Despite the bad weather all over the East Coast, buyers have been out looking on the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium ahead of the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Fall Yearlings Sale. This year, there is just one sale day—Oct. 1, beginning at 11 a.m. ET. There are 284 yearlings cataloged.
"A lot of faces from the 2-year-old sales speaks well for this catalog," said Paget Bennett, Fasig-Tipton's Midlantic sales director. "A lot of them might be thinking of this location for next year's 2-year-old sale (Fasig-Tipton's Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale). They might come back in May and do very well; grads of this sale have gone on to be successful at the 2-year-old sales."
Recent graduates of the Fall Yearlings Sale include Leave No Trace, winner of this year's Vagrancy Stakes (G3) and the Spinaway Stakes (G1) in 2022. The daughter of Outwork sold for $40,000 at the 2021 sale. I'm Very Busy, a 2022 graduate, won the Muniz Memorial Classic Stakes (G2T) this year at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots. Maryland-bred Post Time won the Carter Stakes (G2) this year at Aqueduct and was runner-up to National Treasure in the Metropolitan Handicap (G1) at Saratoga.
Last year the sale spanned two days with 412 horses cataloged; this year it has dropped down to one, with 284 head.
"We had one consignor that usually has 30-plus horses (in the sale), and they did not have this yearling sale on their calendar this year, so we made a change. I think people are keeping horses to race, too," said Bennett.
The catalog offers a diverse group for any level of buyers, including Maryland-breds by Maryland stallions, offerings from first-crop yearling sires such as Charlatan , second-leading freshman sire Vekoma , and proven sires such as Nyquist .
"The catalog might not be big, but we've got a lot of positive feedback of what they're seeing in the catalog, the pages, and I think a lot of it translates to the physicals when (buyers) get here to see them on the grounds," she said.
Last year over the two days, 290 horses sold for a total of $7,082,000, including private sales. The average was $24,421, with a median of $16,750. One hundred twenty-two horses did not sell, resulting in an RNA rate of 21.6%.
The top-selling yearling was Hip 160, a colt by Nyquist from the Becky Davis consignment. He sold for $205,000 to Thorostock and Seth Morris Thoroughbreds. Becky Davis was the leading seller in 2023, with 25 head sold for a total of $1,005,000. Thorostock and Seth Morris Thoroughbreds was the leading buyer, with six yearlings purchased for $520,000.
Fasig-Tipton has reported 23 outs thus far.
"Just based on what I'm seeing and foot traffic on the grounds, I'm cautiously optimistic," Bennett said. "But I'm pleased so far with the folks I'm seeing here. Based on everything going on in the East Coast with weather, I know traveling was difficult for many people."
