Tag: Boyd Browning

Star-Studded Line Up at Fasig Sunday

LEXINGTON, KY–Fasig-Tipton’s November Sale, known as the “Night of Stars,” will live up to its billing again when it kicks off Sunday at Newtown Paddocks with a sensational line-up of top race mares, broodmares and weanlings.

“We have a tremendous catalogue this year with fillies and mares coming off the racetrack, a tremendous group of in-foal mares and the best group of weanlings we’ve ever had,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning. “We are very, very pleased and enthusiastic about the quality of our 2020 catalogue.”

Top Breeders’ Cup contenders like champion and now two-time GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff heroine Monomoy Girl (Tapizar) (Hip 192), Got Stormy (Get Stormy) (Hip 168), narrow GI Breeders’ Cup F/M Turf runner-up Rushing Fall (More Than Ready) (Hip 205), Uni (GB) (More Than Ready) (Hip 228), Distaff runner-up Valiance (Tapit) (Hip 231) and Point of Honor (Curlin) (Hip 198) will be making the trip up Newtown Pike after their tilts in the World Championships at Keeneland Saturday afternoon. Champion Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute) (f2Hip 185), who was forced to miss the Distaff due to an injury, will also go through the ring Sunday.

It was announced late Saturday evening that Flawless (Mr. Greeley), the dam of Saturday’s GI Breeders’ Cup Classic winner and GI Kentucky Derby winner Authentic (Into Mischief), has been supplemented. Catalogued as Hip 288, she will be consigned by Bridie Harrison, agent for Peter E. Blum Thoroughbreds. Flawless is in foal to Into Mischief on a Feb. 18 cover carrying a full sibling to Authentic. Flawless, a TDN Rising Star, hails from a deep female family of top producers, including Holiday Runner, the dam or granddam of Grade I winners Seventh Street, Reynaldothewizard, and American Gal.

“Flawless is an exciting late addition to our November Sale,” Browning said. “Authentic is just the fourth horse ever to win the Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup Classic in the same year, and she is carrying his full sibling. To be able to add a mare of Flawless’s qualifications to our sale on the eve of the auction is unprecedented and provides buyers one of the more unique buying opportunities in recent memory.”

Some outstanding mares who have already made the transition into motherhood will be on offer at Fasig, such as Flirt (Kitten’s Joy) (Hip 164), the dam of GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf upsetter Fire at Will, who is carrying a foal by Lemon Drop Kid. Other top producers in the catalogue include Breeders’ Cup heroine Shared Account (Pleasantly Perfect) (Hip 207), who is carrying a full-sibling to 2019 Breeders’ Cup winner Sharing (Speightstown); Melody Lady (Unbridled’s Song) (Hip 183), who produced GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt S. victor Volatile (Violence); Paris Bikini (Bernardini) (Hip 196), who is responsible for GI CCA Oaks scorer Paris Lights (Curlin); and Cara Marie (Unbridled’s Song) (Hip 254), dam of GIII Pocahontas S. winner Girl Daddy (Uncle Mo).

Two other relatives of 2020 Breeders’ Cup winners are available Sunday in Voting Agreement (More Than Ready) (Hip 280), a half-sister to GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies heroine Vequist (Nyquist), who sells as a broodmare prospect; and Indelible (Tiznow) (Hip 269), a half-sister to GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile victor Essential Quality (Tapit), who is in foal to Nyquist.

The first 159 hips of the 287-head catalogue are weanlings, including nine from the first crop of undefeated Triple Crown hero Justify (Scat Daddy). One of those Justify foals is a half-sister to MGISW sprinter Lord Nelson (Pulpit) (Hip 109). Another weanling likely to prove popular Sunday afternoon is an Into Mischief colt out of MGISP Miss Besilu (Medaglia d’Oro) (Hip 272).

“I think we are going to see quality sells or quality has maintained its market value for the most part at all levels in 2020,” said Browning. “Hopefully every horse we have in the catalogue is quality. We feel very good about the overall prospects coming into the sale, the response pre-sale from buyers, both domestically and internationally, has been very encouraging.”

Last year’s Fasig-Tipton November Sale was topped by 2019 GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff heroine Blue Prize (Arg) (Pure Prize), who summoned $5 million from Larry Best of OXO Equine. The top weanling was a $750,000 filly from the first crop of Horse of the Year Gun Runner. Overall, 128 horses changed hands for a gross of $68,011,000, an average of $531,336 and a median of $300,000.

