Far exceeding expectations, Fasig-Tipton’s Oct. 25-28 Kentucky October Yearlings Sale sustained the Thoroughbred trade’s booming yearling market, as fervent consumers stocked the colourful gross sales grounds from begin to end. Rain fell all through the ultimate session, which capped 2021’s restored schedule of yearling gross sales. With the additional advantage of an additional month of maturity, the sale afforded sellers one last alternative to dump yearling bloodstock into a frothy market of historic proportions.
Of the 1,586 yearlings cataloged at this 12 months’s sale, Fasig-Tipton reported that 1,153 head offered for gross receipts of $52,607,500, shattering 2019s beforehand unprecedented mark of $38,258,900. The common and median additionally set data at $45,627 and $22,000, respectively. The buyback price was 15%, the bottom achieved since 2013.
Final 12 months’s sale noticed 961 of the 1,553 cataloged yearlings promote for a mixed $32,743,700, good for an common of $34,073 and a median value of $15,000. The RNA price was 21.6%.
Total, the 2021 version skilled a 60.6% improve in whole product sales and a 6.6% decline within the RNA price.
Unsurprisingly, Fasig-Tipton president and CEO Boyd Browning Jr. had nothing however positives to say following the closing session.
Boyd Browning Jr.
“Day 4 was one other excellent day for the October sale,” Browning mentioned. “It was form of a becoming conclusion to an distinctive horse sale. It has been an excellent week. The numbers have been simply large all 4 days. Throughout the board, dramatic will increase in gross, dramatic will increase in common, dramatic will increase in median, and a reasonably significant discount within the RNA price additionally.
“It reveals us the urge for food for high quality yearlings,” he later mentioned. “Actually couldn’t be extra happy. It exceeded our most optimistic expectations, and I am one of many extra optimistic individuals on the earth, typically talking, so to do this may be very satisfying.”
Sam-Son Farm’s Ontario-bred son of Street Sense , Hip 1107, highlighted the sale. The downscaling breeder sold its final yearling during Wednesday’s third session, capping a nearly 50-year tenure as one of Canada’s most elite breeding operations. The colt, from the family of Sam-Son’s Canadian Triple Crown winner Dance Smartly , went for a sales record-tying $925,000.
The Street Sense colt consigned as Hip 1107 in the ring
October Sale MVP St. Elias Stable and Mike Repole purchased the colt out of Dance With Doves, a daughter of Dancethruthedawn —winner of the 2002 Go for Wand Handicap (G1) and the 2001 Queen’s Plate and Labatt Woodbine Oaks. The pair also teamed up to buy Hip 469, a $450,000 filly by Uncle Mo .
Individually, Vinnie Viola’s St. Elias Stable purchased seven yearlings worth $2,715,000. Among those were Hips 513 and 870, the second and third sessions’ sale-toppers. Each colt set Viola back $750,000. Machmer Hall Sales consigned Hip 513, a son of Empire Maker . He was bred in Kentucky by Calvin Crain and the late Tom Conway.
The Gun Runner colt consigned as Hip 870 in the ring
Viola’s other highlight purchase also carried a strong pedigree into the sale. The Gun Runner colt (Hip 870) is out of Archstone (Arch ) and is a half brother to grade 2 winner Proctor’s Ledge (Ghostzapper ).
Lane’s End Farm’s sales director Allaire Ryan offered her perspective on the sale.
“The sale overall for us has been very fair,” she said. “You know, we brought horses that kind of cover both ends of the spectrum, and we’ve been pretty pleased with the results. Horses that we thought would sell well pretty much met our expectations where they were.
“It’s funny, you know, the October sale isn’t necessarily one we always point horses to but in one way or another, it becomes the best option for them, whether they just need more time to mature physically, or if they sustain an injury or a setback on the farm. It’s the best plan B for us. So, in one way or another, it’s usually a different story for each horse, but it’s a great option for the end of the sale season.”
Agent Donato Lanni, who purchased a Tapit colt (Hip 22) for $700,000 on behalf of SF/Starlight/Madaket, reiterated Ryan’s comments on the unusual nature of the October sale.
“It’s kind of an interesting sale that you can have a lot of quite cheaper horses and you can still have some kind of Book 1 RNAs as well, so it’s always that strange combination of horses,” said Lanni. “You can’t hide a good horse. If you got a nice one they will find it. These people are very professional and very good and they work hard and they find them.”
St George Sales owner Archie St George chimed in to give this year’s edition of the October sale his stamp of approval.
“It’s been a really good sale,” said St George. “I mean, top to bottom, we’ve sold nearly everything through the ring. You know, there’s money here, obviously, for good horses, but the middle-bottom market is good. I mean, I’d say it’s carried on from September.
“Long may it last,” St George declared. “It’s a fun time to sell horses. I was hoping September never ended, but now you’ve got this. And so, the market’s really good—racing, the purses, and everyone. So, you know, hopefully, these owners can get rewarded, and without them, we wouldn’t be able to do this.”
Chris Baccari of Baccari Bloodstock echoed St George’s sentiment.
“I think this whole year the yearling market has definitely been up,” he said. “Most of the time the clearance rate has been pretty good, and to me, that’s been the best thing about it—the clearance rate has been better for the most part.”
Finally, Derek MacKenzie of Vinery Sales concluded that 2021 had been a year to remember.
“Very nice market this year,” he said. “Way better than last year across the board. Even Timonium had a lot better feel when we went up there this year. Very happy, very solid.”
