Derek MacKenzie | Horse Racing Free Tips

With Breeding Season Right Ahead, Fasig-Tipton Winter Mixed Sale Opens Monday

The Fasig-Tipton Winter Mixed Sale, which gives breeders one last chance to buys mares at auction before the breeding season opens later this month, begins its two-day run at Newtown Paddocks Monday morning with the first of 300 catalogued hips scheduled to head into the sales ring at 10 a.m. A further 235 head have been catalogued for Tuesday's second session, which is largely dominated by supplemented offerings from the dispersal of the late Robert Lothenbach's Lothenbach Stables.

The auction added some late fire power to its catalogue Sunday when Zetta Z (Bernardini) (hip 536) was supplemented to the catalogue a day after her sophomore son Nysos (Nyquist) dominated the GIII Robert B. Lewis S. at Santa Anita. The 14-year-old broodmare, who is in foal to Cyberknife, will be offered through the Grovendale Sales consignment.

“Nysos has been brilliant in each of his starts,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning. “His numbers lead all 3-year-old colts and his potential is unlimited. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to offer his dam, who is in foal to the exciting first-year stallion Cyberknife.”

The winter mixed sale brings a close to a season of breeding stock auctions which featured plenty of money for top offerings and a mixed reception for horses under that level. Consignors expect those same trends to continue this week in Lexington.

“I think it will be the same as all of them,” said Vinery Sales' Derek MacKenzie. “The top will be strong, the bottom probably not so much and the middle, probably a little polarized back and forth. The catalogue is smaller than it has been and with this big group of Lothenbach horses getting added, thinking positively, I think it will be a good sale.”

Vinery and Taylor Made Sales Agency will each be consigning horses as part of the dispersal, which will bring increased interest to the winter catalogue.

“It's been a few years now and not quite this quality, but when we had the Rockin' Z dispersal a few years ago at this sale, I remember, it really drew a lot of people in,” MacKenzie said. “And this one should bring even more.”

Taylor Made's Marshall Taylor agreed the buying bench at Fasig-Tipton might be deeper this year due to the dispersal.

“Anytime there is a dispersal, the first thing that people think of is 'no reserve' and opportunity is the first word that comes to your mind as a buyer, especially when you look at the type of roster that Mr. Lothenbach and his team accumulated and what they've got on the roster. That drives people to the sale. So I think you're going to see a lot more people at the sale than traditionally come to the February sale because of the dispersal.”

Its placement directly ahead of the opening of the breeding season gives the Winter sale a pivotal spot on the calendar.

“If you look at the February sale from the past, it's always a really solid, good sale,” Taylor said. “I think every year, you see these young fillies selling well, young fillies with page or a little bit of race record. They tend to really sell well because I think everyone is looking for a nice young mare to breed.”

MacKenzie said, “I think it is good timing. A lot of these mares that are empty are maidens that can go straight to the breeding shed almost. So, they don't have carrying costs. The timing is probably perfect.”

During last year's Winter Mixed sale, 402 horses sold for $14,105,200 for an average of $35,088 and a median of $15,000. The broodmare prospect Lemieux (Nyquist) topped the auction when selling for $400,000 to Nice Guys Stables. Bred to Not This Time just after the auction, she produced her first foal, a colt, Jan. 26.

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Lothenbach Dispersal a Unique Opportunity for Buyers

This year's renewal of the Fasig-Tipton Winter Mixed Sale will have extra appeal to buyers with the addition of the dispersal of the late Robert Lothenbach's breeding stock. The dispersal's offerings, most of whom were supplemented to the auction's catalogue, will be handled by Vinery Sales and Taylor Made Sales Agency. Both consignors emphasized what a unique opportunity the dispersal represented.

“Mr. Lothenbach was a great ambassador for racing and he strictly bred to race,” Vinery's Derek MacKenzie said. “He also bought a lot of nice yearlings over the years for racing. And so, none of these families–especially some that go back three and four generations–have ever been on the market. There is soundness and plenty of talent within these families. Under unfortunate circumstances, they are available to the public.”

Lothenbach, who passed away in November, was among the leading owners in North America for nearly three decades. Over the last 23 years, his Lothenbach Stables celebrated more than 800 wins and earned more than $30 million. He was a top 10-ranked owner nationally in 2020 and 2022.

“He is one of the few guys who bred to race exclusively in this era,” MacKenzie said.

Among Vinery's 46 offerings from the dispersal are a pair of mares who won graded stakes in the Lothenbach colors.

Bell's the One (Majesticperfection) (hip 476) won the 2020 GI Derby City Distaff S., the 2021 GII Honorable Miss H. and GII Thoroughbred Club of America S. and the 2019 GII Lexus Raven Run S. She was third in the 2020 GI Breeders' Cup F/M Sprint.