Japanese and European buyers usually make a strong showing at the November sales. COVID-19 has made travel difficult for international buyers, but thanks to online bidding, virtual inspection videos and travel visas, the international contingent has adapted.

“I think arrangements have been made,” Browning said. “There were already Japanese buyers on the grounds looking at horses and they will participate online. There is traditionally a stronger Japanese participation at the November sales than September because these are the factories they want to buy. There has been a significant number of travel waivers for buyers from Europe.”

Bidding gets underway at 2 p.m. Sunday afternoon at Newtown Paddock

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Fasig-Tipton October Sale Concludes

LEXINGTON, KY – The Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October Yearlings Sale–and the yearling sales season–concluded Thursday in Lexington with the market continuing to show resilience despite a plethora of worldwide uncertainties.

Through four sessions, 961 yearlings grossed $32,743,700. The average of $34,073 was down 10.2% from last year’s sale-record mark of $37,955. The median of $15,000 rose 15.4% from the 2019 figure of $13,000. With 265 horses reported not sold, the buy-back rate was 21.6%. It was 24.5% a year ago.

“All in all, I think it has to be considered a successful week,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning Thursday evening. “If someone would have told me at the beginning of the week, or the beginning of the month, or certainly three months ago that the average would be down 10% and the median would be up 15% and the RNA rate would decline, I would have signed up for that immediately with no hesitation whatsoever. It was a legitimate market for four days. The buyers who were trying to buy the perceived better type horses said it was very difficult to buy. There was lots of competition for those horses. We are not going to sit here and say everything is lovely. Anytime a sale has a median of $15,000, it’s tough to make money. The economics of raising a yearling means there were a lot of unprofitable yearlings in this sale. But I think that’s been the case for several years.”

Through four sessions, Fasig-Tipton sold 76 horses via internet bids for approximately $2.5 million.

Brian Graves of Gainesway, which consigned two of the five yearlings to sell for $200,000 or over during Thursday’s session, said polarization was a continuing reality in the marketplace.

“It’s thin and everything has to be perfect,” Graves said. “You have to have a really good physical, you have to have a little sire power and you have to have a clean vet. And if you have those three things, you can get a fair to a good price for your horse. Everything else is very thin and shaky and there just isn’t any flexibility after that. Really it’s a free fall after that at this point in time with all the uncertainty and the COVID situation only makes it worse.”

Still, buyers were there for the perceived quality offerings.

Bloodstock agent Mike Ryan, who made Thursday’s highest bid when going to $310,000 to acquire a son of Classic Empire, said, “It’s a lot of work because it’s so spread out–1,500 horses over four days–but you do find some nice horses who missed earlier sales for whatever reason and sometimes a horse who didn’t sell at September comes back here, like that sale-topper yesterday [$600,000 son of Uncle Mo]. He was a beautiful horse. He doubled his price from September to now. It doesn’t happen often, but he was a really good colt. It’s the same old story. If you have a really good horse who vets clean and stands the critique of everybody, you’ll do well.”

Ryan has made almost every stop on the yearling sales scene across the globe, including at Tattersalls and Keeneland.

“I think it’s amazing,” Ryan said of the results he has seen this fall. “I think it just shows you how resilient we are. Thank God that racing resumed back in May because it’s the engine that drives everything. And without racing, we are nothing. But purses have gone back up again in New York, they are back to pre-COVID levels. So it is amazing, but it also very polarized. We just don’t have enough people who want to race a horse, enough people who want to pay $120 a day to want to run one. There are too many middle men, traders, not enough end-users. And that’s a problem, but it’s been remarkable. Who would have thought it? The uncertainty was unnerving and Fasig here in September was good and Keeneland was solid. But it’s the same story. You’ve got to have a nice horse. But that’s the way it is. People aren’t going to pay for average stock. If they like your horse, you’ll be rewarded.”

With the end of the yearling sales season, Ryan said with a smile, “We get a week off and we’ll be back here next Thursday looking at foals and mares.”

Bidding returns to Newtown Paddocks for Fasig-Tipton’s star-studded November sale Nov. 8.

Ryan Strikes for Classic Empire Colt

Bloodstock agent Mike Ryan went to a session-topping $310,000 to secure a son of Classic Empire on behalf of Seth Klarman. The yearling (hip 1398), who will be trained by Chad Brown, is out of Delay of Game (Bernardini) and from the family of graded winner Sanford and champion Johannesburg.

