Mike Machowsky

by Dan Ross & Jessica Martini POMONA, CA - The Fasig-Tipton California Fall Yearlings Sale, held Tuesday at Fairplex, produced average and median figures largely in line with its 2024 renewal even as its clearance rate declined. A total of 140 yearlings sold for $4,603,400. The average increased 11.4% to $32,666 and the median remained steady at $15,000. In 2024, 163 head grossed $4,781,400 for an average of $29,334. With 97 horses reported not sold, the buy-back rate rose to 40.8%. It was 34.8% a year ago. "The California breeding...

The Fasig-Tipton California Fall Yearlings Sale will be held Tuesday at Fairplex in Pomona, with bidding scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. PT. A total of 266 yearlings have been catalogued for the one-session auction. "It's been strong," Fasig-Tipton's California representative Mike Machowsky said of activity around the sales barns ahead of Tuesday's sale. "There were quite a few people out here looking yesterday. And they are starting out again today. Interest is always strong for these Cal-breds." The catalogue, made up predominantly of California-breds, includes yearlings by Army Mule,...

A total of 266 yearlings have been catalogued for the Fasig-Tipton California Fall Yearlings Sale to be held Tuesday, Sept. 23, at the Fairplex in Pomona. The single-session auction kicks off at 11 a.m. PT. Sires represented by yearlings in this year's catalogue include Army Mule, Authentic, Clubhouse Ride, Corniche, Cyberknife, Drain the Clock, Early Voting, Good Magic, Grazen, Hard Spun, Justify, Knicks Go, Liam's Map, Maxfield, Maximus Mischief, McKinzie, Nashville, Olympiad, Omaha Beach, Oscar Performance, Practical Joke, Sir Prancelot (Ire), Stay Thirsty, Tiz the Law and Vekoma. The vast...

On Wednesday came the news that Fasig-Tipton will offer a digital auction, to run Aug. 14 through Aug. 19, of 90 horses owned and bred by the late John Harris, who passed away in July aged 81. Harris leaves behind a towering legacy of Thoroughbred breeding and ownership in the state. The sale signifies a major reduction of Harris Farms' bloodstock and not a total dispersal, however, with the operation expected to continue with a smaller footprint going forward. Harris's reduction sale will take place just over a month before...

Over the 30 years former trainer Mike Machowsky spent plying his trade with stopwatch and condition book, his constant companion was the doughty California-bred. A Cal-bred helped launch his career-Native Boundary, who showed class and grit aplenty over three years and 22 starts. Only the Bobby Frankel-trained Eternity Star stood between him and the 1991 G1 Hollywood Derby. Later in Machowsky's career, the wily Cal-bred Caracortado stamped his mark over several seasons on some of the West Coast's most illustrious slug-fests over a mile. As Fasig-Tipton's California representative-a position he...

Bidding returns to Fairplex for the one-session Fasig-Tipton California Fall Yearlings Sale, which begins in Pomona at 11 a.m. PT Tuesday. "It got pretty busy throughout the day yesterday and it's really busy this morning," Fasig-Tipton California representative Mike Machowsky said from the sales grounds Monday morning. "We have a bunch of trainers and owners out here looking this morning, so that's a good sign. "I would expect anyone who races in California to be here. This is where you go to buy your premium Cal-breds, most likely, and if...

by Dan Ross & Jill Williams A $250,000 colt by late California sire Vronsky led Tuesday's one-session Fasig-Tipton California Fall Yearlings and Horses of Racing Age Sale, topping a dozen lots to sell for six figures. While the $5,751,500 gross for 185 head and $15,000 median (-11.76%) declined somewhat from the 2022 edition, average was up slightly from $30,522 in 2022 to $31,089 (+1.86%) this year. The buy-back rate, 25.7% in 2022, rose to 34%. "Buy-backs may be up a little bit," said Fasig-Tipton's California representative Mike Machowsky. "But the...

The one-day Fasig-Tipton California Fall Yearlings and Horses of Racing Age sale, which has firmly established its spot on the calendar for West Coast buyers, will get underway Tuesday, Sept. 26 at the Fairplex Sales Pavilion near Pomona. Expectations for the sale, now in its fifth edition, continue to grow every year. "If you race in California, you have to have Cal-breds in your barn," said Fasig-Tipton's California representative and former California-based trainer Mike Machowsky. "You need a balance in your stables and a lot of trainers and owners realize...

A total of 283 horses have been catalogued for the upcoming Fasig-Tipton California Fall Yearling Sale. The auction will be held Sept. 26 in Pomona, with bidding slated to begin at 11 a.m. PT. "This sale is the focal point for all those wanting to participate in the lucrative California-bred program, and this year's catalogue is strong in both quantity and quality," said Fasig-Tipton California representative Mike Machowsky. "While this sale primarily showcases the best of the California breeding program, there are several leading national sires represented, as well." A...

Fasig-Tipton has catalogued 53 horses of racing age entries for its upcoming California Fall Yearlings and Horses of Racing Age sale. These entries, which are catalogued as hips 301-353, will be sold immediately following the conclusion of the yearling portion of the catalogue. "This is a quality group of horses of racing age, providing buyers with 'ready to run' opportunities ahead of Santa Anita's autumn meet," said Mike Machowsky, Fasig-Tipton's California Representative. "We have a wide variety of offerings, ranging from stakes horses, to recent winners, to unraced 2-year-olds with...

Bidding returns to the Fairplex Sales Pavilion in Pomona Tuesday for the one-session Fasig-Tipton California Fall Yearlings and Horses of All Ages Sale. The action begins at noon, with 251 catalogued yearlings, and--for the first time--21 weanlings and broodmare/broodmare prospects in a section of horses of all ages. "The catalogue is very strong," said Fasig-Tipton's California representative Mike Machowsky. "There are some good-pedigreed horses and some good stallions on top of that, with Kentucky-sired Cal-breds, as well as our local sires." Shoppers were out in force on the sales grounds...

Fasig-Tipton has catalogued 267 entries for its California Fall Yearlings and Horses of All Ages Sale, to be held on Tuesday, Sept. 28, at Fairplex in Pomona, California. The sale will begin at 12 p.m. PDT. Hips 1-248 are all yearlings--primarily bred in California--by leading sires both nationally and regionally. Hips 249-267 consist of broodmares, racing and or broodmare prospects, and weanlings. "We are very pleased with how this catalogue has come together, especially from a pedigree point of view," said Fasig-Tipton California Representative Mike Machowsky. "Sire power represented among...