The hard-knocking mare hit the board in 21 of 27 races–including three runnings of the GI Madison S.–with 13 wins and earnings of $2,000,675.

“Any international buyer that is seriously playing at the top level would want to have this mare,” MacKenzie said. “She was such a good race filly for so long and she looks fantastic right now. They can take her straight to the shed and breed her to whoever they want. I've got to think she appeals to every continent.”

The 8-year-old mare, who RNA'd for $2.6 million at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton November sale, was bred to Flightline last year, but sells not in foal after aborting in September.

“I was a farm manager for a long time before I got into the sales side and a lot of maidens slip their first ones and never have an issue the rest of their career,” MacKenzie said. “I've seen it a lot. So it's not a worry at all for me. I think anyone with experience with broodmares knows it shouldn't be any kind of issue and she'll be fine going forward.”

Vinery's offerings also include She Can't Sing (Bernardini) (hip 485), winner of the 2022 GIII Chilukki S. The 7-year-old broodmare prospect raced 39 times in her career, hitting the board 22 times and earning $883,558.

“What a beautiful mare,” MacKenzie said of She Can't Sing. “She ran hard for a while and she's by the right sire in Bernardini, a great broodmare sire. And she has leg and scope. She is taller than most Bernardinis. Again, she should fit any continent, any kind of top-level breeder should take a hard look at trying to get her.”

Beyond the pair of graded-stakes winning mares, MacKenzie said he thinks there is plenty to appeal to buyers in the dispersal as the breeding season looms.

“There is a group of maiden fillies coming off the racetrack that are pretty interesting that have good looks and talent,” he said. “And there are a couple other younger broodmares in foal to the right sires. So it's going to be a strong showing.”

Taylor Made Sales Agency got the Lothenbach dispersal started with a week-long digital offering of 76 horses of racing age which opened Monday and closes Friday. During the Winter Mixed sale next week, the consignment will include 19 short yearlings, all bred by Lothenbach.

“I think they represent a really good opportunity right now,” Marshall Taylor said of the offerings. “You look down there at all those pedigrees and who they are by, pedigrees that nobody has really had an opportunity to buy into and then it's a group of very good stallions that Mr. Lothenbach bred to. Normally, you get down to this point and you've got the February sale and there are only so many [yearlings] in the sale. So to have this opportunity with some of the stallions that Mr. Lothenbach bred to, it's a huge opportunity.”

After a competitive foal market, next week's Winter Mixed sale offers buyers a final chance to buy short yearlings at public auction this year.

“I think the foal market, now short yearling, market has been so strong,” Taylor said. “You look at November and it was really hard to buy. The good foals were bringing a lot of money and selling very well. That carried on to January. So having this dispersal with these short yearlings, I think there is going to be a strong market for them. I think there are a lot of people out there that still want to buy a good baby by a good stallion. And I think all of that is just going to carry over to this sale.”

With the digital portion of the dispersal in full swing, Taylor said he was seeing plenty of interest for the horses of racing age this week and requests for information on many of those horses' siblings who will be on offer on-site at Fasig-Tipton next week.

“Right now, we just started the racehorse dispersal [Monday], so there has been a lot of interest there,” Taylor said. “We've had a lot of calls on the short yearlings, too. People calling us asking what they look like, a lot of different pinhookers have been asking about them. Mr. Lothenbach has a lot of nice horses in the digital sale and a lot of these babies are half-siblings.”

From the digital sale through the Winter sale, Taylor kept coming back to that word–opportunity.

“From an overall picture on all of Mr. Lothenbach's offerings, from the mares, to the racehorses, to the babies–especially with the fillies–to have the opportunity to buy into these families is a rare thing. Mr. Lothenbach was a straight breed-to-race guy and nobody has ever had the opportunity to buy into these families. He has a lot of nice families, so there are going to be some big opportunities.”

The Fasig-Tipton Winter Mixed Sale will be held next Monday and Tuesday at Newtown Paddocks. Both sessions of the auction begin at 10 a.m.

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Record Good Magic Colt on Top at Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale

A colt by Good Magic (hip 251) brought a sales record $230,000 to top a solid–if polarized–renewal of the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Fall Mixed Sale in upstate New York Tuesday. During the one-session auction, 156 horses grossed $4,522,200 for an average of $28,988 and a median of $18,000. Both average and median dipped from last year's vibrant market. The sale average–which had jumped 48.5% from 2021 to 2022–declined 13% from a year ago, while the median was down 5%.

From a catalogue of 337 head, 243 went through the ring with 87 failing to meet their reserves for a buy-back rate of 35.8%. That was up from last year's figure of 25.3%.

