“She's a lovely filly and has been extremely well trained by Charlie Fellowes,” said McStay of lot 59. “I inspected her [Wednesday] morning and was very taken by her–she's gorgeous looking with a great walk. It's a family I know very well from my days at Godolphin and Rabbah. I think it's safe to say that Sea The Stars is looking like being a very good broodmare sire. She's been bought for an Irish breeder with no mating plans yet, but we're delighted to get her.”

Fellowes added, “She was a very good racemare, she ran a massive race to finish fourth at Royal Ascot and got some black-type after that. We felt that the Online Sale worked really well for her because we felt she stood out, and we were delighted with the price we got for her. I am very much look forward to following her babies when they no doubt turn up at Tattersalls!”

Also included among Thursday's leading lots: 2-year-old Regal Defence (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}) (lot 5), who finished an eye-catching third at Kempton on debut Wednesday night and realised 52,000 guineas to trainer Ian Williams. Recent Dundalk winner Never Cry Never (Ire) (No Nay Never) (Lot 52) was purchased for 21,000 guineas by Ger O'Leary from Fozzy Stack's Thomastown Castle Stables and the 4-year-old filly Reinitinruby (Ire) (Leading Light {Ire}) (Lot 125), a recent third in a competitive point to point, brought the same amount from Dan Astbury, acting on behalf of Stockton Hall.

At the close of bidding the Tattersalls Online December Sale realised a turnover of 566,800 guineas for the sale of 53 lots from 111 offered, at an average of 10,694 guineas. Almost 250 bidders registered for the sale from across Great Britain, Ireland, North America, Japan, Germany, Spain, Italy, Sweden, the Netherlands, Greece, Italy, and the Gulf region.

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Fasig-Tipton's Director of Digital Sales Leif Aaron took time out of his busy day to discuss with the TDN the numbers, the expectations, comparisons with the physical sales and a whole lot more, as the offerings unfold through the holiday weekend.

TDN: It seems like every digital sale you are announcing a record number of entries! The sheer size of the December catalogue must be a positive? What does that say about the digital climate?

Leif Aaron: Buyers and sellers are becoming increasingly comfortable with the platform. It takes time to change people's buying habits, and obviously, digital sales are very different from a live auction. Digital is being embraced by more and more owners who are conscious of costs, stress on horses and the narrow buying base at the end of marathon auctions.

TDN: The share you are offering in Flameaway (Scat Daddy), do you envisage more and more stallion shares being traded this way? Is this a growing trend? How did this opportunity develop?

Leif Aaron: I think it's actually a case of history repeating itself, many readers will remember the days when Fasig-Tipton did stallion access. In the early 2000's, Fasig-Tipton was selling seasons, shares and options online. We are happy to try things for sellers, but mainly it depends on the stallion, stud farm and the market. Just like the digital auction it must make sense for everyone involved.

I've been begging farms to save me a couple very desirable seasons to auction in February Digital. That way when they have to say 'no' to multiple breeders, they can always offer the option of 'you can buy the last one' in February online. That hasn't gained any traction as of yet and I really am puzzled as to why.

As far as how the Flameaway season came about, Chance Timm contacted me and said I have a client with a share and a LBR in a leading first-crop sire, can we go on the website? Darby Dan was kind enough to oblige and here we are.

Leif Aaron | Fasig-Tipton

TDN: Did you expect to get so many broodmares, especially just after the physical sales? Digital sales run August, October etc., so the timing has to be right, correct?

Leif Aaron: We were confident we would have a lot of breeding stock. So far on the platform we have had most of our success with broodmares and racing stock. What was a surprise to us was the number of weanlings and yearlings that were entered for this sale.

We've had some success with young horses, so I think that part of the market is currently developing online. Time of year does have to make sense in general for certain types of horses–breeding stock etc.–to sell well, but racehorses can sell no matter the time of year.

TDN: Speaking of racehorses, online seems like a perfect place to trade them (which is a very liquid market at the moment due to high purses). Could you speak about that a little? Why are racehorses maybe more suited to the digital space?

Leif Aaron: I touched on this a little bit earlier, but racehorses are in huge demand right now because of record high purses. With a digital sale, the seller can keep the horse in the barn and continue with training, while the potential buyer gets to look at the horse and look at the vetting. They are getting a lot more information than they would through the claim box.

In general, the horse racing ownership community are traders. It only makes sense for us to have a platform for those owners and trainers to buy and sell.

