By Jessica Martini
TIMONIUM, MD – Despite a smaller catalogue, the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Fall Yearling Sale produced an average and median in line with its 2023 edition Tuesday at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium.
“It was fine. It wasn't exceptional, it wasn't terrible. It was a solid day of work,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning, Jr. at the close of business Tuesday. “There was significant demand for what were perceived to be the better horses. The lower end, the horses that were either considered conformationally lacking or were lacking in terms of commercial pedigrees, were difficult to sell. It was the same trends that we have seen in recent years and that I think we will continue to see. It was a satisfactory exercise.”
A total of 180 yearlings sold Tuesday for a gross of $4,267,700. The average of $23,709 dipped 2.9% from a year ago, while the median rose 25% to $15,000.
In 2023, 290 horses grossed $7,082,000 for an average of $24,421 and a median of $12,000.
A filly by City of Light, one of six yearlings to bring six figures Tuesday, topped the auction when selling for $165,000 to the bid of trainer Butch Reid on behalf of LC Racing.
For the third straight year, the Midlantic Fall catalogue size decreased. There were 412 yearlings catalogued last year and 284 this year.
“The catalogue size is down a little bit, which I think is reflective of the regional markets right now,” Browning said. “They are not easy.”
Plans for the redevelopment of Pimlico Racecourse and the consolidation of racing under the umbrella of the Maryland Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority, may have encouraged more local participation in the auction this year, Browning speculated.
“There was a good crowd here today,” Browning said. “I was a little concerned, honestly, coming in with the smaller catalogue about what kind of attendance and participation we would have. It seemed to me that there might have been a little uptick in local participation from the Marylanders, which might be a ray of sunshine. The sentiment might be a little more of a sense of optimism and hope with the changes which are taking place here which would be a good sign for the industry.”
Browning said the survival of the regional marketplace in Maryland might hinge on the cooperation of the neighboring racing districts which face stiff competition from strong racing structures in Kentucky and New York.
“Hopefully there is some opportunity and hope in the Maryland racing industry,” Browning said. “We see some good things that are happening in Virginia. There are some things happening in the Delaware program. Let's hope that we continue to see increased strength in the racing product in the region.
“Frankly, it is incumbent on the racetracks and the breeding organizations to help create more of a regional perspective than an individual state perspective,” Browning continued. “It needs to happen in those areas. The Kentucky program is so strong right now and the New York program is really successful. It's hard to compete with those two areas, particularly east of the Mississippi. And in order to do that, you are going to need to have cooperation with Virginia, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, to say how can we be competitive on a racing and breeding perspective with our competition. There are only so many wagering and racing dollars out there and so many mares that are going to get bred, so you are going to hopefully begin to see some higher level of cooperation and collaboration among them from both a racing and breeding perspective.”
City of Light Filly Tops Midlantic Sale
A filly by City of Light (hip 49) was the first to breach the six-figure mark at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Fall Yearling Sale Tuesday when bringing a sale-topping final bid of $165,000 from trainer Butch Reid, bidding on behalf of Glenn Bennett' LC Racing LLC.
Bred by Bowman and Higgins Stable and consigned by Becky Davis, the yearling is a half-sister to Monday Morning QB (Imagining), who was a two-time stakes winner for Bennett and Reid. She is also a half to last year's Midlantic sale-topping colt by Nyquist, who sold for $205,000 in Timonium before reselling for $550,000 at OBS this April.
“We had her big brother Monday Morning QB and we have her next brother, too, his name is Papa Lapa,” Reid said. “So we know the family very well.”
Hip 49 f. CITY OF LIGHT sold for $165,000 at Midlantic Fall Yearlings! Congrats to the connections:
B: LC Racing
C: Becky Davis, agt
Br: Bowman & Higgins Stable (MD)#FasigMD @LanesEndFarms @MarylandTB pic.twitter.com/qjT8Olo7M5— Fasig-Tipton (@FasigTiptonCo) October 1, 2024
LC Racing and Cash Is King purchased Papa Lapa (Arrogate) for $180,000 at the Midlantic sale in October 2022. That colt was a runner-up on debut at Parx in July.
