The Fasig-Tipton Winter Mixed Sale gets underway Feb. 3 at 10 a.m. in the Newtown Paddocks in Lexington. This sale offers breeders the last opportunity to add a mare to their broodmare band or for pinhookers to pick up a short yearling from a live auction. A total of 414 horses have been cataloged, including supplements.
"I think we have a really good idea of what to expect," said Boyd Browning Jr., president and CEO of Fasig-Tipton. "There's going to be great competition on 20% of the horses, the ones with pages turned down, there's been very, very high activity on them. And, for a significant portion of the horses, there will be limited competition. We live in a market where there is some fragmentation, and there is segmentation and that's going to continue for a while."
"Any horse that you really want to buy, it'll be very fierce competition, and for others, will be less competition than any of us would hope."
The single-session sale features three dispersals, including the dispersal of Red Oak Stable, consigned by Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa, agent; The Walking L Thoroughbreds dispersal, consigned by Gainesway, agent; and the dispersal of William L. Pape consigned by Paramount Sales, and Royal Oak Farm (Damian and Braxton Lynch).
Grade 1 winner Unbridled Mo, cataloged as Hip 401, highlights the five-horse dispersal for the late owner and breeder Stephen Brunetti's Red Oak Stable. The 11-year-old homebred daughter of Uncle Mo earned just over $1 million in her career, with her biggest win coming in the 2018 Apple Blossom Handicap (G1). Her yearling colt by Curlin will be offered as Hip 395,
"We always hate to see our industry lose people that have been participants for generations, like the Brunetti family," said Browning. "They've been an important part of our business on a variety of fronts. But, clearly these horses are a boost to the catalog. A grade 1 winner like Unbridled Mo, she's got a beautiful Curlin baby that's selling before her and he is an absolutely stunning colt."
Others earmarked by Browning as potential standouts in the catalog include Hip 299, Forever Dixie, offered as a broodmare prospect. The multiple graded stakes-placed daughter of Quality Road was bred and campaigned by John C. Oxley and is consigned by Grovendale Sales, agent.
Hip 228 is the stakes-producing mare Boxwood, offered in foal to Nyquist and consigned by Royal Oak Farm (Damian and Braxton Lynch) agent for William L. Pape Dispersal.
"She (Boxwood) is the dam of (stakes winner) Keep It Easy, she's a lovely mare, and in foal to Nyquist, who couldn't be any hotter as well," added Browning.
Last year's sale was highlighted by Zetta Z, the dam of multiple graded stakes winner Nysos, who sold to Coolmore Stud for $2 million from the Grovendale Sales consignment. Grade 1 winner Bell's the One sold for $1.3 million to Catherine Hudson, agent as part of the Lothenbach Stable's complete dispersal.
A bay colt by Into Mischief consigned as Hip 494 fetched the highest price for a short yearling last year, selling for $650,000 to North Ocean Equine, also from the Lothenbach dispersal.
Gross receipts totaled $21,687,000 from 372 horses sold including private sales, with an average of $58,298, and a median of $17,000 over the two-day sale. Sixty-one horses failed to meet their reserve, resulting in an RNA rate of 14.1%.
Vinery Sales led the consignors with 73 sold for a total of $7,098,500. Coolmore Stud topped the buyers with their $2 million purchase of Zetta Z.
"It's a typical February catalog, there's going to be horses that sell from $1,000 to several hundred thousand dollars. It's kind of what we expect," Browning said.
As of Sunday evening, Fasig-Tipton has reported 75 outs.