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A share (1/60th) in Haras du Petit Tellier's The Grey Gatsby (Ire) (Mastercraftsman) brought €62,000 from Bridge Consignment.

For the complete results, click here.

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Standing under the Aga Khan Studs' banner at Haras de Bonneval for €60,000, the son of Dubawi (Ire) and the Arc heroine Zarkava (Ire) (Zamindar) already has 15 black-type winners to his credit, including the Group 1-placed Times Square (Fr), Purplepay (Fr), and La Parisienne (Fr). The share entitles the buyer to one nomination per year, plus an additional bonus nomination any even-numbered year (one nomination in 2023 and two nominations in 2024).

Other shares on offer include lot 4, a 1/60th share in The Grey Gatsby (Ire). Already the sire of three group winners, the G1 Irish Champion S. and G1 Prix du Jockey Club hero's share will entitle the buyer to one covering per year. He stands for €12,000 at Haras du Petit Tellier this year.

There are also breeding rights in several stallions, among them Cloth Of Stars (Ire) (lot 2), Territories (Ire) (lot 5), Ribchester (Ire) (lot 7) and Le Brivido (Fr) (lot 9).

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“The Goffs Online service has had a strong year and this is another great result which shows the platform's ability to be ready to host sales of high-profile bloodstock whenever clients need it,” said Goffs Group Chief Executive Henry. “We have reserved the use of our Goffs Online timed sales for high-end horses and breeding rights and with Lone Eagle's £300,000 result, following the mares Queen Of The Stage and Quilita selling for £340,000 and €205,000 respectively this year, it clearly demonstrates its ability to cater for elite bloodstock whilst our superb Online team led by Michael Hardy in Goffs and Michael Orton in the UK stand ready to assist sellers at a moment's notice.

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Housatonic Bloodstock is responsible for seven of the entries, including a pair of in-foal mares: Best Moon Ever (Malibu Moon) carrying to the productive Midlantic-based stallion Weigelia; and Rockport Dancer (Rockport Harbor), pregnant to Instagrand. The Housatonic also includes for mares that are being offered not in foal and a yearling colt by Dominus.

Also among the offerings are a weanling colt by top New York stallion War Dancer as well as the 7-year-old mare Mongolian Humor (Drosselmeyer), a six-time winner of over $233,000 from a black-type family.

Entries also remain open for the second annual Wanamaker's Pennsylvania-Bred Sale to be held in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association. Entries for that event close Nov. 29, with the catalog to be released the following day. Bidding for that sale will close Dec. 8.

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Among the highlights is the Johnstown Stud draft of four lots sold as part of the Late Sir Robert Ogden's complete dispersal, including a pair of No Nay Never 2-year-old colts, one out of listed winner and Group 1-placed Amazonas (Ire) (Cape Cross (Ire)) and the other, named Hamlet, out of the Group 3-placed Pandora (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), a full-sister to listed placed pair of Allegio (Ire) and Isabella (Ire). Johnstown Stud also offers a juvenile colt by Zoffany (Ire) named Valley of Kings, out of Tiger Lilly (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), a full-sister to Group 1 Tattersalls Gold Cup placed Robin Hood (Ire) and Tudor (Ire).

Included among the well-bred fillies catalogued–unraced  Serifos (Ire) (Kingman {Ire}). Offered by James Tate's Jamesfield Place Stables, the 3-year-old filly is the first foal out of the multiple Group 3-placed Uleavemebreathless (GB) (Tiger Hill {Ire}).

For more details on the available lots including photos, videos and veterinary information, visit www.tattersallsonline.com.

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The catalogue for the inaugural online sale will be available at digital.fasigtipton.com beginning Thursday, Mar. 17, at which time bidding will open for a window through Tuesday, Mar. 22. Consignors will have the ability to promote their horses via a variety of tools that will provide prospective buyers with the resources and information they need to make informed purchasing decisions.

“We are excited to officially launch Fasig-Tipton Digital, which will serve as a complement to our traditional live auction calendar,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning. “The Thoroughbred business is increasingly focused on creating liquidity by selling horses at opportune times, and this platform allows us to serve the marketplace by facilitating those transactions. Our approach will be the same as it is for a live auction–establish a quality marketplace for buyers and sellers, supported by the outstanding customer service that our clients have to come expect from Fasig-Tipton.”

