NEWS
Total sales dip on opening day at Fasig-Tipton Midlantic
Posted: Monday, May 19, 2008 8:02 PM
SESSION ONE TOPPER: TWO-YEAR-OLD E DUBAI COLT
Lydia Williams photo
by Pete Denk
Total sales dropped 21.2% during the opening session of the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic sale of two-year-olds in training at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium on Monday.
With 242 horses going through the ring, one less than day one last year, Fasig-Tipton reported 158 two-year-olds as sold for $7,213,300, a drop of $1,945,400 compared with last year. Average price declined 12.3% to $45,654, and median dropped 8.5% to $27,000. The buy-back rate increased from 27.6% a year ago to 34.7%.
Fasig-Tipton officials expect somewhat of a rally on Tuesday, which buyers and sellers agree will feature the sale’s highest-priced horses.
“We’re obviously not elated to be down, but it was not unexpected, and from the auction stand there appeared to be pretty good trade at all price levels whenever a horse gave the buyers a reason to be interested,” said Terence Collier, Fasig-Tipton’s director of marketing. “The sellers know what the horses are worth, and the buyers know what they’re willing to pay, and the two parties were meeting in the middle enough to make it a satisfactory market.”
An E Dubai colt from the consignment of Nick de Meric, agent, topped the day at $230,000. The colt was one of five horses that sold for $200,000 or more during the session.
West Point Thoroughbreds’s clients Don Brooks and Nick Cammarano purchased the session topper via a telephone bid. De Meric sold the horse on behalf of L. F. Stable, a pinhooking partnership between West Point and Lewis Lakin that bought the E Dubai colt for $135,000 at the 2007 Fasig-Tipton New York-bred preferred yearling sale.
Brooks and Cammarano are involved in the West Point venture, meaning they already owned about 8% of the colt, according to West Point President Terry Finley.
“Don and Nick are Wall Street guys, and Don must have called me six times after the Preakness Stakes (G1). He’s all pumped up,” Finley said. “The E Dubai colt is a very smooth horse, very well balanced. [Brooks and Cammarano] said they didn’t want to overlook the horse just because it’s part of our partnership.”
The New York-bred colt is out of the Spectacular Bid mare Twice Forbidden, dam of stakes winners Don Corleone and Tin Cup Chalice. He was bred by Corra Cavalo Thoroughbreds.
Walnut Green purchased the top-priced filly of the day for $220,000. Consigned by Eisaman Equine, agent, the Not For Love filly is out of the Polish Numbers mare Polish Nana, a half sister to Grade 2 winner Love of Money, by Not For Love.
The Fasig-Tipton Midlantic sale concludes with Tuesday’s session, beginning at 10 a.m. EDT.
For hip-by-hip results, click here.
Pete Denk is Thoroughbred Times sales editor
