yearling sales

In just five weeks, the annual Keeneland September Yearling Sale will be underway. Despite unprecedented challenges and ongoing uncertainty, it will mark the start of a marathon of events for Keeneland and its future President and CEO Shannon Arvin. "We've got a long fall," said Arvin, who now serves as Interim Head of Sales and will be officially named President-elect on September 1. "We've got the September Sale, the October race meet, the Breeders' Cup that we're so excited about and then we've got the November Breeding Stock sale to...

Overseas buyers are an ever-increasing fixture of the American yearling sales. It is not only the big-spending Maktoum family and Coolmore partners who are vital to the health of the market; an international presence stimulates spending at all levels of trade, fueled by visitors from all across Europe-not least the pinhookers who have enjoyed so much success with their buys at the breeze-ups-and Asia, Australasia and the Middle East. Global travel restrictions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic have, naturally, caused some unrest in the minds of sellers as they put...

Working in racing has always been a stressful occupation; a roller-coaster of emotions, triumphs and tragedies, long hours and travel. Add a global pandemic and unprecedented economic worry, with many participants fearing for their health, livelihoods and businesses, and the stress can become almost overwhelming. It's the sort of topic many people don't like to talk about, but we asked several industry participants to open about what particular stresses they were feeling during these very concerning times, and how they were dealing with them. CRAIG BANDOROFF, Denali Stud  This business...

The Keeneland September Sale, scheduled to take place one day later than the 2019 renewal, will commence Sunday, Sept. 13. With over 6,000 yearlings currently entered, the 2020 sale runs through Sept. 28. The deadline for withdrawal is Friday, June 12. The format of Books 1 and 2 will remain the same as last year, with approximately 1,330 yearlings on offer during the first week. The dark day will be Wednesday, Sept. 16. An additional 3,000 yearlings--375 per session--will be offered through eight days of selling during Week 2; Books...

The extended hiatus in the Thoroughbred business is forcing changes to the accepted calendar and offers the opportunity to make others. The extent of the issues to be resolved will be uncertain for some time, but there are two inevitable challenges to be faced: depression of the economy will reduce demand at the sales and there will be a loss of income for racing owing to reduced betting activity. There is one change to the sales schedule which would be constructive in the long term and pragmatic in the short:...

There is one thing about the delayed start to the flat season-it means that more trainers are still riding Classic dreams than is normally the case by mid-May. Mark Johnston is the winningmost trainer in British history-he has saddled 4508 winners in the country-and each year since 2017 he has sent out in excess of 200 winners in a season. So chances are Johnston has more than a few horses in his Kingsley Park Yard in Yorkshire to look forward to when racing in Britain resumes presumably early next month....

Selling Thoroughbred horses online has never quite caught on in the U.S. as buyers and their advisors are obviously reluctant to purchase a horse they cannot examine in person. But a West Virginia-based auction company is forging ahead with an ambitious online sale later this month, its owners confident that Thoroughbred racing is ready to accept the online marketplace. "In 2000, if you asked me if this is going to work I would have said no," said Tim Jennings, who runs ThoroughbredAuctions.com with his wife, Cathy. "I just didn't think...

All of us at Fasig-Tipton hope that you are staying healthy and safe during this COVID-19 pandemic. We know that many of you have questions about Fasig-Tipton's 2020 selected yearling sales. Below, please find some information that we hope will be helpful: In order to create the best possible marketplace for the 2020 yearling sales, we believe it is imperative that the start of yearling sales season occur after the vast majority of 2-year-old sales have been conducted. This could result in a modification to the originally announced Kentucky July...

By Jessica Martini & Christie DeBernardis LEXINGTON, KY - The five-day Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale opened with a workmanlike session Monday in Lexington, with Applauding (Congrats), a mare originally led out unsold, ultimately bringing the day's highest price of $360,000. The session topper (hip 135) was consigned by Hill 'n' Dale Sales Agency and was purchased by Hunter Valley Farm. Tami Bobo's First Finds purchased the day's top-priced short yearling, going to $310,000 for a son of Quality Road (hip 242) from the Denali Stud consignment. "It...

Meets Expectations (Valid Expectations--Meetmeontime, by General Meeting), the dam of multiple 2019 Eclipse Award finalist World of Trouble (Kantharos), headlines the latest round of supplements to Keeneland's January Horses of All Ages Sale, to be held Jan. 13-17, Keeneland announced Monday. Hunter Valley, agent, consigns Meets Expectations (Hip 398L), in foal to Uncle Mo. She is a daughter of Valid Expectations and a half-sister to multiple Grade II winner Bucchero (Kantharos). Also the dam of stakes winner Money Or Love (J Be K) and 2019 winner Alfie Solomons (Kantharos), she...