The Fasig-Tipton Kentucky fall yearling sale bucked the prevailing negative trends in the Thoroughbred marketplace to post increases of 9.1% in median price and 5.7% in gross revenue during its three-day run that ended Oct. 28 in Lexington.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
People listening closely to the announcements from the auction stand during the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky fall yearling sale heard something new during the auction's three-day run (Oct. 26-28) in Lexington. For the first time, Fasig-Tipton told prospective buyers when a horse's stem cells had been collected and stored.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Leonard Lavin's Florida-based Glen Hill Farm was a powerful buying force during the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky fall yearling sale's second session, which generated a median price that was up 25% from a year ago. The average price fell 4.4% while the gross revenue declined 12.3% Oct. 27 in Lexington.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
The news wasn't all bad during the opening session of the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky fall yearling sale Oct. 26 in Lexington. The median price increased 20% from 2008 while the buy-back rate was down significantly. The results also included downturns of 11% in gross revenue and 6.4% in average price, but they weren't nearly as severe as those suffered by many other yearling auctions earlier in 2009.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Fasig-Tipton's Kentucky fall yearling sale isn't as fancy as the company's Saratoga and Kentucky July select auctions, but as a producer of Kentucky Derby Presented By Yum! Brand (gr. I) winners, it stands out. Big Brown, who captured the Run for the Roses in 2008, and Mine That Bird, who scored in the first leg of the Triple Crown this year, both are graduates of the October sale.
Friday, October 23, 2009
The Arqana October yearling sale closed out its three-day run at Deauville in France Oct. 21 with increases from 2008 of 4.9% in gross revenue and 9.5% in average price. The clearance rate of 71.2% was the same as a year ago.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
The average price rose 5.6% from 2008 and the median price increased 12.5% on the second day of the Arqana October yearling sale at Deauville in France Oct. 20. But fewer horses were sold, which contributed to a 6.7% reduction in the gross revenue.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
The market didn't lose much ground from a year ago during the opening session of the Arqana October yearling sale at Deauville in France Oct. 19. Compared to 2008, the gross revenue fell only 1.5% and the average price declined 5.9%.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Book 3 of the Tattersalls October yearling sale ended Oct. 16 in England with a downturn from 2008 of 13.2% in gross revenue. The average price dropped 20%, and the median price was down 16.4%. The buy-back rate fell from 34.5% last year to 28.6% this year.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Book 3 of the Tattersalls October yearling sale started Oct. 15 in England with declines from the previous year of 8.5% in gross revenue, 17.4% in average price, and 12.5% in median price. The buy-back rate fell from 31.9% in 2008 to 23% this year.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Book 2 of the Tattersalls October yearling sale crossed the finish line of its three-day run in England Oct. 14 with a gross that was up 4.5% from a year ago. The average price declined 12.2% while the median price fell 13.8%. The buy-back rate droppped from 29.2% in 2008 to 17.3% this year, which meant that more than 80% of the horses offered found new homes.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Colts by Selkirk and Invincible Spirit led the way Oct. 13 during the second session of Book 2 of the Tattersalls October yearling sale, which enjoyed upswings in gross and average price. Each colt sold for 260,000 guineas.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
The number of horses sold rose 25.6% from 2008 and the gross revenue increased 11.2% during the opening session of Book 2 of the Tattersalls October yearling sale in England Oct. 12. Meanwhile, the average price fell 11.5% while the median price declined 16.7%.
Monday, October 12, 2009
The market was livelier during the second and final session of the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Eastern fall yearling sale Oct. 6 in Maryland.
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
A Harlan's Holiday colt became the top-priced horse sold at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Eastern fall yearling sale so far when he commanded $300,000 during the auction's second session Oct. 6 in Maryland. Francis Vanlangendonck of the Summerfield sales agency signed the sale ticket on behalf of Florida pinhooker Nick de Meric. Samantha Siegel of Jay Em Ess Stable and Alan Quartucci of North Shore Bloodstock also were in the hunt for the striking bay yearling, which went through the sale ring early in the afternoon.
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
The Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Eastern fall yearling auction got a new top price just before 1 p.m. (EDT) Oct. 6 when a Not For Love colt sold for $120,000 to Samantha Siegel of Jay Em Ess Stable during the sale's second session in Maryland. The previous high -- $117,000 for a Malibu Moon -- Two Chimneys colt -- came during the opening session Oct. 5.
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
The Thoroughbred market's dismal downward trend this year continued during the opening session of the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Eastern fall yearling sale Oct. 5 in Maryland. The gross revenue suffered a moderate 9.5% loss from 2008, but the median price plummeted 35% while the average price fell 19.4%.