Nominations to the sale are open and sellers are encouraged to nominate by Mar. 8, although selected supplemental entries will be accepted after that date. The company is seeking quality horses of racing age, broodmares, racing/broodmare prospects, and broodmare prospects.

“As we launch Fasig-Tipton Digital, our initial approach will be to focus entirely on quality over quantity,” said Leif Aaron, Fasig-Tipton Director of Digital Sales. “This platform and its inaugural March sale should be especially attractive to sellers that want to take advantage of a significant update in a race record or pedigree, or the recent success of a mare's covering sire.”

Interested parties are encouraged to contact Aaron at laaron@fasigtipton.com or by calling the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky offices at (859) 255-1555.

Below is a Q&A with Aaron, who was named Fasig's Director of Digital Sales Jan. 24:

TDN: Before COVID, and even right at the beginning of COVID, there seemed to be a hesitancy toward embracing digital sales. What we have learned since then?

LA: For me it was when I found out that digital sales did $100 million last year in Australia while still conducting in-person auctions. Granted, they don't have a claiming system, but even outside of racehorses they do have a vibrant online marketplace with willing buyers and sellers. Fasig-Tipton has seen the ever-increasing growth in online bidding at its live auctions, as well. Buyers have become very comfortable with buying horses off of photos and videos, and then bidding online to purchase them. COVID forced buyers to adapt, and in turn, they have become comfortable with buying horses online when unable to attend a sale in person.

TDN: What hurdles did customers have to overcome in order to embrace the concept of buying horses online, and how do you help them with that, in terms of the types of features you will offer here?

LA: Resources for buyers are critical. With our platform, buyers are going to have all the information that they would have at an in-person sale. The site will feature photos, videos, repository, health information, pedigrees, race replays, various past performances and speed figures, and buyers can schedule a physical inspection, as well. The biggest hurdle for buyers so far has been the lack of quality offered online. If someone wants to buy a new luxury car, they are not going to shop at a BUY HERE- PAY HERE lot. Our goal is to grow and establish this market to a place where people feel comfortable on the platform and natural growth can occur.

TDN: What is different about Fasig-Tipton's approach to digital sales?

LA: In the last several years, I've seen interview after interview during in-person sales in America that repeat the same thing–quality is king. We are going to focus on quality over quantity early on. We will take a long-term approach, starting small with a quality group of horses that will have significant appeal to racehorse owners and breeders, and sell these horses successfully. We will continue to do this in our first digital auctions to really generate confidence in the marketplace and the platform, demonstrating that quality horses can be sold this way. We want to get people in the habit of checking our site to see what's available. We want to ingrain in sellers' minds that there is always going to be a viable market place at their disposal. I've heard a lot of the hardboots through the years say, “You couldn't hide a good horse on your back forty.” I think they are right, it's our job now to make sure that both buyers and sellers have confidence in the digital platform to get this off the ground successfully.

We envision Fasig Digital being a place where buyers will be excited to see what is going up for auction. Initially, we are not going to commit to having a sale every single month, but when the right opportunity presents itself, we will conduct a digital auction. For example, if a 3-year-old colt becomes a 'TDN Rising Star' and its owner wants to list him on Fasig Digital, we are going to do it and have a one-horse auction. If someone has a horse pointing toward a major Grade I race and wants to sell an ownership interest in the horse, we will offer that share or percentage in the horse. We are here to try and facilitate new and exciting ways of conducting horse sales. This is the place to come for people with ideas. But again, the theme will be quality, quality, and quality.

TDN: There are companies who just do digital sales, and others, like Fasig, that do both. Is that an advantage in helping you to know what your customers need?

LA: Absolutely, I think understanding the market, the players, and what types of offerings are commercially appealing are vital to the success of a digital platform. Fasig-Tipton has a sharp, experienced team that buyers and sellers are both comfortable with and highly confident in. Customer service has always been a core principle of Fasig-Tipton, and that same service will be put to work in the digital realm. Fasig-Tipton has also successfully launched several new live auctions in the last decade–the July Selected Horses of Race Age Sale, for example. It has become a fixture on the calendar and certainly has a role in the overall popularity of racehorse sales these days. The company has also successfully taken sales that were previously less popular with sellers for their quality offerings, and transformed them into very popular auctions for these types. Take a look at last month's Kentucky Winter Mixed Sale for example–people now feel comfortable selling a $750,000 horse there, whereas 10 years ago, they may not have. The same goes for digital sales–it's going to take a concerted effort on our part to get quality horses on the site and then the buyers lined up to look at them. We have a track record of building and growing auctions successfully.