“He’s a really good colt with a lot of Bernardini in him and a beautiful mover,” Ryan said. “He’s a New York-bred which is nice, but I think he is an open-company class horse. I thought he was the best by the sire that I saw this week–one of the best horses I saw this week. I was surprised to have to go that far for him, but we really wanted him.”

Ryan continued, “Hopefully we will see him at Saratoga next year as a 2-year-old. He’s bred to go two turns, but he looks like a horse who will have natural speed and should be able to run in late summer of his 2-year-old year. We’ve had a lot of luck buying for Mr. Klarman and Chad Brown and I told him this was a horse we had to have and let’s try to get him.”

The yearling was consigned by St George Sales on behalf of his breeder, Dan Hayden’s EKQ Stables.

“I’m very happy with the result,” Hayden said. “I’m delighted that a superior judge like Mike Ryan got him also. He’s a lovely straightforward colt with a lovely motion and balance to him. He’s loaded with quality also. I like what I’m seeing from these Classic Empires.”

Hayden purchased Delay of Game, in foal to Street Sense, for $90,000 at the 2017 Keeneland November sale. The mare was bred and consigned by Godolphin.

“The first thing that appealed to me about the mare was her sire, Bernardini,” Hayden said. “The sky is the limit for his broodmares. I spoke with Danny Mulvihill from Darley who were selling her and he said she was solid with no vices. Kiaran McLaughlin, who trained her, also told me that her race record didn’t necessarily reflect her talent. He said she was a runner. It was also very appealing that she had such a deep family going back to Johannesburg and, of course, Pulpit through that great mare Yarn.”

Hayden continued, “Physically she’s a lovely, scopey, old-fashioned laid-back mare that just throws everything into her foals. They have great mental attitudes and are confident animals just like her.”

The mare’s Street Sense filly, now named Spa Ready, sold for $260,000 at last year’s Keeneland September sale. Spa Ready broke her maiden first-time out at Belmont Park for Wise Racing shortly after half-brother RNA’d for $110,000 at last month’s Keeneland September sale.

“The Street Sense filly could walk the pants off anyone and was absolutely bombproof mentally,” Hayden said. “The Classic Empire is the same and the mare has an absolute standout weanling filly by Accelerate.”

Of the yearling’s first trip through the sales ring at Keeneland last month, Hayden said, “I think he just came into the September sale a slight bit immature and just didn’t hit the mark in a slightly nervous market. He has matured well physically in the meantime and Archie St George and his whole team did their usual superb job and here we are. Spa Ready also broke her maiden impressively at Belmont first time out for Chad Brown and looks like she has a promising future. It’s always a help when they end up in the hands of a trainer like Chad.”

Empire Maker Yearlings Prove Popular

Gainesway sent a trio of yearlings, bred on foal shares, by its late sire Empire Maker through the ring at Fasig-Tipton Thursday and came away with three six-figure sales.

“Empire Maker is a super broodmare sire,” Gainesway’s Brian Graves said. “Everybody knows it and that only helps. People would like to have one and their chances to do that are running out.”

Empire Maker, who died in January, is the broodmare sire of 21 graded stakes winners, including Grade I winners Arklow (Arch), Separationofpowers (Candy Ride {Arg}) and Outwork (Uncle Mo), as well as Canadian champion Avie’s Flatter (Flatter).

Bloodstock agent Tonja Terranova went to $200,000 to acquire a colt by the 2003 GI Belmont S. winner (hip 1173). The yearling is out of stakes-placed Bagatelle Park (Speightstown) and was bred in partnership with Dr. H. Steve Conboy.

“The colt was just everything you’d want to see,” Graves said. “He was leggy, he had good balance and a good walk.”

X-Men Racing purchased an Empire Maker filly (hip 1372), also for $200,000. Bred in partnership with Happy Alter, the Florida-bred bay is out of Curlin’s Mistress (Curlin), a full-sister to multiple graded stakes winner Curlin’s Approval and a half to multiple graded-placed ‘TDN Rising Star’ Apologynotaccepted (Fusaichi Pegasus).

Rounding out the trio of six-figure yearlings was hip 1197, a filly out of graded winner Belleski (Polish Number) who was bred in partnership with Thoreau, LLC. Down Neck Stable acquired the bay for $155,000.