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
Prices dropped during the opening session of the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Eastern fall yearling sale Oct. 5 in Maryland, following a trend that has been seen at nearly every Thoroughbred auction this year. But there were still a lot of smiling faces as buyers and consignors praised the newly renovated sale pavilion at the State Fairgrounds in Timonium.
Monday, October 05, 2009
Fasig-Tipton has cataloged 972 horses for its Kentucky fall yearling sale, which will be held Oct. 26-28 in Lexington. The total is down 10.8% from last year's total of 1,090.
Monday, October 05, 2009
Fighting Brave, who brought the sale-topping price of $2 million at last year's Fasig-Tipton Saratoga select yearling auction, made his career debut a winning one at Dundalk in Ireland Oct. 4.
Sunday, October 04, 2009
The Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Eastern fall yearling might struggle like nearly every other Thoroughbred auction this year, but at least the buyers and consignors will have a newly renovated sale pavilion to enjoy Oct. 5 and 6 in Timonium, Md. According to Fasig-Tipton officials, there will be dramatic changes in the appearance of the once drab facility.
Friday, October 02, 2009
Part one of the Goffs Orby yearling sale in Ireland ended Sept. 30 in Ireland with an 11.1% increase in median price from 2008 and a 6.7% loss in average price. This year, there were two sessions in part one of the auction -- down from three last year -- and the sale's gross dropped 31.5%, in part because fewer horses were offered and sold.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
A Giant's Causeway filly, the second foal out of 2005 Boylesports Irish One Thousand Guineas (Ire-I) winner Saoire, was the star of Goffs Orby yearling sale's opening session in Ireland Sept. 29. She commanded the highest price of 475,000 euros ($695,124 in U.S funds) from bloodstock agent Hugo Merry, who was acting on behalf of Dr. Jim Hay.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
New Jersey bloodstock agent Buzz Chace was a new buyer at the Goffs Orby yearling sale in Ireland on the opening day of the auction Sept. 29. Acting on behalf of longtime client West Point Thoroughbreds, he purchased a Holy Roman Emperor colt for 140,000 euros ($204,879 in U.S. funds)from Camas Park Stud and an Ad Valorem colt for 50,000 euros ($73,171)from Ashtown House Stud.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
An Unbridled's Song colt brought $185,000 to top the ninth session of the struggling Keeneland September yearling sale. While the number of horses sold Sept. 23 in Lexington rose 5.6% from a year ago, the gross revenue declined 26.2%. The average price dropped 30.1%, and the median price plunged 40%. The buy-back rate fell from 24.6% in 2008 to 19.3% this year.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
The Overbrook Farm dispersal, which began at the Keeneland September yearling sale, will not mark the end of the Young family's involvement in the Thoroughbred business. Chris Young, the 34-year-old grandson of Overbrook founder W.T. Young, is making plans for his own venture that probably will emphasize racing.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
David Hayden has a message for his fellow commercial breeders: "Change or die." The ability to be flexible during hard times, he said last week at the Keeneland September yearling sale in Lexington, is the key to survival. And Hayden, who plans to keep raising horses for many years to come, has looked at everything from production costs to where he will market his yearlings in an effort to remain profitable and avoid drowning in a sea of red ink.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
From the very beginning of the Keeneland September yearling sale in Lexington, it was apparent that there would be a major correction in the market for young horses as key business figures suffered significant setbacks. Here are comments from auction participants during the first week of the sale.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
All major indices continued to fall as the Keeneland September yearling sale reached its midpoint Sept. 21.
Monday, September 21, 2009
When Goulash's Unbridled's Song colt brought $925,000 to top the opening session of the Keeneland September yearling auction Sept. 14, the prognosis for the Mari's Book mare looked grim. She is battling laminitis, and there were concerns that she would need to be euthanized just days after her son had been sold.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
The Japan Racing Horse Association has changed its format for the July select foal and yearling sale for 2010. There will be two days of selling instead of three at the Northern Horse Park on the Japanese island of Hokkaido and more yearlings will be offered.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Stallion managers slashed stud fees last year after this country's recession deteriorated into a financial crisis and spread around the world. With prices for Thoroughbreds continuing to decline after falling significantly in 2008, commercial breeders are calling for even more stud fee reductions for 2010.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Here is a list of horses that consignors and buyers think could be standouts Sept. 15 during the second session of the Keeneland September yearling sale in Lexington.
