The first night of the Saratoga Sale, Fasig-Tipton’s premier sale of select yearlings, got underway Aug. 7 to steady results, with a son of Quality Road taking top honors after selling for $1.1 million to bloodstock agents Alex Elliott and Ben McElroy for the overseas operation of Amo Racing.
Bred in Kentucky by Barbara Banke’s Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings, the colt was consigned by Gainesway as Hip 77. The March-born colt is out of the Winning Colors Stakes (G3) winner I’m a Looker , who also placed in the Raven Run Stakes (G2) and Azalea Stakes (G3), along with multiple other stakes placings.
“The sales seem to be very strong,” Antony Beck of Gainesway commented. “We’ve sold everything we’ve brought here, as we normally do.”
Boyd Browning at the sale
“I thought it was a tremendous start to the 2023 Saratoga Sale,” Fasig-Tipton president and CEO Boyd Browning said. “The numbers are essentially on par with last year’s opening session, which was a remarkable, almost historic evening. There was a very fair marketplace, wasn’t insanity, like I’ve been saying in recent times. We had a great diversity of buyers and a perfect mix of buyers and bidders tonight.”
One other yearling broke the seven-figure threshold on Day 1: the Denali Stud-consigned Curlin filly, purchased for $1.05 million by David Lanigan, agent for Cindy Heider (Heider Family Stables). The chestnut filly out of grade 3 winner Lady T N T was bred by Scott and Evan Dilworth in Kentucky, who were on hand to watch her excel in the sales ring.
(L-R): Scott Dilworth, Conrad Bandoroff, and Evan Dilworth at the sale
“The love was spread around almost $30 million; that money was spread across the board amongst a whole lot of horses, which is outstanding long term for this marketplace,” Browning said. “We are very excited; anytime you start at Saratoga, you always have a little trepidation and anxiety. Are we going to be able to sustain the market? Are we going to be able to improve? We came off an unbelievable year in 2022, seeing maximum increases over 2021.”
Fasig-Tipton reports 74 of the 103 horses through the ring Monday evening sold for gross figures of $30,785,000, at an average price of $416,014 and a median of $350,000. There were 29 yearlings who failed to meet their reserve to represent a 28.2% RNA rate.
Last year, the first night of the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale saw 69 horses traded of the 86 through the ring for gross figures of $28,930,000. An average price of $419,275 and a median of $350,000 was recorded. The 17 yearlings who failed to meet their reserve represent an RNA rate of 19.8%.
“I’ve taken a deep breath, a sense of relief and optimism tonight,” Browning commented. “Knowing tomorrow night, we’ve got another terrific group of horses. I’ll sleep much better tonight than I did last night, knowing there’s a viable marketplace. I was most encouraged by the diversity of buyers and bidders. Watching the sale tonight, the number of underbidders that didn’t get anything bought and the variety of people displayed in the market was widespread. We had a fantastic start, and I am ecstatic with the first night. I can’t wait to start selling again tomorrow. When the last horse in the ring brings $900,000, it shows you that people stayed throughout the sale.”
“They tell me that there’s a lot of buy-backs, but the horses that are really attractive and got a little pedigree are selling very, very well,” Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas said. “People are getting much more sophisticated on what they buy and what they reject. The days are gone when you can just bring one in here and if it doesn’t look good, it will sell.”
Stalwart bloodstock agent Mike Ryan purchased four individuals for gross receipts of $1,585,000 to be the leading buyer of the first session. His buys included a $485,000 Speightstown colt consigned as Hip 92 by Summerfield; a Curlin half sister to multiple grade 1 winner Verrazano , consigned as Hip 38 by ELiTE for $450,000; a Practical Joke filly, Hip 17, who is half sibling to grade 2 winner Airoforce for $350,000 from the Four Star Sales draft; and the Gainesway-consigned Hip 105, a Gun Runner colt for $300,000.
“I think there’s a lot of competition,” agent Lauren Carlisle said. “I think the sale has been strong and good—good for the sellers.”
Taylor Made Sales Agency sold 12 of their 22 on offer Monday night for gross receipts of $3,700,000, at an average of $308,333, to be the session’s leading consignor.
“We’ve seen some good second-half performances by teams throughout the sporting world, and I’ve seen some not-so-good second halves, but I feel confident and strong with the second half tomorrow, and I will have a better overall assessment after we conclude tomorrow night, but we are positive and very upbeat after the first night,” Browning said.
The second night of the sale begins at 6:30 p.m. ET with Hips 119-235 slated to head through the ring. As of Monday evening, nine horses were withdrawn from the final session.
