Horse Racing

Fasig-Tipton suspends sales in Gulfstream


Fasig-Tipton will not host a select number of 2-year-olds in this year’s South Florida training sale without any clear indication shortly that sales will return. Gulfstream Park.

The Lexington-based sales company has been running a 2-year-old sale at Hallandale, Fla., since 2015, after three years at the Palm Meadows Training Center and one at the site. Frank Stronach’s former Adena Springs South camp nearby. Ocala.

Fasig-Tipton President, Boyd Browning Jr. inn for us to discount there this year. We’ve had a long relationship there and will probably have the opportunity to return there in the future.”

Several shippers who regularly sell at Fasig-Tipton’s Florida sale said they weren’t surprised to see the sale postponed, especially since this year’s edition is being held on March 30. sold only 35 horses out of 52 offered for sale. The number offered this year is the lowest since the sale moved to Gulfstream and is 40% less than the previous smallest number offered of 87 horses in 2017.

“For me personally, it was a huge shock,” said Ciaran Dunne, owner of Wavertree Stables, the top depositor in this year’s sale with a total of $3.92 million in sales from nine sold units. sell, said. “That discount has worked for us over the years and it’s a great location. The market for 2-year-olds is consolidating and that means fewer opportunities for distribution. One of the things we’ve always tried to do is introduce horses at certain points. You can’t lump them all together, but the writing (about the sale of Gulfstream) has been hung. on the wall for several years.”

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Prior to 2010, Calder Racecourse was formerly the home of Fasig-Tipton for select sales in Florida. Sales averaged 210 horses between 2005-2009, this number fell to 145 last year at Calder in 2010. The first sale at Gulfstream offered 132 horses but sales Subsequent sales numbers that will equal or exceed 100 horses have only been offered twice since 2015.

“Without the Gulfstream sale, I don’t think it would change anything,” said shipper Niall Brennan. “Fasig-Tipton has struggled to put a portfolio together; they don’t attract enough horses. Going to Miami is expensive and it’s not Fasig-Tipton’s fault, it’s just reality. In terms of logistics, it’s a huge plus for Ocala-based shippers to sell in Ocala—cost-wise, time-saving, stress-reducing, employee-wise—it’s easier so many.”

Dunne said he thinks Gulf Sales offers a number of benefits to shippers.

“It’s almost a Saratoga-like site, a small venue. It’s a mile-long dirt track in the racing scene, so it creates an atmosphere. You have most of the trainers. The top in the country is stable there, so it’s easier for them to go out and see the horses,” he said.

In addition, the smaller category allows horses that may not have the fastest compositions to still be taken seriously.

“When you stamp a horse as a Gulfhorse, it means you believe it can withstand competitive pressure. It gives buyers confidence that you think it’s a nice horse before you order it. it got on a truck and sent it down there,” Dunne said. “If you have a nice horse that isn’t necessarily the fastest – like Independence Hall – there’s a market for them.”

Independence Hall was acquired at The Gulfstream Sale in 2019 with a final bid of $200,000. Wavertree sold him privately to Robert and Kathleen Verratti, who later became partners in Eclipse Purebred Partners and Twin Creeks Racing Stables. The foal became a multi-time classified bet winner and earned $881,500.

Training and surfing on dirt roads can be important to buyers.

“I think it’s huge,” said consignor Tom McCrocklin, second shipper at this year’s Gulfstream sale with $2.52 million in total sales from four units sold. “I’ve seen too many horses run well on the synthetic track but then that level of talent doesn’t turn to dirt. Now, I understand the synthetic track at OBS to deal with the long windy days and the difficult times. heavy rain day. I too am a believer in diversity and a believer in competition.”

Ocala Breeders’ Sales has a one-mile track with a synthetic SafeTrack surface that was installed in 2007. The all-weather surface allows the sales company to continue holding shows even after several days of heavy rain.

Brennan said: “We saw torrential rain that you can’t see and 30 minutes later we had wind again. “It’s a very safe and stable surface, which is especially important for two-year-olds. These days it’s all about speed. You either have to go straight or nobody’s looking at them; it’s impossible to turn around. You have to have the surface that’s best for them, and that’s the biggest reason for that surface at OBS.”

Realizing the value of displaying minors on the ground, another change Fasig-Tipton is making for next year is adding a June sale at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium, where the public The sales company held a training sale for 2-year-olds in May.

“We’ve been oversubscribed in recent years for the May sale and there’s some pressure on that, so we think we can serve the market with a lot of horses in the area.” sector,” Browning said of the new drop in June. “At that time of year, there are three or four races going on within three hours in Maryland, so this seems like a sensible addition to the schedule and allows sellers to capitalize on that opportunity.”

Browning added that he still believes Gulfstream Park is a viable site but cannot say if 2023 will be a break.

“Yes, under the right circumstances,” he said of the sale back to Gulfstream. “However, I don’t know what their eventual situation will be in the future. Everyone evaluates their sales schedule every year, looking for opportunities to adjust and improve it. This year we are will focus all of our efforts on the 2-year-olds selling at Timonium We still believe there is a great advantage for buyers to have the chance to have fun and practice on the dirt track and results from the students. Our sales graduate proves it.”

McCrocklin said he is skeptical about the success of the new June sale in the Midlantic but he sees some potential.

“People were very tired of selling at that time. Sellers were tired and buyers were tired. By the end of June, everyone had enough,” he said. “I really think this will be an opportunity to sell horses that failed at the beginning of the year or were acquired in April by OBS. It will give you one more chance to get your money back, but no one will point out that sale.”

Without the scheduled Gulfstream sale, McCrocklin saw an immediate benefit to OBS—right from his own barn.

“I’m the promoter of that. I’ve had $200,000 to $700,000 crochet hook purchases bought as an annuity and most of it is going to Miami, so just from my shipment OBS has become a no-brainer. be a benefactor of not selling in Miami,” he said.

Tom Ventura, president of OBS, said he hopes to pick up a few horses for the 2-year-old Training Sale in March that was supposed to go to South Florida but those horses won’t affect significantly to an already high-quality sale.

“Over time, the quality of both March and April and June for that matter has increased significantly and buyers have great confidence in the market here,” he said. “I think that’s going to continue. The number of horses these sale offers attract a deep buying pool; these are the sales that buyers are aiming for.”

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