TDN: How long has this particular platform been in development?

LA: Fasig Digital has been in development since the middle of Covid. Oddly enough, though Fasig-Tipton has been involved in “Digital” sales since the early days of Matchmaker Breeders Exchange and Stallion Access. Digital.fasigtipton.com, however, started as a way to work through the pandemic, but it never actually had to be deployed. Despite that, Fasig-Tipton continued to receive feedback from customers telling us that there is a need for a Fasig-Tipton digital platform in the United States.

TDN: In your previous roles in the industry, did you ever shop for horses online?

LA: I quarterbacked the sale of Juddmonte horses online and I also actively shopped online for horses to buy, so I have quite of a bit experience with online sales. I believe I have a good feel for what works for digital sales and what may not. I'm looking forward to getting Fasig Digital established and turning it into a platform where buyers are actively and regularly checking the site, excited to see what is coming up next for sale.

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“It's evolution rather than revolution,” says the company's co-founder Ross Alberto, a racehorse owner who runs a commercial property and farming business in Gloucestershire. 

Alberto launched ThoroughBid last week in partnership with Will Kinsey, the former amateur rider and trainer whose many roles in the bloodstock business include breeder, syndicator, agent and sales consignor.

Alberto and Kinsey have already combined successfully through their Future Bloodstock banner in the purchase of Stormy Ireland (Fr) (Motivator {GB}), winner of the G1 Mares' Champion Hurdle at the Punchestown Festival in May for their FB Racing Club, which offers micro shares.

They spoke with Emma Berry about their plans for involvement in the digital bloodstock sales market, which has recently seen a new world record set for an online auction when Funstar (Aus) (Adelaide {Ire}) was sold by Inglis for A$2.7 million.

TDN: The pandemic has really opened up the digital Thoroughbred sales market, and the established sales companies have either revamped or launched online bidding platforms. Is that good or bad for you as a company which had been planning this sales format since before March 2020?

Ross Alberto: Pre-pandemic, I got involved in owning racehorses alongside Will and I just remember the early days of buying the syndicate horses and going up to Goffs in Doncaster and thinking it was wonderful. I found it fascinating having loads of horses in one place but I found it equally confusing trying to pick your way through the catalogues and then see all the horses and remember them.

So I asked, “Is this really the only opportunity to transact?” Will said, “Well, look, there is [an] online [option] but no one really seems to do it over here.” I thought that had to be the way forward.

Then when Covid came along, and hearing Will's frustration as a breeder and a buyer and seller of horses, that's when we thought it would be a good idea and that if we didn't do it, someone else would. And, yes, the other two sales houses, Tattersalls and Goffs UK, have a sort of duopoly, and they've ended up doing it but actually what it has done is sort of credentialised it. Many vendors and purchasers have actually enjoyed the process of buying and selling online. So we think it is definitely here to stay. Tattersalls and Goffs sort of did it out of necessity rather than desire and then as time has gone on, they've seen that it works. So actually all they've done is given us more conviction to carry on with what we're doing. And there are things that we've designed, that are going to be our USP, that are slightly different to what they will offer. 

[ThoroughBid] is not just a trading platform. Our terms and conditions are nigh on 50 pages long and we've spent a fortune with lawyers to make sure that both the vendor and the purchaser are protected in the process. We want to be seen as the next auction house, but purely online at this stage, which will allow us to control our costs and keep the costs that are incurred by vendors and purchasers to a relative minimum.

TDN: ThoroughBid has been announced as a sponsor of the Racing League, which starts next Thursday. How did you get involved in this new concept?

RA: We met the guys at the Racing League and we thought it was a disruptive young start-up, an enthusiastic business that works well on two folds. One, it fits with what we're trying to achieve. And two, we wanted to show our intent by becoming stakeholders in the industry and putting money directly into something along those lines. Ultimately our investment ends up rippling all the way through to prize-money and into people's pockets.

TDN: When can we expect the first ThoroughBid sale?

RA: We haven't defined a date yet, but it's going to be the end of summer. I would imagine it's going to be in September. It might be that it coincides with the end of the Racing League. We can hopefully speak to all the owners and trainers involved, and try to bring our first catalogue through sometime in early September.

