F-T Winter Mixed Sale Opens Monday

The Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Winter Mixed Sale begins its two-day run Monday in Lexington with the first of 640 catalogued lots scheduled to go through the sales ring at Newtown Paddocks at 10 a.m.

Brisk activity at the Fasig-Tipton sales grounds Sunday has given Derek MacKenzie of Vinery Sales reason to be optimistic for a good auction, despite some lackluster results at earlier mixed sales.

“The looker traffic has been very good,” MacKenzie said. “It's been better than I expected. The traffic makes me think it might be better than everyone thinks after January at Keeneland and OBS were pretty bad markets. I hope I'm not being unrealistic and maybe the traffic doesn't necessarily mean that the market will be any good, but it feels better anyway.”

Mixed sales results this year have been polarized, with plenty of demand for quality lots and a steep fall-off for those less popular offerings, but consignor Archie St. George did see some improvement in the middle market at the recent Keeneland January sale and looks for respectable results at the winter sale.

“I expect it will be a solid sale,” St. George said. “[Keeneland] January was up and down, it seems like it's all or nothing. Good foals, now short yearlings, are selling well. There is plenty of appeal there and they are selling well. The middle-of-the-road mare was probably more solid in January than it had been in November. So, I wouldn't say I have high expectations for this sale, but I think it will be solid.”

With the breeding season scheduled to begin in just a few weeks, St. George said young broodmare prospects will be particularly sought after at the two-day auction.

“I think the above-average fillies off the track with pedigree and some black-type is what seems to sell the best, with the breeding season right around the corner. A filly with some black-type appeals to people who are still looking to fill some nice seasons.”

Among the 60 supplemental entries to the catalogue, St. George will offer the racing/broodmare prospect Sastrugi (Bodemeister) (hip 604). The 3-year-old half-sister to Grade I winner Morning Line (Tiznow) is unraced, but worked twice at Thoroughbred Training Center in January.

“She had some very minor setbacks, but she has some breezes under her belt and she is pretty close to being ready to go,” St. George said.

Another supplemental entry is Grade I winner Dr. Zic (Milwaukee Brew) (hip 611). In foal to Constitution, the 11-year-old mare sells through James Keogh's Grovendale consignment. Darby Dan Farm sends 5-year-old graded stakes winner Super Majesty (Super Saver) (hip 238) through the ring as a broodmare prospect.

Taylor Made consigns Cinnamon Spice (Candy Ride {Arg}) (hip 345), a half-sister to Grade I winner Violence (Medaglia d'Oro), on behalf of Fox Hill Farms. The 6-year-old sells as a racing or broodmare prospect. Also for Fox Hill, Taylor Made will sell multiple graded stakes placed Glory (Tapit) (hip 640).

Action on the perceived quality weanlings and short yearlings has been brisk throughout the mixed sales season and pinhookers will likely be busy shopping at the season's last event.

“A nice yearling will always probably sell well because there is always the demand for the good ones by a commercial stallion,” St. George said. “Realistically, the better yearlings have maybe already been through auction, but it's still a solid market to sell a good yearling in.”

Last year's leading freshman sire Dialed In, represented by Saturday's GII Lambholm South Holy Bull S. runner-up Gunnevera as well as the topper at last month's Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Mixed Sale, has five yearlings in the Kentucky catalogue, including hip 281. Out of Casey's Irish Pride (Salt Lake), the St. George Sales-consigned colt is a half-brother to recent Sugar Bowl S. winner Proforma (Munnings). St. George sold Proforma at the Winter sale two years and sees similiarities between the two youngsters.

“The Dialed In is a nice horse,” St. George said. “He is pretty similar. They're both big, strong horses and physically they're pretty compatible. And Dialed In is obviously doing very well.”

The catalogue features 28 horses from the dispersal of Dr. Robert Zoellner's Oklahoma-based Rockin Z Ranch. Handled by Vinery Sales, the dispersal features graded stakes winners She's All In (Include) (hip 96), in foal to Magna Graduate, and Peach Brew (Milwaukee Brew) (hip 20), in foal to Temple City.

MacKenzie added the dispersal was adding another level of buyers as regional shoppers look to stock up.

“We've got it all in the barn from the dispersal; we've got a stallion, we've got mares, yearlings and a lot of them are Oklahoma accredited, and racing stock that is still running. I think we tick all the boxes in the barn right now. We actually even have a couple of foals that were just born. It's a one-stop shop. The dispersal has definitely drawn some extra people. Not only have people shown up for the Oklahoma-breds, but I've had numerous texts and e-mails from people that are out there that are definitely interested and asking a lot of questions.”

He continued, “The high-end mares are drawing attention from Oklahoma, but also from everywhere else. She's All in and Peach Brew are attracting plenty of attention as graded stakes winners.”

A total of 341 head grossed $8,260,600 during the 2016 Winter sale, for an average of $24,225 and a median of $9,500. Flashy American (Flashy Bull), in foal to Orb, brought the auction's highest price when selling for $395,000. Returned to the Fasig-Tipton sales ring in November and in foal to Tapit, the mare sold for $950,000 and her Orb weanling sold for $310,000.