Stars Set to Shine at Fasig-Tipton November Sale

LEXINGTON, KY- The Fasig-Tipton November Sale, which has surpassed $100-million in gross the last two years, returns with another typically glitzy renewal Tuesday at Newtown Paddocks. Bidding on the first of 271 catalogued offerings begins at 2 p.m.

“We are very excited about the overall quality of the catalogue,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning. “I think our in-foal mares are definitely stronger than they've been in the past and we have some exceptional younger horses that are going to be offered. It's a tremendous group of young racing and broodmare prospects. The quality is really, really deep and we are very fortunate about that.”

The one-session auction begins with a selection of 135 weanlings–down from the 181 weanlings catalogued to begin the sale in 2022.

“We actually made a conscious effort this year to tighten the weanlings,” Browning said. “That's why there are fewer weanlings in the catalogue this year. You've got to have a really quality horse to sell well in November. It's the sale of the year and you're competing against some really top pedigrees and physicals. And the last thing we want to do is put somebody in the wrong spot. So some of the horses who may have sold OK in the past on the weanling side of things, we are tightening the selection criteria and as a result, we have fewer weanlings. I think buyers are still going to love the quality of weanlings that they are going to find overall.”

The Breeders' Cup championship weekend at Santa Anita provided several updates to the Fasig-Tipton November catalogue, headed by champion Goodnight Olive (Ghostzapper), who won her second GI Breeders' Cup F/M Sprint Saturday. The 5-year-old mare will be offered Tuesday as hip 237 through the Elite consignment.

Also making the flight from Santa Anita to Lexington following a Breeders' Cup appearance, Canadian Horse of the Year Moira (Ghostzapper) will be offered as hip 156 after her third-place effort in the GI F/M Turf. She is consigned by Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa.

The dams of a trio of Breeders' Cup runners-up will also be offered Tuesday evening, with Belle's Finale (Ghostzapper) selling as (hip 212) while carrying a full-sibling to GI Turf second-place finisher Up to the Mark (Not This Time). The mare's weanling colt by Maxfield follows her into the ring. Both are consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency.

Hoppa (Uncle Mo) will be offered through the Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa consignment as hip 257 while carrying a full-sibling to GI Juvenile runner-up Muth (Good Magic).

Vigui's Heart (Quality Road), dam of GI Juvenile Turf Sprint runner-up Valiant Force (Malibu Moon), and in foal to Vekoma, will be offered Tuesday as hip 198. Her weanling filly by Mitole sells as hip 72. Both are consigned by Mill Ridge Sales.

Elite sales will present Toni Tools (Roaring Fever), dam of GI Juvenile Fillies third-place finisher Candied (Candy Ride {Arg}) as hip 254, while Eaton Sales consigns a Tiz the Law weanling half-sister to GI Juvenile third-place finisher Locked (Gun Runner) as hip 15.

The glittering catalogue also features champions Nest (Curlin) (hip 163) and Wonder Wheel (Into Mischief) (hip 200), as well as GI Kentucky Oaks winner Secret Oath (Arrogate) (hip 180), and Queen Caroline (Blame) (hip 171), the dam of champion Forte (Violence), carrying a foal from the first crop of champion Flightline.

“We are very, very optimistic and very excited about the catalogue this year,” Browning said.

While there has been some weakening at the lower strata of the market, demand has remained strong at the top. Browning expects that to remain true in the November sale's elite marketplace, but did offer a cautious reminder to sellers.

“I think there is some insulation, hopefully, in the segment of the market that the November sale serves,” Browning said. “I think it's going to be highly competitive, but I think we also need to be realistic as we look at the entire marketplace that the same trends that we saw at the yearling sales and 2-year-old sales are going to continue at the broodmare sales. You better have quality and if you don't have that top quality–if you have some holes in your produce or your covering date or your covering sire, you need to be very realistic as you approach setting your reserves and what your expectations are with regard to the overall marketplace in terms of broodmares. I think weanlings will be the same exact trend that we are seeing at the yearling sales–great, great competition for the ones that are deemed highly desirable and it will be a little weaker for those that don't 'make the mark.' So you're going to have to be realistic in setting your reserves and evaluating, do you sell this year or do you hold on until the yearling sales next year.”

The Fasig-Tipton November sale surpassed the $100-million mark in gross for the first time in 2021 when 149 lots sold for $103,699,000. In 2022, the auction saw 169 horses sell for $101,214,000.

Those sparkling results don't come without some added pressure, according to Browning.

“You go through it year after year–one of the good things and one of the bad things is, 'What do we do for an encore?'” Browning said. “It's always a nerve-wracking apprehensive sale because there are a lot of expectations and there is a lot of pressure that we put on ourselves and that the owners expect us to deliver. It's a great opportunity and a great responsibility. Hopefully we will be sitting here on Tuesday night having a glass of champagne and celebrating another remarkable November sale.”