We want to become known for being a company that trades regularly on a certain day. To start with we're hoping once a month, but there's no reason why it won't be every two weeks. Maybe even every week if the demand allows. That's one of our key USPs, flexibility for all, including ourselves and both vendors and purchasers.

Will Kinsey: There's nothing to stop us doing, say, a one-horse sale at the drop of a hat if that's what they wanted, but initially it's one step at a time. We'll hold our auctions on a Sunday. Everyone will know that and can get all their work done in advance. Sometimes the way a physical auction is run isn't the best for every horse in a sale, especially if you're first lot in a sale or last lot and people have not arrived, or they've left already. Obviously this format is much more flexible.

TDN: What's the entry fee for a ThoroughBid sale?

RA: It's £250 plus VAT to enter a horse. The vendor gets 100% of the sale price and there's a 5% charge to the purchaser. They can buy in almost any currency. One of the key things is the speed of the fiscal transaction, which is seven working days, unlike the others who pay 30 days after the end of the auction.

There's no credit. It's effectively taking private sales but making them public, but with the benefit of both effectively selling over the stable door and a public-facing auction. So purchasers are going to have to get used to coming up with the money a little bit quicker, but the point is that the liquidity is there to then hopefully help people get in and trade out of horses quicker.

TDN: What sort of feedback have you had so far?

RA: While people have been positive and optimistic about what we're going to be bringing forward, they say, “Well, how can I buy a horse if I haven't seen it?” The point is you've got the week or 10 days prior to assess them online, get down to your shortlist and then either go and see them yourselves or send your agent, trainer, or vet, because every horse will be available to you. That's part of our terms and conditions. But it's all done from the comfort of the stable. So trainers are not tying up staff too much, and hopefully there's an extra level of engagement there for trainers and studs to actually get people in through their doors and talk about not just that horse but other opportunities that may exist.

WK: Young trainers especially are really excited about it. I think this was coming, online selling was coming before Covid, but Covid has sped that process up. The two sales companies have proven that it works. And we wouldn't be here today if we didn't think it did.

Vendors are now really used to taking pictures and videos of their stock and I think that is going to become the norm. I have found that even at the physical sales it's great to see all that video footage beforehand because I can knock off the ones that I don't want to consider that perhaps before I would have gone to look at. So it really helps me streamline.

TDN: Do you feel there's space in the sales market for a new entity?

WK: There's not just a huge space for online selling, but for a third party. Not that Tattersalls and Goffs don't do a good job, but I think people want another option, and I think they're quite excited by a new company on the block that's offering different terms.

RA: For me as a relatively new entrant to the industry, having been involved in ownership for five or six years, I feel this has to be a fun, engaging process. And I think one part of the racing experience as an owner is the buying and even potentially the selling of the horse. As a company we want to look at that and try to make the user experience even more intuitive and immersive. And I think that we will hopefully connect owners, trainers, agents and vendors in a way that hasn't been done before.

WK: For me, racing has evolved so much even in the time I've been involved, let alone the last 50 years, but selling racehorses has never really evolved in the UK and Ireland. The store dates are still the same and the big sales are in May and June. Well, there's a lot of racing in May and June these days and the days of jump season finishing at Sandown at the end of the season and then National Hunt trainers basically having time off to go and do their business are gone. Time is probably more valuable than ever, so this is where it's a great fit for most trainers. 

Primarily, we've come to this stage from a users' point of view and it's something that, as someone that works in the industry, I feel we need. But as a consignor, I'm still going to be selling horses through Tattersalls and Goffs. I don't want people to think, “Oh, there's absolutely no reason for that.” But for syndicate shares, stallion shares, nominations, all those type of things, there's flexibility.

It's also a showcase for the horse's owner or trainer. If you're selling a horse online it's a good advert for you to sell your stud, your yard, your facilities. Every time somebody fresh comes into the yard it's a great opportunity. They might come in to look at the horse and they might say, “Tell you what, I will buy the horse and I'm going to keep it with you.” 

RA: We're a small business that's going to be effectively a start-up. And we hope to be still here in 10 years' time, hopefully dining at the top table with Goffs and Tattersalls and competing with them. If we can get the support of the industry behind us, then I think there are a lot of reasons to be optimistic. And look, we're trying to keep money in the game, not take it out. So I hope that people will see all the advantages of what we're bringing forward and they'll back us, because we can't do it without the horses.

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For more information, visit www.tattersallsonline.com.

The post Five Entries Added to Tattersalls Online Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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