Monday, September 14, 2009
One day prior to the Sept. 14 start of the Keeneland September yearling sale in Lexington, there was a lot of uncertainty about how the market would perform at a time when the economy was continuing to struggle. There also were some questions about what was going on around the sale grounds. Here they are, and here are their answers.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Here is a list of horses that consignors and buyers think could be standouts Sept. 14 during the first session of the Keeneland September yearling sale in Lexington.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
The weekend before the Sept. 14 start of the Keeneland September yearling sale in Lexington, the auction's participants were worrying about the market and trying to guess how much it would be down from 2008. But some consignors were pleasantly surprised by how many people were looking at their horses. Here is what some of them had to say.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Consignors at the Keeneland September yearling sale were bracing themselves for one of the most daunting auction challenges of 2009: Finding new homes for thousands of young horses at a time when the weak economy is causing buyer demand for Thoroughbreds to shrink. Buyers, meanwhile, were excited about the prospect of bargains.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
For Gerry Dilger of Dromoland Farm in Central Kentucky, the timing could not have been better. A little more than a week prior to the start of the Keeneland September yearling auction, two juvenile graduates of his breeding and selling program -Hot Dixie Chick and Dublin- scored victories in grade I races at Saratoga.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
A son of Cahill Road brought the highest price of $60,000 during the Washington Thoroughbred Breeders Association (WTBA) summer yearling sale Sept. 8 at the Morris J. Alhadeff Sale Pavilion at Emerald Downs. Jill and Dave Heerensperger purchased the bay colt, which is a full brother to The Great Face, winner of the 2007 Longacres Mile (gr. III) and Mt. Rainier Handicaps at Emerald Downs.
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
Marked by a severe 22.9% decrease in average price, the annual selected Canadian-bred yearling sale, hosted by the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society (Ontario division) at the Woodbine racetrack sales pavilion on Sept. 8 was yet another North American auction that was a victim of a struggling economy.
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
The Ontario division of the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society (CTHS) has 464 horses cataloged for its Canadian-bred yearling auction. The select session is scheduled for Sept. 8 and the open session for Sept. 12 at the Woodbine Sales Pavilion at Woodbine racetrack near Toronto.
Sunday, September 06, 2009
The 43rd annual Washington Thoroughbred Breeders Association's summer yearling auction will be held Sept. 8, beginning at 1 p.m. (PDT) at the Morris Alhadeff Sales Pavilion at Emerald Downs. There are 179 horses in the catalog and in addition to yearlings with Washington pedigrees, they include offerings from Kentucky, California, Oregon, and Canada.
Saturday, September 05, 2009
Fasig-Tipton has cataloged 670 horses for its Midlantic Eastern fall yearling sale, which will be held in Timonium, Md., Oct. 5 and 6. The number is down 28% from 2008, when 930 horses were in the book and the auction was three days in length.
Thursday, September 03, 2009
Reduced to a one-day sale, the Fasig-Tipton Texas summer yearling auction posted a gross that was down significantly Aug. 31 at Lone Star Park. Under last year's two-day format, 443 horses were cataloged, but only 319 were offered this year, contributing to a 43.9% decline in the gross, from $3,369,700 to $1,889,400. The buy-back rate rose from 36.6% in 2008 to 42%, with only 185 head selling. While the median increased to $5,000 from $4,500, the average dipped from $11,992 to $10,213, a 14.8% decline.
Monday, August 31, 2009
The Ocala Breeders' Sales Co. yearling sale, like many other auctions before it in 2009, couldn't overcome the weak economy and ended up posting results that were down signficantly from 2008.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
According to an old saying, "Everything is bigger in Texas," but Fasig-Tipton's yearling sale in the Lone Star State has gotten smaller. And that could be a positive development.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
The price for an individual horse peaked at $45,000 on the third day of the Ocala Breeders' Sales Co. yearling sale, with three lots each bringing that amount Aug. 26 in Central Florida. They were a Stormy Atlantic--La Defense colt, a Put It Back--Lovely Lyric colt, and a Pomeroy--Misty Springs filly.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
A Dansili colt commanded the sale-topping price of £200,000 ($327,740 in U.S. funds) as the Doncaster Bloodstock Sales St. Leger yearling auction ended Aug. 26 with downturns of more than 20% in its gross revenue, average price, and median price.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
A filly by the hot first-crop sire Wildcat Heir was the most expensive horse sold on the second day of the Ocala Breeders' Sales Co.'s slumping yearling auction, bringing $100,000 Aug. 25 in Central Florida. Repole Stable purchased the New York-bred chestnut from Bryan and Holley Rice's Woodside Ranch, agent.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
A Royal Applause colt topped the opening session of Doncaster Bloodstock Sales' St. Leger yearling auction bringing £120,000 ($197,765 in U.S. funds) Aug. 25 in England. BBA Ireland's Eamon Reilly purchased the bay yearling for Mark Gittins, outlasting Richard O'Gorman in the bidding.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
