Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Winter Mixed Sale ends with record aggregate

New sale records were achieved for gross and median as the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Winter Mixed Sale came to an end on Wednesday near Lexington, where $750,000 racing or broodmare prospect Brilliant Cut closed out two days of action with a bang.

Japan's Katsumi Yoshida saw out rivals bidding over the internet to secure the four-year-old daughter of Speightstown from new consignor Highgate Sales. Brilliant Cut topped a sale where the cumulative gross reached $17,245,500 for 431 horses sold at an average price of $40,013, with a $16,000 median.

Cumulatively, 56 horses failed to meet their reserve to represent an extremely low RNA rate of 11.5 per cent. The average was the highest in sale history in a non-dispersal year, and the second highest overall.

The previous record gross of $13,781,700 was set in 2014. The RNA rate is the third lowest in sale history and the lowest since the record was set in 1992.

"Tremendous horse sale, great activity on all types of horses and at all levels," said Fasig-Tipton's president and CEO Boyd Browning Jr.

"The most encouraging thing was the depth of the marketplace. The energy has been apparent since the weather broke on Sunday. You could walk around and you saw multiple horses out showing at multiple barns. I think we all said, 'This is going to be OK.'"

Fasig-Tipton reported for the second day of selling that 233 horses were traded of the 251 that went through the ring. It accounted for gross receipts of $10,646,700, an average price of $45,694, and a median of $18,000. A low RNA rate of 7 per cent represents the 18 horses that failed to sell.

In 2021 Fasig-Tipton reported 218 horses sold from 260 offered on the second day with gross receipts of $8,550,400. The average was $39,222 and the median was $11,000. The 42 unsold horses represented an RNA rate of 16 per cent. Across the two days of the 2021 sale, 425 horses were reported sold for $12,506,700. The 99 unsold horses represented a cumulative RNA rate of 19 per cent.

The sale-topping four-year-old daughter of Speightstown showed recent form with a second in the December 26 Grade 1 La Brea Stakes along with hitting the board in the Santa Ynez Stakes last season.

Jill Gordon and Jacob West of Highgate Sales were thrilled with the results of the two days.

"We are pleased to report we are 10 for 10 at our inaugural sale. We can't thank our clients enough," Gordon said. "All in all, it couldn't have been a better way to start."

Yoshida's single purchase made him the leading buyer of the sale. Taylor Made Sales Agency closed out the sale as the leading consignor by gross after selling 52 of their 58 horses for gross receipts of $4,323,500.

David Meah bought the second most expensive lot of the dayCredit: Fasig-Tipton Photos

David Meah of Meah/Lloyd Bloodstock purchased the day's second-highest offering, Lady Edith, for $370,000 for a new partnership in Abbodanza Racing and Omar Aldabbagh. Hermitage Farm consigned the four-year-old filly by Street Boss for the estate of J David Richardson, who bred and campaigned the filly with Sandra New.

Taylor Made Sales Agency consigned the session's leading broodmare, Lucky Draw, who sold in foal to Three Chimneys' leading sire Gun Runner for $330,000 to Gracie Bloodstock, agent. The unraced Lookin At Lucky mare has produced a stakes winner in her first foal by Frosted, You Look Cold, winner of the Finest City Stakes.

Four Star Sales purchasing on behalf of a pinhooking partnership picked up the day's top-priced short yearling, a colt by City of Light, for $180,000 from Taylor Made Sales Agency. The colt out of Justwalkonby, by Giant's Causeway, was bred in Kentucky by Fred Hertrich III, John Fielding, and Robert Tribbett.

City of Light was the sale's leading short yearling sire (minimum two sold) by both average ($220,000) and gross ($440,000). Gun Runner was the sale's leading covering sire (minimum two sold) with a $205,000 average and an $820,000 gross.

"I think this is something we are going to see through the end of the year; at least we are all banking on it," said buyer/consignor Kerry Cauthen of Four Star Sales. "Things will transition with the economy, we are starting to tighten up interest rates, and it will trickle down.

"Still, we have a high demand for racehorses and Kentucky will be one of the strongest if not the strongest circuit around. We have a lot of new players if you look around … the people that weren't in the marketplace this year have been replaced and then some. I think there is a lot of excitement."

A youngster by Spendthrift's sire Audible sold for $165,000 to Castleton Way to be the day's highest-priced short yearling filly. Blake-Albina Thoroughbred Services consigned and Newtown Anner Stud-bred the New York-born filly out of the stakes winner Rachel's Temper.

The final breeding stock sale of the season has concluded for Fasig-Tipton and now all eyes will turn to the juvenile market. Next up will be The Gulfstream Sale, Fasig-Tipton's sale of selected two-year-olds held at Gulfstream Park on March 30.

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