Records Fall at F-T October

by Amanda Duckworth 
The Fasig-Tipton October Fall Yearling Sale, the last major yearling sale of the year, ended its three-day run Wednesday by setting records across the board. In all, 837 horses traded hands in Lexington, leading to an overall gross of $30,006,200. That was a 7.5% increase over last year’s total of $27,908,000, when 818 horses found new homes. The average rose 5% to $35,850 from $34,117 in 2013, while the median of $18,500 was up 8.8% from last year’s mark of $17,000. All of the figures were a new benchmark for the sale. 
“It is a record gross, record average, record median–that pretty much says it all,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning, Jr. “Obviously, it was a very good horse sale overall. Clearly the October sale has established an important place on the calendar for both buyers and sellers alike. We are very, very happy.” 
The RNA rate for the sale came in at 20.7%. 
Aside from just setting new records, sales officials were also pleased at the overall tremendous growth the sale has experienced in the last five years. 
“In 2010, the sale averaged $13,616, the median was $5,000 and the gross was $9.3 million,” said Browning. “It is a sign of a dramatic change in this market. It is real simple: our consignors are bringing us a dramatically better horse. There are quality horses that have been sold at this sale and are going to continue to be sold at this sale. It is indicative of the racetrack performance.” 
Highlighting Wednesday’s session was hip 984, a Tapit–Sage Cat (Tabasco Cat) filly, who topped the entire sale when she sold for $410,000 to Conquest Stables. She was offered by Peter O’Callaghan’s Woods Edge Farm, which had purchased her as a weanling. 
For the day, 292 horses were sold for a gross of $10,632,900. The average of $36,414 was basically unchanged when compared to last year, while the median of $20,000 was up 5.3%. The RNA rate was 14.9%, the lowest of the three days of selling. 
“When you look at the statistics, the average was virtually the same all three days and the median was virtually the same all three days,” said Browning. “The buyback rate continued to improve, which probably was the result of both buyers and sellers making slight adjustments. It is pretty easy to understand why the sale has grown in terms of strength and popularity. It is always nice if you can improve both quality and quantity at the same time.”