Boyd said the likely reason for the increase in numbers was the strength of the Thoroughbred marketplace, which might have convinced some breeders to sell rather than race more of their yearlings.
Fasig-Tipton will catalogue a record total of 830 horses for its fall yearling auction Oct. 25 and 26 in Central Kentucky. The figure is up 7.2% from a year ago, when 774 horses were listed.Fasig-Tipton plans to erect a tent to house approximately 65 of this year's sale entries. The company's Newtown Paddocks facility in Lexington has "right at" 800 permanent stalls, according to Boyd Browning, Fasig-Tipton's executive vice president and chief operating officer. However, consignors use some of the stalls for tack and feed, reducing the number of horses that can be stabled in the barns.The record total at Fasig-Tipton comes right on the heels of a record catalogue of 4,891 horses for the Keeneland September yearling sale, which ends on Sept. 27.