Saratoga Catalog Reflects On-Track Successes

Fasig-Tipton has unveiled the catalog for its selected yearling sale in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., that company president and chief executive officer Boyd Browning Jr. says is endowed with more quality individuals than ever, as a result of the on-track successes of horses that went through the ring at the Spa.

There are 252 yearlings cataloged for the Aug. 8-9 sale that consists of sessions beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET each day at Fasig-Tipton’s Humphrey S. Finney Pavilion. The catalog is available online and will be available from Fasg-Tipton offices beginning July 1.

Gracing the catalog cover are four superstar champions that came out of the sale over the last four years: Triple Crown winner American Pharoah  , who went through the ring but bought back in 2013 on behalf of Zayat Stables for $300,000; Tepin, the champion turf female and $3.5-million earner who cost $140,000 at the 2012 Saratoga auction; undefeated champion Songbird, who was a $400,000 purchase in 2014; and Stellar Wind, the 3-year-old filly champion sold at Saratoga for $40,000 and then re-sold a month later at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic yearling sale for $86,000 in 2013.

“They are special horses that have captured the imagination of folks, not just in America but of people around the world,” Browning said. “American Pharoah was the first Triple Crown winner in 37 years, Tepin not only beat the boys in the Breeders’ Cup (Mile, gr. IT) but goes to England this year and wins the Queen Anne (Eng-I), and Songbird is still building a résumé that is impeccable to date. It’s mind-boggling those are all Saratoga sale graduates, but it’s indicative of the type of horses our consignors are bringing to us.”

According to Blood-Horse’s MarketWatch, the Saratoga sale ranked at the top of all major North American yearling sales by percentage of grade I winners, graded stakes winners, and stakes winners produced from horses sold.

“It’s pretty remarkable the quality of the horses that have graduated from that sale in recent years,” Browning said. “It gives sellers great confidence and buyers great confidence when you see the quality of horses that have emerged from the sale. We’ve had a larger pool to choose in terms of nominations this year and I think it’s a fabulous group of horses both in terms of pedigree and conformation.”

As usual, the catalog is replete with offspring of Tapit   and Uncle Mo  , who rank first and second on the general sires’ list. With 13 Tapit yearlings and 14 for Uncle Mo, those two sires are represented by 10.7% of the catalog.

Additional sire power is added to the catalog, with three from major international stallion Galileo and two from his champion son Frankel. Also cataloged are two fillies from the final crop of Street Cry.