“Both the fillies were very good physicals,” Graves said. “Unfortunately these days, if you don’t have that going for you, it’s impossible to get a good result.”

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Stay Thirsty Colt Tops Fasig-Tipton California Sale

by Dan Ross and Jessica Martini

CYPRESS, CA – With numbers predictably down against a backdrop of pandemic and economic uncertainties, a total of 166 yearlings grossed $3,735,700 during the Fasig-Tipton California Fall Yearlings Sale held Monday at Los Alamitos Race Course. The average of $22,504 was down 15.9% from last year’s inaugural Fasig California Yearling sale and the median dropped 30.0% to $10,000.

“Statistically it was in line with what we’ve seen at the Kentucky sales and the Ocala sales,” Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning said at the close of business Monday evening. “I thought, all in all, the storm was weathered better for this sale than I would have anticipated coming in.”

The buy-back rate improved from 46.3% a year ago to 35.2% Monday.

“I think we’ve seen across the country, sellers have adjusted their expectations and are being more realistic in setting their reserves,” Browning said.

The 2019 auction had been held in Pomona, but restrictions on crowd sizes in Los Angeles county forced the sales company to call an audible and move to Los Alamitos less than a month ago.

“We were limited in our ability to promote the sale because we didn’t have a home for it until three weeks beforehand,” Browning said. “We had been holding the catalogue to be printed until we could find a date and a location.”

Browning continued, “I have to thank [Los Alamitos owner] Doc [Ed] Allred and his team and staff here at Los Alamitos because without their cooperation and effort and willingness to pitch in and help out the Thoroughbred industry, this sale would not have taken place today. It took a commitment to try to support the industry and it wouldn’t have happened if they hadn’t stepped up to the plate and said, ‘We will work with you and we’ll do everything we possibly can to make the sale happen.'”

A colt by Stay Thirsty brought the auction’s highest price when selling for $200,000 to Naseer Fasihuddin. Fasihuddin purchased two of the auction’s three six-figure lots. A year ago, six yearlings reached that threshold with a top price of $150,000.

“At least we were able to provide a marketplace for the breeders to give them an outlet for their horses,” Browning said. “That is so crucial because at the end of the day, they have to stay in business to provide the product  from a racing and sales perspective.”

Fasihuddin Quenches Thirst at Fasig-Tipton

Naseer Fasihuddin and his wife Zahra Madiha attended Monday’s Fasig-Tipton California Fall Yearlings Sale with just one stallion on their radar and the San Diego-based couple came away with a pair of yearlings by Stay Thirsty. Fasihuddin made the first six-figure purchase of the auction Monday when going to $110,000 to acquire a colt (hip 51) by the 2011 GI Travers S. winner.

“We were looking for a Stay Thirsty,” Fasihuddin confirmed after signing the ticket on hip 51, a son of graded winner Lost Bus (Bring the Heat). “It’s a nice pedigree and he looked really good.”

Asked if he was done shopping after that purchase, Fasihuddin said, “I am still looking for one.”

It didn’t take long for Fasihuddin to add a second Stay Thirsty yearling to his stable as he went to a sale-topping $200,000 to acquire hip 79. The dark bay is out of multiple stakes winner My Fiona (Ghostzapper).

“We came here specifically for these two horses,” Fasihuddin said. “I am happy to get them.”

Both yearlings were bred by Terry Lovingier and were consigned by his Lovacres Ranch. Stay Thirsty stands at Lovacres in Warner Springs for $10,000.

In addition to the two newly acquired yearlings, Fasihuddin and Madiha’s broodmare Smiling Tigress was bred to Stay Thirsty this past spring and is carrying her first foal. A $20,000 purchase at the 2016 Barretts October Yearling sale, the mare was stakes placed and earned over $175,000 on the racetrack for the couple.

Later in the auction, Fasihuddin purchased a filly by Stay Thirsty (hip 244) for $20,000, a filly by Mohaymen (hip 217) for $70,000 and a filly by Shaman Ghost (hip 196) for $20,000.

Fasihuddin said a trainer had not yet been picked out for the yearlings.

More Nyquist for Eclipse Thoroughbreds

Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners has already capitalized on Nyquist’s fast start at stud and the operation added a California-bred yearling filly by the GI Kentucky Derby winner to its roster Monday at Los Alamitos. Eclipse’s Aron Wellman signed the ticket at $135,000 to acquire hip 75 from Tom Bachman’s Fairview consignment.

