The premier bloodstock event, the Fasig-Tipton November Sale, again saw fireworks, with two race mares bringing $6 million, the first 2022 champion 3-year-old filly Nest selling to Repole Stable and next 2022 champion female sprinter Goodnight Olive to Gavin O’Connor, agent for John Stewart.
“I wasn’t sure if I was going to get her or not, but she stayed in the range I thought she would be at,” Mike Repole said of Nest. “The goal right now will be to turn her out and try to race her. We have already checked a few things, but I think at that price, I want to give her another shot and do my best to bring her back. Hopefully, she will be 100%, and if not, I own a couple of stallions, like Uncle Mo, and she can have a date with him.
“The objective and goal will be to bring her back; she has unfinished business. If she had gone for $7 million or $8 million, I probably would have let her go, but considering I own 50% of her, I feel like I just bought her for $3 million.”
Repole Stable, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, and Michael House campaigned the 4-year-old who was consigned as Hip 163 by Highgate Sales, with Repole buying out his partners. At 2, Nest was always on the board, including winning the Demoiselle Stakes (G2) in December.
The following year, at 3, she added the Suncoast Stakes, Ashland Stakes (G1), and ran second in the Kentucky Oaks (G1) and Belmont Stakes (G1). A month later, she was back to her winning ways in the Coaching Club American Oaks (G1), Alabama Stakes (G1), and Beldame Stakes (G2) en route to being crowned Eclipse champion 3-year-old filly.
This year, she won the Shuvee Stakes (G2) in July at Saratoga and ran third in the Personal Ensign Stakes (G1). She was last out in the Spinster Stakes (G1) at Keeneland in October, finishing fourth.
Nest boasts Santa Anita Handicap (G1) winner Idol as her full brother and Sapling Stakes winner Lost Ark , by Violence , as a half sibling.
John Stewart has gotten into the Thoroughbred industry in a big way, including buying recent Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) winner Goodnight Olive for a co-sale topping price of $6 million. ELiTE consigned the Ghostzapper mare as Hip 237 for her connections in First Row Partners and Team Hanley.
“It means everything to our program; we bought her as a yearling,” Liz Crow said. “The owners enjoyed every moment with her, and we got to go along for the ride as our team at ELiTE and BSW/Crow. To showcase her here, every major buyer is at this sale. To have her come in the ring and bring what we thought she was worth, we thought she was the best horse in the sale. She is a once-in-a-lifetime horse and the fastest horse in the sale.”
Goodnight Olive in the ring at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale
Crow initially purchased the four-time grade 1 winner for $170,000 from the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearlings Sale for First Row Partners. She was sent to Chad Brown, who trained her through her entire career before she returned to Fasig-Tipton and Crow and Weisbord’s consignment at ELiTE. She sold Tuesday with $2,196,200 in earnings and a record of 9-2-1 in 12 starts.
“I followed her all the way around; it was like going to the races and the paddock,” Steve Laymon of First Row Partners said. “She never turned a hair. She is such a smart and intelligent mare, and she’s phenomenal. She came into the ring and showed who she was. You never dream of buying a horse and selling for $6 million.”
Her accolades include wins in the Ballerina Handicap (G1), Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1) in 2022 and 2023, Madison Stakes (G1), and Bed o’ Roses Stakes (G2).
“I do not know John Stewart. I spoke to him tonight and am thrilled to have him in the business,” Laymon said. “Guys like him understand these mares need to stay in the States, no disrespect to international buyers, but it’s hard not to get possessive and want to keep them in the country.”
(L-R) Gavin O’Connor, John Stewart, Chelsea Stone, and Steve Laymon
Stewart is in the process of closing on the Midway arm of Shadwell Farm. His operation will reside solely here in the United States, with the plan of raising and producing runners.
“There’s no price to keeping that horse in this country; it’s one of the reasons I’m getting into the sport,” Stewart said. “I’m from Lexington, and if we keep letting these bloodlines go out of the country, it makes it more challenging here. She was on my agenda initially; Pizza Bianca wasn’t, but we got her, too. I knew there was a lot of foreign interest, and I was 100% set she would stay here.”
Stewart added: “She was the crown jewel of the catalog. We are after quality at the end of the day, and she has everything we are looking for. She is proven on the track, which is most important when building a racing program. We bought a lot of yearlings, and we have some gaps, so we want some horses with potential to run, and she fits every bit of that. Hopefully, she can return to Chad and defend her title at the Breeders’ Cup.”
Gavin O’Connor, agent for Stewart, signed for seven horses for gross receipts of $13,350,000 to be the sale’s leading buyer. He was followed by Japan’s Katsumi Yoshida, who made four purchases for $9,350,000.
Tuesday’s “Night of the Stars” saw 25 individuals sell for $1 million or more, with the top 10 horses selling to seven distinct individuals for $3 million or more.
“A remarkable evening of horse sales, from start to finish,” Boyd Browning Jr., president and CEO of Fasig-Tipton, said. “We strengthened our weanling group this year, and overall, they were better than last year. I am blown away that we grossed over $100 million again this year. It’s a testament to people bringing and trusting us with the absolute best product and the people on our team recruiting the absolute best product. Sometimes, it’s a couple-years-long process, and I think we have established a) a lot of wonderful relationships and b) the trust and confidence in the marketplace. The buyers know they can come here and have the opportunity to buy the best horses on offer anywhere in the world.”
Boyd Browning
This year, the single-session sale saw 154 horses sold of the 205 through the ring for gross receipts of $101,281,000. The average price rose 10.4% to $657,669 from the previous year, and a median of $295,000 shows an 18% increase. The 51 horses who failed to attain their reserve represent an RNA rate of 24.9%.
Last year, Fasig-Tipton reported 170 horses changed hands of the 240 on offer for a $101,289,000 gross, recording a $595,818 average and a median of $250,000. The 70 horses who didn’t sell represent an RNA rate of 29.2%.
“It’s remarkable what happens when you get entrusted with fillies like Goodnight Olive, Nest, and Wonder Wheel and mares like Queen Caroline,” said Browning. “It all comes down to the horse, and we had a wonderful collection of horses on the sales grounds that had race records or pedigree or physical conformation that made everybody revved up. You could feel the energy building up on the grounds Sunday and Monday.
“It’s humbling to think that we have been able to do over $100 million in sales for three years in a row. Coming into this year, we never dreamt it would happen again, but it’s also being able to talk to the men and women who had quality horses and to see their reaction and how pleased they were with the outcome.”
Three weanlings achieved $500,000. A Munnings filly consigned as Hip 62 by St George Sales was purchased by Shadwell Racing; a Maxfield colt consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency as Hip 213 was sold to Enfuego Stables; and an Into Mischief colt, Hip 268, sold to Cherry Knoll Farm, also from the Taylor brothers banner.
The Taylor Made Sales Agency sold 35 of its 44-horse draft for a gross of $22,965,000, at an average of $656,143, to be the leading seller. ELiTE followed in second with gross receipts of $18,500,000 for the 12 horses sold from their barn of 13, at an average of $1,541,667.
The next sale for Fasig-Tipton will be the Midlantic December Mixed and Horses of Racing Age Sale in Timonium, Md., Dec. 5.