Of similarities he sees in the family, Reid said, “This filly is a little smaller. Monday Morning QB was a huge horse. He was 17 hands. She's a little smaller. Very typey. I loved her frame. She is really deep through the chest and has a big butt on her. So we liked a lot about her.”
Reid had to see off an internet bidder to secure the filly and momentarily thought he had lost out on the youngster when bidding skipped ahead.
“The bidding got a little messed up and they went by me and we were done,” Reid said. “And then we got a reprieve. So we were very lucky to get her.”
Earlier in the session, Reid went to $40,000 to acquire a filly by Tapwrit (hip 11) for LC Racing.
“You have to be selective, I think,” Reid said of the market. “We might even be done. We got two, spent $200,000, and it's been a nice day so far.”
LC Racing added a third yearling to its Midlantic haul late in the session when going to $27,000 to acquire a colt by Maximus Mischief (hip 282), a graded-stakes winner the operation campaigned in partnership with Cash is King.
Gatsas Stables Strikes in Timonium
Bloodstock agent Marette Farrell secured a pair of six-figure yearlings for the Gatsas family's Gatsas Stables during Tuesday's Midlantic sale, going to $125,000 for a colt by Vekoma (hip 87) from the Marshall Silverman consignment and securing a filly by McKinzie (hip 105) for $120,000 from Becky Davis's consignment.
“We got beaten up in September,” Farrell admitted. “We weren't going to do this sale, but I said why don't we go and see. It's a small sale and it had some pedigrees that I targeted.”
Hip 87 is out of Mamasan (First Samurai), a half-sister to stakes winner and graded-placed P.S.U. Grad (Harlan's Holiday) and from the family of Grade I winner Richter Scale.
“We really like this Vekoma colt,” Farrell said. “He needed a little bit of time. He is out of a First Samurai mare and he's all First Samurai. He is a beautiful, big easy mover with a great brain. I loved him every time I saw him. They were excited to get him.”
Mike and Matt Gatsas were already familiar with the colt's sire, having campaigned multiple Grade I winner Vekoma in partnership with R. A. Hill Stable.
“I had a list of pedigrees that I looked for, but they also liked the Vekoma,” Farrell said.
By hot-starting freshman sire McKinzie, hip 105 is out of multiple stakes-placed Moon Virginia (Jump Start).
“The filly was just beautiful,” Farrell said. “Her sire is on the up and up and she's stunningly gorgeous. She's a deep shouldered, beautiful filly. She goes directly back to My Dear Girl, the dam of In Reality. It's a beautiful pedigree that's not on the page. If she can run to her pedigree, they are going to have a lot of fun.”
Hip 105 f. MCKINZIE sold for $120,000 at Midlantic Fall Yearlings! Congrats to the connections:
B: Gatsas Stables
C: Becky Davis, agt
Br: Bowman & Higgins Stable (MD)#FasigMD @Gainesway @MarylandTB pic.twitter.com/VHuM5qOpPw— Fasig-Tipton (@FasigTiptonCo) October 1, 2024
Farrell said she sees all the ingredients lining up for a potentially vibrant marketplace in Maryland.
“I love coming up here and I have gotten to know a lot of breeders over the years,” Farrell said. “There are serious breeders here who are really good at what they do. They breed good horses on a national scale. They know their pedigrees, they know their horses and they bring a good product to market. I think they just need to get a few things in place to help these breeders to continue to support the Maryland program. And the number one thing, in my opinion, is purses. I think there are a lot of positive things in the works with [interim CEO of the Maryland Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority] Corey Johnson heading this new redevelopment initiative. I think he can change things for the good in Maryland given his track record with Kentucky Downs and Lone Star.”
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