Anticipation High Ahead of Fasig-Tipton's November Sale

Fasig-Tipton's The November Sale, the company's marquee breeding stock sale, takes place Nov. 4 in Lexington, with some of the highest-quality weanlings, broodmares, and broodmare or racing prospects in North America on offer. 

"Very pleased with the activity on the grounds today, and even yesterday," Fasig-Tipton president and CEO Boyd Browning Jr. said. "Lots of faces on the grounds, seems to be a high level of enthusiasm; the weather is beautiful, two beautiful days of racing in the Breeders' Cup, so it's very encouraging."

The sale received multiple boosts Saturday, starting with the announcement that Takingtimeoff , a half sister to Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) winner and likely 2-year-old champion filly Immersive , had been added. Takingtimeoff is offered as Hip 318 from the Taylor Made Sales Agency consignment. The 6-year-old Curlin   mare is in foal to Yaupon  . 

"That's the great thing about this weekend, there's updates that are constantly happening," said Browning. "It kind of makes it special, the whole combination of the racing and sales going together and creates interest. It creates excitement, it creates opportunities.

Once the racing started Saturday, the updates kept coming. First, Soul of an Angel  pulled an upset in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1). The 5-year-old Atreides  mare was coming off a win in the Princess Rooney Invitational Stakes (G3) Sept. 21 at Gulfstream Park for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. She is cataloged as Hip 191 with Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent, and sure to bring more than the last time she went through the ring in 2020 during the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearlings Sale, where she RNA'd at $3,000.

Now in the running for champion female sprinter, Soul of an Angel has earned $1,192,675, accomplished with a 6-7-5 record in 41 starts.

Another huge update occurred in the Breeders' Cup Fully & Mare Turf (G1T), where 2022 Canadian Horse of the Year Moira  added one of the only things her résumé was lacking, a grade 1 victory. The 5-year-old Ghostzapper   mare who set a track record when she beat males in the 2022 Queen's Plate Stakes at Woodbine is cataloged as Hip 293.

Also receiving an update Saturday was grade 2 winner and Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T) third-place finisher Ag Bullet , cataloged as Hip 216.

This year's sale will offer the first weanlings by many new sires including 2022 Horse of the Year Flightline  . He has two weanlings that will sell Monday. Hip 26, a colt out of the Medaglia d'Oro   mare Star of India will sell with Lane's End Farm, agent, and a filly out of the mare Ghostslayer (Ghostzapper), who is the dam of grade 3 winner Biddy Duke  and hails from the family of champions Forte   and Essential Quality  , consigned by Woods Edge Farm, is Hip 311.

"The anticipation surrounding the Flightline babies is about as high as I can remember," Browning said. "The stallion obviously holds a special place in our hearts, because he's a (Fasig-Tipton) Saratoga graduate. I think people are going to be very pleased when they come on the sales grounds and see this colt and filly. We're pleased to have the opportunity to get him started off on the right foot."

There are 18 stallions represented in the catalog whose first crop are weanlings of this year, including Epicenter  , Jack Christopher  , Jackie's Warrior  , Life Is Good  , and Mandaloun  .

"It's unusual to have that many horses go to stud of that caliber at the same time," commented Browning on the number of first-crop weanling sires in the catalog. "They all have characteristics to be successful stallions and everyone always loves the new kids on the block, so it should bode very well for those stallions."

Last year's sale produced a gross of $101,281,000 from 154 horses who changed hands. The average was $657,669, with a median of $295,000. An RNA rate of 25% represented the 51 horses who failed to meet their reserve.

Dual Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint winner Goodnight Olive  and 2022 champion 3-year-old filly Nest  topped last year's sale commanding $6 million each, going to Gavin O'Connor for John Stewart and Repole Stable, respectively. 

Twenty-five horses sold for $1 million or more, with John Stewart purchasing Queen Caroline  in foal to Flightline, and Pizza Bianca  in foal to Into Mischief, each for $3,000,000. Stewart was the sale's top buyer with seven purchases totaling $13,350,000. Taylor Made Sales Agency led the consignors with 35 head sold for a total of $22,965,000. 

The sale begins Monday at 2 pm. ET at the Newtown Paddocks in Lexington.