The numbers tell the story of Fasig-Tipton's November sale catalog:
Three champions.
22 grade 1 winners.
50 graded stakes winners.
Six foals from the first crop of Triple Crown winner American Pharoah .
Together, they and the remaining entries in the 192 horses cataloged so far (selected supplemental entries will be taken through the Breeders' Cup World Championships) represent a stellar collection of bloodstock that will be offered to the general public Nov. 6, beginning at 4 p.m. in Lexington.
The catalog may now be viewed online, including Fasig-Tipton's enhanced catalog, with print catalogs available beginning Oct. 17.
"We're obviously thrilled with the quality of the catalog and think it's one of the finest collections of horses we've had the opportunity to present to the marketplace," said Fasig-Tipton president Boyd Browning. "The marketplace craves quality and we certainly have quality on offer this November."
The sale begins with 81 weanlings, including some by top stallions Candy Ride , City Zip, Curlin , Into Mischief , Kitten's Joy , and Medaglia d'Oro .
The Fasig-Tipton sale also will be the first public auction for foals from the first crop of Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, the Ashford Stud stallion who stood for a 2016 fee of $200,000 and has six in the catalog.
"There are some foals with spectacular pedigrees in the sale," Browning said. "It is particularly special for us to have the opportunity to sell the first American Pharoah foals since he is a Fasig-Tipton (sale) grad. We think there will be some fireworks with some of the weanlings we have by American Pharoah."
"American Pharoah draws a lot of buzz and a lot of people will want to see these babies by him," said Mark Taylor of Taylor Made Sales Agency. "I've seen a lot of his babies and I've really liked them. He's throwing really nice foals. People are putting the nice ones in the sale to ride that momentum, and I think anything you see by him hitting the market this year is going to be nice."
Other first-crop sires with foals selling at Fasig-Tipton include champion Honor Code , multiple grade 1 winner Carpe Diem , Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) winner Bayern , Belmont Stakes (G1) winners Tonalist and Palace Malice , Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T) winner Karakontie , and Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) winner Liam's Map .
"This is a blockbuster year for new sires and there are a lot of nice first crop horses below him (American Pharoah)," Taylor said.
Following the weanlings will be the racehorses, broodmares, broodmare prospects, and stallion prospects.
"Nearly 80% of the racing/broodmare prospects and broodmares cataloged are black-type earners or producers," Browning said.
Topping this group are female champions Songbird, Tepin, and Finest City.
Cataloged as Hip 120 by Taylor Made Sales Agency as a broodmare prospect, Songbird is the 4-year-old daughter of Medaglia d'Oro who won 13 of 15 career starts—including nine grade 1 stakes—and finished second in the other two outings. A champion at ages 2 and 3, Songbird earned in excess of $4.6 million for Rick Porter's Fox Hill Farm.
"Songbird is obviously a highlight for us," said Taylor. "She's here on the farm and I go back and look at her and it literally makes my day better. She is stunning."
Consigned as Hip 130 by ELiTE, as agent for Robert Masterson, Tepin is being offered in foal to Curlin . A 6-year-old Bernstein mare, Tepin won grade/group 1 races in the U.S., Europe, and Canada and was voted champion grass mare at ages 4 and 5 and retired with earnings in excess of $4.4 million for Masterson. In addition to her stellar racing credentials, Tepin also is half sister to Vyjack, a multiple grade 2 earner of more than $1.4 million to date.
Finest City, a 5-year-old daughter of City Zip, was voted champion female sprinter for 2016 after winning the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1) for which she is being pointed again this year prior to shipping to Lexington for the sale. Racing for Seltzer Thoroughbreds, the Pennsylvania-bred mare has earned more than $1.2 million for trainer Ian Kruljac, who has her entered in the Fasig-Tipton sale as Hip 171.
Included among the other grade 1 winners cataloged are Big World, Birdatthewire, Dacita, Illuminant, Miss Temple City, and Nickname, among others. Also entered in the sale is grade 1-placed American Cleopatra, American Pharoah's full sister who is in foal to prominient sire Uncle Mo .
"It looks like a very strong lineup," Taylor said of the catalog, noting that November offerings can be skewed in some years in which there is a major dispersal. "When you have big dispersals, it brings unexpected depth to the market. For a normal non-dispersal year this looks like a good group of mares."