“It was very similar to the last few yearling sales,” Derek MacKenzie, whose Vinery Sales consigned four of the auction's nine six-figure horses, including the sale-topping weanling, said of the market in Saratoga Tuesday. “It was very polarized. The ones that the buyers covet and that jump through the hoops bring a lot of money. We are lacking a little bit of depth, obviously. The middle and the bottom is trickier than it has been in the last few years.”

Hip 251 is out of Popstar (Medaglia d'Oro) and is a half-brother to stakes-placed Lady d'Oro (Catholic Boy). Vinery consigned the youngster on behalf of his breeder, Richard Nicolai's Fortune Farm.

“He was a very fantastic physical and he had great size,” said Vinery's Derek MacKenzie. “He was a great mover with incredible presence. I thought he would top the sale, honestly.”

Of the sales record price, MacKenzie said, “Once you pass the $200,000 mark at this sale, you just never know. Because that seems to be the ceiling in the past, but [the price] didn't shock me.”

The sale-topping price produced a quick profit for Nicolai, who purchased Popstar with the colt in utero for $29,000 at the Keeneland January sale earlier this year.

“I was not involved with purchasing the mare, but I congratulated [Nicolai] on what was an incredible purchase,” MacKenzie said.

On behalf of Juddmonte, Sequel New York offered three mares in foal to Honest Mischief and the trio were the only broodmares to bring six figures during the auction. Glen Hill Farm purchased the highest-priced of the lot, going to $170,000 to acquire the unraced 4-year-old Bahama Banks (Arrogate) (hip 25).

“We had a busy morning because we sold a horse in the Arqana October sale and he made a nice price,” said Glen Hill's Craig Bernick. “So I was kind of excited and I went a little more on that mare than I was planning to. But we wanted to have her.”

The mare is a half-sister to multiple graded placed Millefeuille (Curlin). Her second dam is Grade I winner Honest Lady (Seattle Slew), who produced Grade I winner First Defence (Unbridled's Song), as well as graded placed Honest Mischief.

“It's a world-class pedigree,” Bernick said. “We've never been able to get something that we thought was good from that Toussaud, Honest Lady family. When they've sold out of that family, those horses usually make a huge price. So we were really excited to buy her. She is in foal to a horse that's in New York, but it's a horse that goes back to the same family. So you'd have to hope for a filly to be inbred to that family. We will bring her to Kentucky and figure out what stallion to go to. She will go to a good stallion.”

Honest Mischief, who stands at Sequel New York for $6,500, was well-represented by his first crop at the Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Yearling Sale in August with five six-figure yearlings. But the New York stallion's presence as a covering sire might have saved Bernick some money, he said.

“If she was in foal to a $50,000 Kentucky stallion, I think she would have made $400,000 or $500,000,” Bernick said. “So the stallion maybe did us a favor. We like to race horses, so Honest Mischief, I wouldn't go looking for one, but from that family, especially if it's a filly, I would be excited to race her.”

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Yearling Market Returns to Maryland for Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Fall Sale

TIMONIUM, MD – The Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Fall Yearlings Sale opens Monday at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium with a session of 200 catalogued hips beginning at 1 p.m., and concludes with a further 326 catalogued yearlings for a session beginning at 10 a.m. Tuesday.

Despite persistent rain throughout the weekend, shoppers were making the rounds at the sales barns Sunday and consignors are hoping the looks continue to build up to Monday's later start time.

“We are cautiously optimistic,” said Vinery Sales' Derek MacKenzie. “It seems like the traffic has picked up today. It was really slow yesterday, but they are coming now. And they will have more time tomorrow. We will see some trainers who won't come today who I am sure will be here in the morning.”

Consignor Bill Reightler found a silver lining in the dreary weather.

“We've been busy with all-shows,” Reightler said. “But I think horsemen are opportunists. I can remember some years ago here we had a sale in December where we had four or five inches of snow and I think we had the best sale we ever had because people thought nobody was going to show up and they could buy something.”

Coming on the heels of a record-breaking Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Reightler expects demand to continue to be high in Maryland this week.

“I think it's going to be fine,” he said. “It's going to be the same old story. It's going to be polarized. I think some of the buyers couldn't buy horses at Keeneland and that brings more people to the next sale.”

A total of 381 yearlings sold during last year's auction for a gross of $11,269,400. The average was $29,578 and the median was $20,000. A colt by Mendelssohn brought the sale's top price of $235,000 from Scanlon Training and Sales before re-selling for $1.3 million at this year's OBS April sale. David Scanlon was among the pinhookers looking at horses through the raindrops at the sales barns Sunday.

Last year's auction also produced GI Spinaway S. winner Leave No Trace (Outwork), who sold for $40,000 from the Vinery consignment. Results like that should have shoppers eager to return to the Maryland auction, according to MacKenzie.

“This sale was really good last year and I suspect it should be again,” he said. “A lot of people didn't get what they wanted at Keeneland and there are a lot of nice horses here.”

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