Fasig-Tipton Ready for Sale in New Spot on Calendar

With a new place on the sales calendar, and the distinction of being the only selected auction remaining in the juvenile marketplace, the Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Sale of 2-year-olds in training will take place March 28. The Wednesday auction in the Gulfstream Park walking ring begins at 3 p.m. (EDT).

There are 166 head cataloged this year, with 41 having been withdrawn before the March 26 under tack show workouts; historically, more horses are withdrawn following the works and the post-under tack veterinary exams.

Fasig-Tipton's decision to move the sale from its traditional spot of early March to later in the month to coincide with the Xpressbet.com Florida Derby (G1) that takes place three days after the auction, meant that for the first time in recent memory the South Florida sale followed the Ocala Breeders' Sales March 2-year-olds in training sale.

"Moving our 2018 Gulfstream Sale three weeks later allows us to be a part of the excitement of Florida Derby week," Fasig-Tipton president Boyd Browning Jr. said. "Positioning the sale around the Florida Derby should bring the auction added exposure, and the timing should work well for both buyers and sellers."

This year marks the fourth edition of the sale being held at Gulfstream, and Fasig-Tipton executives point to multiple graded stakes winners that passed through this sale as proof of the track's success as an auction venue since 2015.

In 2017, 74 head were sold for gross receipts of $25,115,000, an average price of $339,392, and a $270,000 median. All three statistical categories represented gains over the previous year's sale with the gross up 14%, average up 3.8%, and median up 8%.

"We see the Gulfstream Sale being a critical element of the marketplace," Browning said. "It is a great opportunity and great place for men and women to transact business. It's a great setting and great environment that has consistently produced top-class runners. It's an experience.

"In just a short time, Gulfstream grads have claimed many of the sport's biggest races, including the Kentucky Derby, Breeders' Cup Juvenile, Florida Derby, Met Mile, Del Mar Futurity, and both the Futurity and Starlet Stakes at Los Alamitos."

Gulfstream sale graduates featured on the front cover of this year's catalog are grade 1 winner Dream Tree and Mor Spirit, dominant winner of last year's Mohegan Sun Metropolitan Handicap (G1). The back cover features Audible, eye-catching 5 1/2-length winner of the Feb. 3 Holy Bull Stakes (G2), as well as current graded stakes winners Mopotism, Fourstar Crook, and Shakhimat.

While the Gulfstream sale has the distinction of being the only remaining North American 2-year-old auction that is "selected," and has the highest average and median prices among juvenile auctions, Browning said the sale includes a range of offerings that could prove attractive to any buyer shopping in price ranges below the very top.

"We have a very balanced catalog," the executive said. "We have quality horses throughout the catalog both in terms of pedigree and conformation. We think there will be a solid group of horses just below the top. Not all of the horses in our sale are going to sell for $500,000-plus. There will be a lot of very good horses sold for $100,000 or $200,000 that will be successful for both sellers and buyers."

Consignor Niall Brennan said the selected label on the sale doesn't lead to broad appeal among the buying base and that the auction will probably mirror the market polarization seen over the last several years.

"Certainly there is a perception that this sale is select, and maybe that limits the buying bench to those that are looking only for what they perceive to be the cream, so it's going to be more of the same (result)," Brennan said. "At the end of the day they (buyers) are still being very selective. And you can't blame people for that. That's their prerogative. They would rather spend a lot on one or two horses, rather than spread it out among six or seven. They go for what they really want, or they leave empty-handed. The balance in the marketplace is not there anymore. It is very, very selective and that is the reality. A number of horses are going to sell and a majority of horses are going to go home."

Consignor Eddie Woods agreed the Gulfstream Sale appeals to a select group of buyers.

"There is less variety and less to pick from," Woods said. "A lot of people won't play in that marketplace from a buying point of view. We're dealing with professionals. Looking at the book, it looks like there are some super horses in there and everyone will latch onto the super horses. Others pass on that sale because they feel they can't compete in that market."