By Jessica Martini
The Fasig-Tipton July Selected Horses of Racing Age will be held Monday evening in Lexington, KY with bidding scheduled to begin at the Newtown Paddocks at 5 p.m.
Now in its fifth year, the auction's catalogue grew to 126 with the addition of 19 supplemental entries last week and another on Sunday morning.
“This is year five,” Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning, Jr. said. “People have a lot of confidence in the market. They have a much better idea of what to expect. It's an established sale now, it's part of the marketplace.”
There are 17 stakes winners on offer this year, including four graded stakes winners: Bitumen (Mineshaft) (hip 410); Distinta (Summer Bird) (hip 423); Made You Look (More Than Ready) (hip 462); and Whiskey Ticket (Ghostzapper) (hip 503).
“I think that the depth of quality this year is without question the strongest we've ever had,” Browning continued. “I think it's a great opportunity for people to buy a ready-made racehorse–whether you want to run at Saratoga or Del Mar, or whether you want to race in Kentucky or the Midlantic or Southwest regions of the country. There is literally something for everybody in the horses of racing age section. And there are some fillies with significant racing ability and significant broodmare potential.”
Horses with recent updates in the catalogue include Adorable Miss (Kitten's Joy) (hip 403), winner of the July 4 Martha Washington S. at Gulfstream Park; Benefactor (More Than Ready) (hip 409), third in the GIII Carry Back S.; Bronson (Medaglia d'Oro) (hip 411), second in the Not Surprising S.; and Rose to Fame (Gemologist) (hip 522), winner of the Brave Raj S.
A notable last-minute addition to the sale came Sunday morning when it was announced that Dreamin (Woke Up Dreamin) would be offered by Darby Dan Farm, agent as hip 526. The 4-year-old capped a three-race win streak in the Saylorville S. at Prairie Meadows Thursday evening, for which she earned a career-best 90 Beyer Speed Figure.
Last year's Horses of Racing Age sale was topped by Stormy Lucy (Stormy Atlantic), who sold to SF Bloodstock for $575,000. In all, 72 horses sold last year for $5,048,500. The average was $70,118 and the median was $42,000.
Fasig's July Sale of Selected Yearlings will take place Tuesday.
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