There are plenty of traditions in racing. Some are obvious—think roses and the Kentucky Derby. Others aren't as obvious. Maybe they slide under the radar because we are so accustomed to them.
That they feel so commonplace shouldn't diminish their value. No, instead they deserve that moment of appreciation.
One tradition that takes place at the Fasig-Tipton October Sale, which kicks off Oct. 24, is the presence of Indiana-based consignor Ricky Higgs. Higgs has made this sale his one and only stop for selling horses.
"It's proven to be a pretty good production sale," he said. "A lot of winners, stake winners, a couple of Derby horses, and you're only battling 1,500 or so. You go to Keeneland, you're battling 4,000-5,000."
He added, "Back when I was working (as a crane operator), I could go up there and sell all my horses in a week and I got a decent clientele up there. And I just like going there. They've been good to me, my horses seem to sell okay, so I kind of stayed with it after I retired. I've just been happy with the results and the way they treat me."
He may not have sold a horse for $1 million, but he's had some good fortune. Last year, he sold Belgian Blue, a Munnings filly out of the Hard Spun mare Bella Cardella, for $250,000. That was his second-highest-selling horse behind Mystery Man in 2018 ($270,000).
Higgs will be bringing 10 horses he hopes to sell. He handled prepping half of them for the sale, while his clients handled the rest.
Higgs doesn't know if any of the 10 will approach Belgian Blue's sales price, but if one were to do so or even exceed it, it would be a Justify colt consigned as Hip 998.
"They've been selling well," Higgs said of Justify's offspring. "I think people will like him. He could be a little bit taller, he's 15-2, but he'll grow a lot when they start breaking him."
At the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, 52 of Justify's progeny were sold, with the top seller going for $1,100,000 and the average price for his offspring was $316,519.
"You never know. People get up there and get a read on whether they like them or don't," Higgs said. "My experience with horses is you wouldn't think the one they'd pick is the one they'd pick. Everybody's got a different opinion."
Another one Higgs believes could approach a quarter of a million dollars is a Practical Joke filly consigned as Hip 704. He is also high on a Malibu Moon filly consigned as Hip 497. She is out of the Halo's Image mare and 2011 Canadian Champion Female Sprinter Atlantic Hurricane.
"The others just kind of look like racehorses. They haven't got the best pedigree in the world, but they just look like racehorses," he said. "That's normally what I tried to buy, a horse that looks like a racehorse. You know, I can't afford the high-dollar pedigrees, so I just have to try to find an individual."
No conversation about horses Higgs has sold is complete without standout stallion Into Mischief . Sold for $80,000 in 2005. Now, Into Mischief has produced the most earnings on the track the last two years—approaching $50 million. He stands stud at Spendthrift Farm for $250,000 next year.
Higgs cannot believe the "runt" he first saw has developed into the paragon of success that he is.
"I am tickled to death that he's as successful as he is. I didn't picture him ever doing what he is," Higgs said.
Higgs has been in the game for a long time, first as a trainer and now as a consignor. But the past year has been a difficult one for him health-wise. That said, he's not done yet. That means more opportunities to appreciate one of the traditions of the Fasig-Tipton October Sale.
"I'm going to slow down," he said. "I'm not going to do as much as I normally do. I've got one horse that I'm going to try to run maybe next year. My wife takes care of him. She does all the grooming and stuff. He's just kind of a hobby and a pet. If he makes it to the races, great. If he doesn't, that's okay, too."
