NEWS
New market reality sets in at Fasig-Tipton
Posted: Tuesday, November 10, 2009 11:46 PM
SALE TOPPER: HOLIDAY RUNNER
PhotosByZ.com
by Pete Denk
Two mares sold for $2-million or more on Tuesday night at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky selected fall mixed sale, which experienced huge declines compared to last year’s record-breaking sale.
Fasig-Tipton reported that 78 horses sold from 111 offered for total sales of $28,505,000, a 59.4% decline from last year, when 91 horses sold from 150 offered for record receipts of $70,279,000.
Average price declined 52.7% to $365,449, and median dropped 32% to $170,000. The buy-back rate improved from 39.3% a year ago to 29.7% in 2009.
This year’s catalog of 153 was trimmed to 111 after a heavier than usual number of scratches.
Year-to-year comparisons are almost unfair considering the bottom fell out of the breeding business shortly after last year’s auction, which featured a world record price of $14-million for Broodmare of the Year Better than Honour, part of a major partnership dissolution between Southern Equine Stable and Hill ‘n’ Dale Farm that boosted the sale.
Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning Jr. said he thought the market was fairly strong during this year’s sale.
“The quality horses have significant demand, very good activity on them, and a ton of interest,” Browning said. “The horses that don’t tick all the boxes or have some questions are very difficult to sell in the market we’re experiencing right now.”
Holiday Runner, dam of multiple Grade 1 winner Seventh Street, topped the sale on a bid of $2,150,000 from Frank and Jane Lyon of Summer Wind Farm in Georgetown, Kentucky.
It has been a headline-filled year for the Lyons, who sold a $2.8-million Storm Cat colt that topped the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale of selected yearlings and another Storm Cat colt that topped the Keeneland September yearling sale at $2,050,000.
The dam of the Saratoga sale topper, the Mr. Prospector mare Onaga, died this year.
“I would say our year went unbelievably well, but we did lose a very precious mare, and we were looking to replace her with something capable of producing the kind of horses we hope to breed,” Jane Lyon said.
Baccari Bloodstock consigned stakes winner Holiday Runner, a nine-year-old Meadowlake mare out of Dixie Holiday, on behalf of Steve Barberino’s SJB Stable. In foal to Tiznow, she was the highest-priced horse consignor Chris Baccari has sold.
“We thought she could sell for $2-million-plus and it depended on who wanted to have a mare at that level,” Baccari said. “It’s so hard to find a mare that raced like she did, has produced what she has produced, looks as good as she does, and is that young.”
Live Oak Stud, which was underbidder on the sale topper, went to $2-million for the ten-year-old Belong to Me mare Private Feeling, dam of 2009 Jim Dandy Stakes (G2) winner Kensei and multiple Grade 1 winning two-year-old Lookin at Lucky. Private Feeling is believed to be carrying a full sibling to Kensei. Private Feeling was consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent.
A total of seven fillies and mares sold for $1-million or more, including 2007 champion older mare Ginger Punch, who was listed as reserve not attained final bid of $1.3-million through the ring but was later reported as sold post-ring for $1.6-million to Katsumi Yoshida.
Last year, 19 fillies and mares reached seven figures.
Forty-eight broodmares were reported as sold for an average of $507,562, while the 30 weanlings that sold averaged $138,066.
Shadai Farm of Japan was listed as the sale’s top buyer with two purchases for a total of $2,650,000, while Taylor Made Sales Agency was the night’s top consignor by total sales, selling 12 horses for $6,472,000.
Similar to session one of the Keeneland November breeding stock sale, which took place earlier on Tuesday, Japanese and Australian buyers were prominent as they took advantage of favorable exchange rates.
“We had tremendous international participation,” Browning said. “It was a very, very, very diverse group of buyers.”
Pete Denk is sales editor of Thoroughbred Times
|
Fasig-Tipton Kentucky selected fall mixed sale
Overall Summary |
|
2009 |
|
2008 |
| No. offered |
111 |
(-26.0%) |
150 |
| No. sold |
78 |
(-14.3%) |
91 |
| Pct. not sold |
29.7% |
|
39.3% |
| Gross |
$28,505,000 |
(-59.4%) |
$70,279,000 |
| Average |
$365,449 |
(-52.7%) |
$772,297 |
| Median |
$170,000 |
(-32.0%) |
$250,000 |
| For hip-by-hip results, click here. |
