Fasig Tipton at Calder

It will be interesting to see exactly how far off the numbers will be at the FT Calder sale tomorrow. At this point in time it isn't really a matter of 'if' but 'how much' the numbers will be off. This is usually the strongest two year old sale in terms of quality of horses, especially in pedigree, and attracts all the leading buyers. It's success or lack of it will be a major benchmark in determining the fate of the commercial bloodstock market the rest of the year. If the pinhookers cant get a big chunk of their money back they will obviously have a whole lot less ammunition to spend at the summer yearling sales. The fact that the headline of the Wall Street Journal refers to the Dow dropping to the lowest point since 1997 surely wont help the cause.

Fasig Tipton has revamped its website and it is very well done. www.fasigtipton.com 

Fasig Tipton sale

Today is the Fasig-Tipton winter mixed sale. The book is very uninspiring as there are few lots that look on paper like they are worth pursuing. I have a couple of racing age fillies on the radar but nothing that really grabs you. The previous years results were never strong but this years numbers should be downright dismal.
I hate to be so pessimestic but this is a sale that rarely inspires.

Keeneland recap

The January sale is over thankfully. While the trends of the economy worldwide and the horse market in general continue to decline this sale was off not only because of those factors but because of a weak group of horses and the numerous scratches. I was pleased to get $14000 for my Grand Reward yearling but disappointed that Moonlight Flite did not sell.

Out's out

The first out list has been posted by Keeneland and there are lots of them. Here is a link. Several of my targets are out which does not come as a surprise. The recently concluded OBS mixed sale was off close to 60% which was also not a surprise and though the quality of horses between the Keeneland sale and OBS is not really close, it is clearly a bad sign for sellers in next weeks sale.

Keeneland January

The sale is a week away and the forecast is not bright. The vast majority of industry people who I have talked to about the upcoming sale are pessimistic about this and the two year old sales. Of course most of those people are in the business of breeding, raising and/or selling horses so I suppose the opposite view would be the market will be ripe for buyers to pick off quality horses for prices that would normally be considered value. I am particularly interested in Crestwood's dispersal of the Everest Stable. There are several really interesting horses in that consignment including broodmares, racehorses and recently turned two year olds. I like Petionville as a sire of racehorses and I think he will be pretty good broodmare sire like his sire Seeking the Gold.

2009 sales

The Keeneland January sale is about a month away. The sale will be the first of the new year which many believe will be a continuation of the rough market experienced in 2008. There are a lot of quality horses in the January sale but it will be interesting to see exactly how many stay in the sale and what kind of reserves are being set. Azeri is the highest profile mare in the sale and supposedly she will be sold as part of some sort of tax reorgainzation or estate plan. I dont know that she will bring the huge prices that would have been expected for her just last year. CES is selling two lots, a PA bred yarling by Grand Reward and a broodmare prospect by Minardi named Moonlight Flite. They sell as hips 1320 and 2085 and will be sold with no reserve. I expect the colt to attract some attention as he is a well made horse by a sire who will get his first runners to the track next year and the demand for good looking PA breds has never been higher. The mare who is being sold as a broodmare prospect, however she could be put into training, has a nice family and is very correct as she was a $160,000 two year old in training purchase.

Genuine Devotion brings $1,000,000 at Fasig Tipton

Genuine Devotion who was selected and purchased at auction by CES was sold at the Fasig Tipton November sale for $1,000,000. She is a Grade 3 stakes winner and has won three stakes altogether along with close to $300,000 in earnings. Her 3/4 brother by Danehill Dancer, Mastercraftsman, is among the leading juveniles in Europe this year. Not bad for a $90,000 yearling.

High in the Park, the dam of Divine Park who was another bargain yearling purchase by CES ($20,000), was sold for $205,000 in foal to Medaglia d'Oro.