“She is by a stallion who is off to an incredible start,” Wellman said of the filly. “Nyquist was obviously based in California, so I was very familiar with him and his record speaks for itself.”

Eclipse and Gary Barber campaign Gretzky the Great (Nyquist), who is now Breeders’ Cup-bound after winning the GI Summer S. at Woodbine last month. Eclipse enjoyed more success with the Darley stallion when Thinking, campaigned in partnership with Farfellow Farm, graduated at Keeneland Saturday.

Hip 75 is out of Moon River Gal (Malibu Moon), a daughter of multiple Grade I placed High Heeled Hope (Salt Lake) and a half-sister to graded winners Lady T N T (Justin Phillip) and Sweet Hope (Lemon Drop Kid). The yearling was bred by Bachman, who purchased Moon River Gal with the filly in utero for $270,000 at the 2018 Keeneland November sale.

“This filly, to me, was a standout here at the sale,” Wellman said. “To my eye, physically she was a woman amongst girls. She is by a hot freshman sire and she has some female pedigree to bolster the quality. You add on the fact that she is Cal-bred and it’s the complete package. She was certainly the first round draft pick.”

Of plans for the yearling Wellman said, “We are going to ship her out of state to Florida to get her broken, but she’ll make her way back to California to take advantage of the Cal-bred incentives.”

Not This Time Filly for Nichols

Trainer Gary Mandella purchased a filly by hot freshman sire Not This Time for $95,000 early in Monday’s Fasig-Tipton California sale. Mandella signed the ticket on hip 64 on behalf of longtime owner Tom Nichols. The yearling is out of Masterful Lass (Mizzen Mast) and is a half-sister to stakes-placed Avanti Bello (Include). Bred by Lou Neve, the chestnut filly was consigned by Adrian Gonzalez’s Checkmate Thoroughbreds.

“I just thought she was very athletic looking,” Mandella said. “We think she has a chance to be the right kind of horse. It’s not so much about her pedigree or her page, I just thought she looked the part and walked the part. She was the kind of athlete I like to take a shot with.”

Mandella said he expected the yearling will be seen on the racetrack next year.

“We will give her a month off to get over the stress and then go right back on,” he said. “Not This Time is certainly not going to hold you back in trying to get a 2-year-old to the races given what he is doing. I’m not going to rush her–because I never do–but I’m not opposed to her making the races at some point in her 2-year-old year. We will treat her like the good filly we think she is. I think she was worth every penny.”

Based in Omaha, Nebraska, Nichols campaigned 2003 GIII Hawthorne H. winner Keys to the Heart (Wild Again).

“[Nichols] has been with me for a few years,” Mandella said. “We have had some nice horses and some good luck. Hopefully she’ll be just a little bit better.”

Hanson All in Caps

Trainer Ryan Hanson, who purchased recent maiden special weight winner Teton Valley (Tapiture) for $26,000 from the Barton Thoroughbreds consignment at last year’s Fasig-Tipton California Yearlings Sale, went back to that family’s consignment Monday to acquire a colt by Dads Caps (hip 142) for $50,000. Hanson purchased the yearling on behalf of new client Linda Cannon.

“She’s from the Quarter Horse world,” Hanson said of Cannon. “They are joining us in the Thoroughbred world. He’s a very well-balanced colt and we hope he’s good.”

Hip 142 is out of Seeking the Ghost (Ghostzapper), a half-sister to multiple Grade I winner Pomeroy (Boundary). Richard Barton purchased the mare in foal to Jimmy Creed for $2,500 at the 2016 Keeneland November sale. That in utero filly sold for $130,000 at the 2019 OBS April sale. Seeking the Ghost produced an Upstart colt this year.

Dads Caps, winner of the 2014 and 2015 GI Carter H., stands at Barton Thoroughbreds for $2,500. His first foals are 2-year-olds this year, but the crop includes just three juveniles. He has 27 yearlings. In addition to hip 142, Barton Thoroughbreds sold another colt (hip 162) by the 10-year-old stallion for $50,000 to Sausalito Partners and a third colt (hip 203) for $40,000 to Maher Lutfallah.

While Dads Caps has yet to have his first winner, Hanson is no stranger to getting young stallions their first victories. The trainer sent out Weston, the first winner for freshman Hit It A Bomb, to win the GII Best Pal S. in August.

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