Strong Demand at Top at F-T; Numbers Decline

By Ron Mitchell and Claire Novak

There were no surprises July 19 when Fasig-Tipton kicked off the yearling season with its selected sale in Lexington as the 8 1/2-hour sale mirrored results seen at most North American sales the last two years: strong demand for the better offerings and weakness at other price levels that led to a high buyback rate.

F-T reported 183 horses were sold for gross receipts of $15,756,500, down 21.2% from the $20,005,000 paid last year for 205 yearlings. The $86,101 average represented a decline of 11.8% from the $97,585 figure in 2015 and the median price fell from $77,000 to $60,000.

The 110 horses that did not sell represented an RNA rate of 37.5%, compared with 28.8%. With 347 horses cataloged, there were 164 horses withdrawn.

“Buyers are selective; that is no surprise,” said Fasig-Tipton president Boyd Browning. “There is tremendous competition on the horses they perceive as the better and best offerings and there is less competition than you would hope on the horses they perceive to be not highly desirable.

“There were really no great surprises. There is selectivity and buyers have discipline. They pick a number and may bid once or twice beyond that number and they stop. No longer do they bid with unbridled enthusiasm or without restraint.”

Browning said the high RNA rate reflects that selectivity by buyers but also the realization by sellers that there are fall yearling sales they can point to or wait for 2-year-olds in training sales or even race their buybacks.

“The sellers do have some options,” he said. “It is disappointing to have an RNA rate at that level but it’s not shocking.”

The sale-topper was a son of Curlin   purchased by Hartley/DeRenzo Thoroughbreds for $475,000. Consigned by St. George Sales, agent, the colt is a half brother to stakes winners Swinger’s Party and Hubba Shake and from the extended female family of Ogygian, Honour and Glory, and Lookinforthebigone.

The colt was bred in Florida by Myron Miller's Miller Racing. Randy Hartley said the colt will be owned in partnership by Hartley/DeRenzo with Mike Hall and Sam Ross of Breeze Easy Stable. The colt will be consigned to the 2017 F-T March selected 2-year-olds in training sale at Gulfstream Park and if he does not bring a price with which the partners are comfortable, he will be raced.

MITCHELL:Curlin Colt Lights Up F-T Bid Board

“He’s our lucky number—222,” Hartley said. “We knew we were going to have to pay a lot for him. The sale is getting pretty strong here at the end. He’s got the whole package. If he can expand into that as a 2-year-old…”

A bay colt by Tapit   from an active stakes-laden female family was bought by Cromwell Bloodstock for $450,000 as the second-highest priced purchase at the sale.

MITCHELL: Tapit Colt Sells for $450,000 at Fasig-Tipton

The colt, consigned as Hip 263 by Ashview Farm, was bred in Kentucky by Ashview and Colts Neck Stables. He is out of the stakes-placed Bluegrass Cat   mare Ithinkisawapudycat, a half sister to Canadian champion Spring in the Air. Multiple grade III winner and Kentucky Derby (gr. I) runner-up Tejano Run and British group II winner More Royal are in the colt’s third darm.

Sweet Loretta, his 2-year-old full sister who was a $750,000 weanling purchase, romped to victory for trainer Todd Pletcher at Monmouth Park June 18 in her first start.

Rather than trying to pinhook him into a 2-year-olds in training sale, the colt will be raced by a partnership that will be put together, Bell said. “I’m not that brave,” he said of pinhooking yearlings to juveniles.

While some buyers found the bidding to be competitive, Aron Wellman, one of the leading buyers through Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, said the July sale is an effective place to buy.

“I think that this is a great opportunity to buy quality horses because people tend to keep their money in their pockets waiting for Saratoga and (Keeneland) September,” Wellman said. “I think they definitely bring good horses to this sale and good horses come out of this sale every year. It's early, but we're certainly not afraid to go ahead and bid one in if we think the value is there and it's the right individual."