Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale Starts Monday

[Wandering Eyes]

Saratoga Springs, NY – The Fasig-Tipton Sales Paddocks were ablaze with activity Sunday morning, as a wide swath of buyers made the rounds ahead of Monday’s opening night of the Saratoga Selected Yearlings Sale. The two-session boutique auction, which features a catalogue of 255 yearlings, will capitalize on the high-end of the market, which has been particularly active in recent years.

“We’ve seen the marketplace has been really strong for the quality type of horses,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning, Jr. “And we feel very confident that we have quality horses here. We think in two or three years, we are going to have another spectacular group of graduates on the sales catalogue cover.”

The yearling auction season began last month with a strong renewal of the Fasig-Tipton July Sale, which produced figures up across the board. Browning looks for that momentum to continue on in Saratoga.

“The marketplace was good in July,” Browning said. “We felt very confident with the quality of horses that were coming up here and, after our crew has had a chance to go through them for a couple of days, as well as getting feedback from buyers and sellers alike, there seems to be very positive reception to the horses on the grounds. We’re ready to get started.”

Consignors were kept busy on the sales grounds Sunday by a wide-range of shoppers, both domestic and international. Major pinhookers like Eddie Woods, Randy Hartley, Nick DeMeric, Bobby Dodd and Ciaran Dunne, vied for viewing space alongside bloodstock agents Mike Ryan, Donato Lanni, David Ingordo, Kerri Radcliffe, Liz Crow, Mike McMahon and Patrick Lawley-Wakelin, while connections of high-profile owners like Coolmore, Godolphin, SF Bloodstock, China Horse Club, Stonestreet, Bridlewood Farm and Starlight Partners were joined by a host of conditioners as training hours concluded at the racetrack across the street.

“We are witnessing very strong demand on the grounds this Sunday morning,” confirmed Michael Hernon of Gainesway, which was represented by three of the top five prices at last year’s Saratoga sale. “There is a deep domestic bench with a cross section of agents and trainers topped off by significant European agent representation, led by top camps Coolmore and Godolphin. It all adds up to what will, in all likelihood, be a very healthy marketplace.”

As he oversaw multiple showings at Barn 1, Paramount Sales’ Gabriel Duignan agreed activity Sunday seemed to surpass recent years.

“It has been extremely busy and there have actually been quite a few new faces,” Duignan said. “It feels good and people are saying there are a lot of good horses on the grounds.”

Consignor Tom VanMeter agreed all indications are for a strong sale.

“I think it’s going to be gang busters,” VanMeter said. “I think it’s a select, boutique sale and based on our action so far, we’re very optimistic it will be a strong sale.”

Last year’s Saratoga Sale, which was topped by million-dollar colts by Curlin and Orb, saw 156 yearlings gross $52,995,000 for an average of $339,712.

Bidding will get underway in the Humphrey S. Finney Pavilion Monday and Tuesday evenings at 6:30 p.m.

American Pharoah Colt Brings the Hype

The Fasig-Tipton Saratoga catalogue features 15 yearlings from the first crop of Triple Crown winner American Pharoah and the contingent includes a colt out of J Z Warrior (Harlan’s Holiday) who is the auction’s highest-priced pinhooking prospect. The youngster (hip 10), consigned by VanMeter Gentry Sales, was purchased for $575,000 at last year’s Keeneland November sale.

“He is a very popular horse and he’s making a lot of lists,” said consignor Tom VanMeter. “He is the most expensive pinhook in the sale, so we are a little scared about that, but he’s a very nice horse. And he’s an obvious horse. He’s bio-mechanically a monster. He moves like a slinky, somebody said. He moves like a jaguar.”

Scott Dilworth signed the hefty ticket on the colt on behalf of a pinhooking partnership.

“We put a group together, Olin [Gentry] was involved, Scott Dilworth was involved and Renee [Dailey] was involved,” VanMeter said. “We specifically targeted all the Pharoahs last year and he was at the top of our list–this was one horse that we all kind of landed on.”

Asked if any of the partners started to get cold feet as the bidding progressed at Keeneland last fall, VanMeter smiled and said, “I think we all wanted to get him.”

VanMeter is particularly familiar with the yearling’s family. American Pharoah was foaled at his Stockplace Farm and he boarded the colt’s second dam Carson Jen (Carson City).

“I delivered him–these hands right here–delivered American Pharoah,” VanMeter said. “And then the female family, I had Carson Jen on the farm for a long time for Mr. [Ahmed] Zayat and then later for Bell Tower Thoroughbreds, so it’s really special.”

In addition to multiple stakes winner J Z Warrior, Carson Jen also produced Grade I winner A Z Warrior (Bernardini) and graded stakes winners Jojo Warrior (Pioneerof the Nile) and E Z Warrior (Exploit).

American Pharoah is also represented by the Saratoga sale’s second highest-priced pinhooking prospect in hip 26. Out of multiple Grade I winner Life at Ten (Malibu Moon), the filly was purchased by the pinhooking partnership Blue Sky Stables for $500,000 at the Keeneland November sale. She is consigned by Gainesway.

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