Fasig-Tipton will not be holding a select 2-year-olds in training sale at Gulfstream Park in 2023. The news was first reported by the Blood-Horse.
“The Gulfstream Park facilities are not available for 2023 due to some stabling issues,” said Fasig-Tipton's President and CEO Boyd Browning.
“The stalls are not available this year. We learned about this in the fall, and we determined this year that the best approach would be to concentrate our efforts on the Midlantic Sale, which last year produced the highest price of a 2-year-old in training,” said Browning, referring to Hejazi (Bernardini), who brought $3.55 million at Timonium this past May, and who has gone on to be a graded stakes performer at two for trainer Bob Baffert.
“The sale also has an amazing record of Grade I success of graduates on the racetrack over the last five years. We are strong advocates and believers of the importance of buyers having the opportunity to watch horses breeze on a dirt racetrack, and have a great deal of confidence in the Timonium sales venue.”
Browning said that it was too early to say if the sale would return to Gulfstream in future years. The 2023 Timonium Sale will be held from May 22-23. There will also be an additional one-day juvenile sale for the first time in Timonium June 28.
A total of 35 juveniles brought $13.155 million (17 RNAs), led by a $1.2-million Bold d'Oro filly, at the 2022 Gulfstream Sale. At the 2021 renewal, 67 head brought $25.36 million (38 RNAs), including $1.7-million graduate and MGISW Taiba (Gun Runner).
“I don't think it's a surprise to anybody,” said Niall Brennan, who consigned 2015 Fasig-Tipton Florida sale graduate and subsequent GI Kentucky Derby and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Nyquist (Uncle Mo).
“The reality is they have struggled with that sale for the last few years and especially this year. You can look at the numbers yourself–the number of horses that were catalogued versus the number of horses that went to the breeze show and the amount of horses that actually went through the ring after the breeze show. And the last couple of years, it's been significant. It's very hard to have a select sale that way.”
He continued, “It doesn't impact the landscape at all in my opinion. Most consignors that are around here [in Ocala], it's so much easier for us to sell at OBS in March, April and even June. Because it's right here. We don't have to leave home. It's very expensive to go to Miami and that's not Fasig's fault.
“The South Florida Sale for years was a big thing. But the reality is times change. Their response was to put on two sales in Maryland. Time will tell if it's a good move. They've been oversubscribed to their May sale for a few years now.”
Leading consignor Eddie Woods concluded, “It's a shame that sale had to go. It was a great marketplace for many years. But it just proved tougher and tougher to sell there. All you could sell was the cream of the crop. OBS has become king in the 2-year-old market worldwide. So, we'll just go there. You hear some negatives about the synthetic track, but the good judges can pick the good horses out of there and pay a lot of money for them, too.”
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