One look around the sales pavilion at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds In Training Sale and there are plenty of familiar faces. But the landscape might look a little different for anyone who hadn't kept up with who's buying at the Timonium, Md., sale for a couple of years.
That's because Fasig-Tipton has made a concerted effort to attract more international buyers. Those efforts are starting to pay off with both online and in-person purchases.
"Certainly, we had very strong Middle East participation from a number of countries there. I'm fairly confident that we had buyers from Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and possibly a few other countries were represented," said Fasig-Tipton president and CEO Boyd Browning.
Saudi princes made big splashes at the sale.
KAS Stables bought the opening-day sale topper, nabbing Hip 276, a Bernardini filly, for $650,000. Pedro Lanz, agent, representing KAS Stables, was ecstatic at getting their target, which he described as a "million-dollar filly."
That price tag was matched on Day 2 of the sale, May 21 when Prince Faisal Bin Khaled Bin Abdulaziz's Najd Stud bought Music Critic, a Maclean's Music colt, for $650,000.
Both purchases represent first-time Midlantic sale buys for Saudi princes. A third Saudi prince, Saud Bin Salman, was also a buyer.
Browning said the sales company has made a concerted effort over the last two years to increase its footprint internationally, in the Middle East in particular.
"It's about making introductions and developing confidence and educating people about what we have on offer here. We saw the results of some of those efforts," he said after the first day.
Fasig-Tipton hired Michael Adolphson in January 2023 as its Middle East representative. Adolphson, a Baltimore native, was the lead English broadcaster and producer for the Dubai Racing Channel and contract publicist for The Saudi Cup, Breeders' Cup, and Belmont Stakes Racing Festival.
Anna Seitz Ciannello, Fasig-Tipton's director of client relations, went to Saudi Arabia, Dubai, and Bahrain this year around the time of the Feb. 24 Saudi Cup. She said that the company, which Dubai-based Synergy Investments own, needed to be more aggressive in letting people know about its sales offerings, especially the Midlantic sale, the only 2-year-old sale on dirt in the United States.
"It was absolutely unbelievable the amount of people we met, how they rolled out the red carpet for us and introduced us to all the major trainers and then all the major owners, having private meetings with the sheiks and princes in those three different regions," Seitz Ciannello recalled.
One of the attractions for Middle Eastern clients is the appeal of dirt track racing. Browning said the region's embracing dirt racing plus the sale's place on the calendar—being after the Dubai World Cup in late March—makes it a prime shopping opportunity.
"I could see that they wanted these U.S. horses. The dirt horses are running really well in that region and on those big days. So I'm like, 'We have to figure out how to get to those guys,'" Seitz Ciannell said, noting Adolphson's already established relationships played a vital part in connecting with the key players.
Because Adolphson isn't an agent, he had no conflicts in making introductions. Trainers and buyers knew they could trust him.
"I've worked there now for seven years. My goal has always been to increase the quality of racing over there and just keep it going," Adolphson said. "Because once you live there for a certain amount of time you realize that there's so many people entrenched in the sport and in the history of the horse. That is just fantastic."
Part of the effort to put Fasig-Tipton on the minds of buyers in the Middle East was a racetrack sponsorship and another at King Abdulaziz Racetrack on Saudi Cup Day. Seitz Ciannello said it's easy to think everyone knows about Fasig-Tipton compared to other sales companies, but being on the other side of the world makes distinguishing itself difficult.
To address that, once Seitz Ciannello returned, Fasig-Tipton sent out approximately 100 catalogs printed in English and Arabic that were packaged in a special box.
"We've been rewarded with our efforts because they've showed up and they're buying," she said.
Seitz Ciannello said that Middle Eastern buyers were going to Europe for turf horses but now there has been a change in focus.
"It's shifted to wanting really good dirt horses with good pedigree, horses that can last. They're not afraid to buy a 2-year-old, 3-year-old, 4-year-old, 5-year-old; if the horse vets, they have no issue," she said.
Trainer Bhupat Seemar said this year was his second time visiting the Midlantic sale. One of his purchases last year, the Kentucky-bred Mendelssohn Bay won the UAE Two Thousand Guineas (G3) in January.
"There are good horses here. And secondly, the racing in Dubai is improving all the time. There's more prize money, there's more international owners there. So there's a big appetite to get good horses to race in Dubai. And you know Dubai's got the point system to go to the Kentucky Derby from the UAE Derby, which really helps, and also the point system from the UAW to go to the Kentucky Oaks," he said.
Seemar purchased seven horses over the two days in Timonium for seven different clients. He said all of his purchases will head to Dubai.
Not all of the horses will necessarily head overseas. Some of the buyers, according to Seitz Ciannello, are contemplating setting up operations in the United States. Without racing during the hottest time of year in the Middle East, consideration is being made to keeping horses with trainers in the States with the option to ship them for the fall racing season.
One such example of that is the "million-dollar filly" Lanz bought for KAS Stables. She will be staying in the States. Same goes for the Justify filly (Hip 171) purchased by Case Clay Thoroughbred Management, which bought her for Qatar-based Wathnan Racing at a price tag of $500,000 on Day 1 of the sale.
Other locations buyers in the sale originate from include Japan, South America, India, Canada, and England, and there was an online purchase from a Cyprus-based Russian buyer.
Racecourse
Adolphson said there were "big-time owners" from the United Arab Emirates who purchased on the sale's first day.
"Those will be revealed when they want us to reveal who they are," he said.
Some notable purchases at the sale:
- Wathnan Racing grabbed a Practical Joke filly (Hip 450) for $525,000.
- Lanz and KAS struck again, winning out for a Justify colt (Hip 400) with the hammer dropping at $425,000. Earlier on Day 2, they also nabbed a Volatile colt for $200,000.
- Seemar, who counts Dubai World Cup (G1) winner Laurel River and Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1) winners Switzerland and Tuz as part of his Zabeel Stables at Meydan Racecourse, purchased a Medaglia d'Oro colt (Hip 256) for $325,000. He also came out on top for Hip 500, a Lord Nelson colt for $250,000, and Hip 339, a Vekoma colt at $200,000. Seemar, serving as agent for Saudi-based FMQ Stables, signed the ticket on Hip 258, a Bolt d'Oro colt, for $100,000.
- Prince Saud Bin Salman purchased a Good Magic filly (Hip 250) for $180,000.
- The Seoul Racehorse Owners' Association (KOID), went to $37,000 for Hip 128, a Good Samaritan colt.
