By Stefanie Grimm
The 12th edition of the Fasig-Tipton July Selected Horses of Racing Age Sale kicks off Monday with a single session consisting of 117 cataloged entries set to go under the hammer beginning at 3 p.m at Newtown Paddocks in Lexington, KY. And despite several impactful withdrawals over the last week, the sale was reinforced with the addition of multiple quality supplements as late as Friday and looks to provide the perfect springboard into summer racing. In fact, Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning needed just two words to describe its appeal: “Instant action.” With meets poised to kick off around the country in destination spots like Del Mar and Saratoga along with popular regional meets like Colonial Downs, buyers will have the opportunity for a quick return on investment.
“It's always a very interesting sale,” Browning continued. “We get a hodge-podge of horses and there's really, quite literally, something there for everyone. We've got some pretty exciting racing prospects that look like they've got some very bright futures. We've got some fillies and mares that have some pedigree. We've got some young 2-year-olds who have shown tremendous promise already. And we've got some horses who will fit in a lot of different racing circuits in the catalog. So it's a very good catalog. Something for everyone. It's probably the most vibrant portion of the marketplace today in terms of activity and interest. Excited to be able to kick it off on Monday.”
One consigner testing the waters for the first time at Fasig-Tipton Monday will be Imad Al Sagar's Blue Diamond Stud and Stonereath Farm who bring a 4-year-old son of Triple Crown champion and sire-on-the rise Justify across the Atlantic to auction under their own name for the first time in Wonderful Justice (GB) (hip 495). A stakes winner as a 3-year-old, the homebred colt, who RNA'd for 250,000gns as a Book 1 yearling at Tattersalls October Sale in 2021, is out of a full-sister to MGISW and sire Carpe Diem.
“I just thought it was an opportunity, with a horse in training that has all the form on the page to attract people, to dip our toe in the water,” said Blue Diamond Stud CEO Ted Voute.
And while Voute's team may just want to dip a toe in, Wonderful Justice may provide a new owner the ability to dive right in.
Wonderful Justice (GB) | Amy Lanigan
“It [the sale] is a bit of a learning curve for our team. We're sort of bringing everyone together and letting this be sort of a pilot route in that everything's on [his] page for people to come and see him and then it's up to us to persuade them that he's a good buy for them. We've had a few people visit on the farm, which is great for them to get that exposure. He's either going to have appeal as a small stallion somewhere, maybe in the Middle East, maybe in South America. And we've had one or two people look at him as a race horse. They price themselves at that sort of level. You're not going to read us a headline but as long as we sell him nicely, we'll be very happy.”
Certainly the appeal of a stakes-winning son of Justify could not be overstated.
“Justify we're a big fan of. The farm sent three mares to [him] this year so we're backing him as are probably another 200-plus mare owners,” Voute said with a laugh.” Wonderful Justice has always been very, very consistent. He can run in some conditioned races and some allowance and he'll make someone a pretty good purchase for a horse to run around, earn them some prize money and pay his way. It's just time to refresh and let someone else have a go. He's given us some great days out and I think there's plenty left in him for the future. He's a sound, good looking horse.
The sale offers opportunities for both buyers and sellers to replenish racing stock and look forward to the 2024 breeding season. While Voute brings only the one colt to auction, he may have his sights set on bringing something else home.
“Every sale that comes along nowadays, we look at some of the top fillies to see whether they might fit in the broodmare band. So we'll definitely be doing that here. Whether that ultimately turns into a purchase or not, it depends. We've got a long road to go but we'll definitely be working both sides of the fence. Thankfully ones a colt and we'll be trying to find a filly.”
To those with an eye towards shopping, Browning added: “There's going to be a lot of range of value Monday. I think we'll see very active bidding on virtually all types of horses. There's proven form on most of the horses that are in the catalog. I think we'll see a very active and vibrant marketplace and lots of interest.”
Monday's Horses of Racing Age sale will be followed by the Fasig-Tipton July Sale of Selected Yearlings, which will be held Tuesday beginning at 10 a.m.
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