Fasig-Tipton's December Digital Selected Sale–the company's largest digital sale to date–closed Tuesday, Dec. 13, with 97 horses of all ages grossing better than $1.9 million. A total of 358 bidders registered for the sale, with a total of 2,535 bids placed on the 129 horses on offer. The digital platform hosted better than 30,000 between Dec. 8 and 13.
Elicia Rankin signed for the sale's top offering, the 10-year-old Moyo Honey (Mizzen Mast), who sold for $340,000 in foal to leading sire Gun Runner. Moyo Honey was making her third trip through a Fasig-Tipton 'ring', having improved into a $70,000 graduate of the 2014 Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale after making $25,000 at the October Yearling Sale the fall prior. Third in the 2016 GII Bayakoa H., the mare hails from the female family of Grade I winners Greenwood Lake, Success Express and Whitmore's Conn. Paramount Sales consigned Moyo Honey.
Rankin credits her daughter, owner Gayla Rankin, with encouraging her to get into Thoroughbred ownership and for introducing her to Fasig-Tipton Digital.
“It was very easy to use,” Rankin said of the platform. “I'm extremely pleased with my purchase.”
The sale's most active buyer as MWG LLC, who signed for 14 lots for a total of $202,500, while Town & Country Farms and Gary Broad were busy acquiring mares for new Walmac sire Pinehurst, who was also purchased out of a Fasig-Tipton Digital Sale.
Shannon Potter of Town & Country said, “We were very happy to be able to find some quality mares on Fasig Digital to support our new stallion Pinehurst. I think [Fasig-Tipton Director of Digital Sales] Leif [Aaron] and the Fasig-Tipton team did a wonderful job recruiting some quality product for availability to purchase this time of year.”
Leading consignor Carrie Brogden is another top consignor who is committed to this type of bidding and selling platform.
“Mark my words, I will try to sell all of our reasonably priced pregnant mares in digital sales,” she said. “The difference in stress and risk to pregnancy is astonishing and I am already thrilled with the pricing.”
Others to fetch in excess of six figures were Taylor Made's Kerry's Ring (Kitten's Joy), who sold for $150,000 to Kittiwake Equine in foal to Horse of the Year Authentic; a weanling colt by Omaha Beach that attracted $130,000 from WKY Thoroughbreds from the Taylor Made consignment; and the $100,000 Pinehurst Stallion Mares paid for Ryan's Rocket (Street Sense), also from Taylor Made and sold in foal to the late Flatter.”
Aaron pronounced himself extremely pleased with the performance of Fasig-Tipton Digital in its first year.
“The December Digital Selected Sale was our largest digital catalogue to date, and it marked the close of an incredibly successful year for the Digital platform,” he said. “Buyers and sellers have been very supportive of Fasig-Tipton Digital, we've sold 279 horses in our first year to the tune of around $10 million. We still have work to do but this first year has shown us that there is a need for this segment of the horse business and we look forward to expanding upon that success in 2023. This is just the beginning for Fasig-Tipton Digital.”
Entries are now open or the March Digital Sale to be held Mar. 2-7, 2023. The 2023 digital sales calendar may be viewed here.
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