A final opportunity to add mares for breeding season or pick up a pinhook prospect ahead of the yearling sales will be available Feb. 5-6 at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Winter Mixed Sale. This year, the catalog brings 536 for consideration to its Newtown Paddocks in Lexington, with the first horse slated to head to the ring at 10 a.m. ET.
“We have our normal good solid offering of all types—broodmares in foal, broodmare prospects, and short yearlings; it’s a consistent group in terms of their quality,” Fasig-Tipton president and CEO Boyd Browning Jr. said. “We are realistic about our expectations. I think the upper end of the market will be strong, and there will be softer parts more than any of us would like.”
The sale received a timely supplement Sunday morning in Zetta Z (Hip 536); dam of the 3-year-old Nyquist colt Nysos , who had an impressive winning performance Saturday at Santa Anita Park in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes (G3). Nysos is now 3-for-3 with two graded victories for owners Baoma Corp. and trainer Bob Baffert. Zetta Z is consigned by Grovendale Sales, agent.
Consingors Chance Timm, James Keogh of Grovendale Sales
“She’s a tremendous mare and will appeal to many people,” James Keogh of Grovendale Sales said about the last-minute addition. “Number one, she is a gorgeous physical with a good step and lovely action, and number two, she is putting that into her foals. Her Uncle Mo colt was a $700,000 yearling and showed great promise as a racehorse, but unfortunately, he died after his first start. She produced a stakes-placed Distorted Humor filly (Attabe ) and this horse yesterday, we always thought he was an excellent horse, and yesterday he didn’t change our mind.
“The colt (Nysos) ran a 105 Beyer, which is the top for any 3-year-old in the country. Her Yaupon colt was an outstanding foal in November, translating into him bringing $450,000. She gets racehorses and sales horses; what more can you ask for?”
A significant addition to the sale is the Lothenbach Dispersal offerings, a mix of short yearlings, broodmares, and broodmare prospects that will head through the ring with both Taylor Made Sales and Vinery consigning. The dispersal includes the likes of grade 1 winner and $2 millionaire earner Bell’s the One (Hip 476) and grade 3 winner She Can’t Sing (Hip 485).
Bell’s the One on show at the sale with Vinery Sales
“We had an excellent kick-off to the Lothenbach Dispersal with the digital sale; those horses sold for significantly more than we appraised at, as a group,” Mark Taylor of Taylor Made Sales Agency said. “I think that will add some momentum coming into this sale. We’ve got 20 Lothenbach yearlings in our draft, which is a nice supplement to an already good group of yearlings.”
Browning added: “I think we certainly are optimistic regarding our sales. We received an unfortunate boost with the passing of Mr. Lothenbach in late 2023, and some quality horses have been added to the sale from his estate.”
The regional market is served with horses representing California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia.
Conley Bloodstock sells the Lion Heart mare, Takin the Plunge (Hip 263), producer of 2021 Pennsylvania-bred Horse of the Year and eight-time stakes winner Chub Wagon .
“She’s a special mare,” consignor Carolyn Conley explained. “Chub Wagon made over $660,000 and is only one of the runners Takin the Plunge has produced. The family is active; Chit Chat Chub and Can’t Stop a Chub are both in training, with the first galloping out five furlongs from the gate in 1:02 at Belmont Park Jan. 31 and the latter in training in Maryland. Her Vino Rosso weanling in New Jersey is also a very nice filly.”
During last year’s two-session sale, Fasig-Tipton reported 402 of the 467 horses through the ring changed hands for a $14,105,200 gross, at an average of $35,088 per horse and a median of $15,000. A 13.9% RNA rate represents the 65 horses that failed to attain their reserve.
Last year’s sale was highlighted by the Nyquist broodmare Lemieux , who sold for $400,000 to Nice Guys Stables. Consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, the stakes-winning mare produced a Not This Time colt this year.
The Taylor Made consignment generated a gross of $2,007,200 during last year’s sale to be the top seller with 51 head sold. Bill and Corinne Heiligbrodt made three purchases for receipts of $580,000 to lead all buyers.
“We have some nice maiden mares, an Arch mare, Cianchetta (Hip 521), who is the dam of a recent grade 3 winner (Angel Nadeshiko ), and she’s a young, proven mare,” Taylor said. “I have high hopes; this is the last stop on the established, non-digital sales calendar for pinhooks and people to get mares under their stallions. I think it will be polarized, but it’s a good sale. You will do well if you’re in the top half of the quality.”
As of Sunday evening, Fasig-Tipton showed 86 horses had been withdrawn from the two-day sale.
