Fasig-Tipton Drops Derby Week Sale

Fasig-Tipton will not conduct a sale of 2-year-olds in training this spring in Kentucky.

The company decided to call off its early May auction at the Churchill Downs Sports Spectrum in Louisville, Ky., because "it never achieved the level of success that we had hoped for," said Boyd Browning, Fasig-Tipton's general manager and executive vice president.

The sale also was an inconvenience for the company's staff because it was scheduled at a busy time when Fasig-Tipton makes preparations for its summer yearling auctions.

Only 28 horses were sold at the 2000 edition of the sale. They grossed $1,270,500 and averaged $45,735. The gross revenue was down 41.3% from the previous year's auction.

The sale originally was held in Lexington, but was moved to Louisville in 1999 to take advantage of the excitement that surrounds the Kentucky Derby.