Sunday," Browning said, "and we will hopefully bring the same energy and enthusiasm to that sale that we had for this sale because we've got an obligation and responsibility to the men and women that entrusted the best New York-breds to us. We will count our blessings, and we feel very, very fortunate to have achieved the success and the results that we did this week, but we won't rest on our laurels."