Peter Pugh

The Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale continued Friday into Book 3 with young mares and weanlings by young, exciting stallions bringing a premium. "Today's session exceeded expectations, and it felt more like a continuation of Book 2 than the start of Book 3," Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy said. "The energy here has been tremendous, and we continue to see an incredible diversity of buyers eager to reinvest after such a strong year. There's a real sense of optimism and momentum that's carrying through every session and I...

The Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Fall Mixed Sale, not to be outdone by its yearling sale counterpart which broke records in August, set its own highwater marks for gross, average, median and top-priced lot Tuesday in upstate New York. During the one-session auction, 133 horses grossed $6,177,500, for an average of $46,447 and a median of $22,000. The average jumped 74.2% from last year's figure of $26,663 and the median rose 46.7% from $15,000 in 2024. With 73 horses reported not sold, the buy-back rate was 35.4%. It was 40.8% a year...

LEXINGTON, KY - The Fasig-Tipton October Yearlings Sale smashed its previous records for gross and average and produced its lowest buy-back rate in 11 years when it concluded its four-day run in Lexington Thursday. " All in all, I am somewhere between thrilled and ecstatic with the results of these four days," Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning, Jr. said at the close of business Thursday evening. "The consignors continue to bring us higher quality horses each and every year and it is reflected in these results and these statistics." Through four...

by Jessica Martini & Stefanie Grimm LEXINGTON, KY - During a session dominated for much of the day by the short yearlings, the supplemented broodmare Sebago Lake (Tapit) jumped to the lead in the final hips when selling for $700,000 to Mandy Pope's Whisper Hill Farm. Overall, through two days of the four-day auction, 430 head have grossed $31,596,700 for an average of $73,481 and a median of $30,500. With continued strength at the top of the market, the Book 1 average dipped just 3.39% from a year ago, but...

by Jessica Martini & Christina Bossinakis LEXINGTON, KY - The first of two Book 2 sessions of the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale saw marked polarization, as the demand for the perceived quality remained strong, but fell off for the less desired offerings. "It's been a realistic, selective market today," said Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy. "I think it was pretty evident throughout the day, people knew what they wanted and they were very specific about what they were willing to invest in. Speaking to a lot of...

LEXINGTON, KY - The Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale, which began sluggishly Monday morning, built up steam throughout the day and ended with a trio of firework offerings and figures largely in line with the auction's 2022 renewal. "The beginning of the day was definitely slower than we probably expected," said Keeneland's Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy. "It was a little sluggish. But as the day went on, it became more promising." At the close of business Monday, 224 head had sold for $16,261,900. The average was...

The two-day Fasig-Tipton Winter Mixed Sale got off to a strong start Tuesday with 15 six-figure horses, topped by the $450,000 racing/broodmare prospect Bodhicitta (GB) (Showcasing {GB}). The yearling market was especially strong Tuesday with youngsters accounting for half of the top 10, led by a $260,000 colt by City of Light. That yearling was the only offspring in the catalogue for his sire, who was very popular last year, topping Keeneland September with a $1.7-million colt. Last term's champion freshman sire Gun Runner continued to be in demand on...