Despite flat results by average from this year's 2-year-olds in training sales season and a decline in gross sales, Fasig-Tipton president and CEO Boyd Browning Jr. is confident ahead of Fasig-Tipton's The July Sale in Lexington, the first yearling auction of 2024.
"Realistically, we would expect the market to be fairly similar to 2023; there has not been a whole lot of reason to expect it to change dramatically," Browning said.
The July selected yearlings sale will be held July 9 at the Newtown Paddocks sales ground; 286 yearlings are cataloged.
The July Sale is known for precocious yearlings with great physicals and a Freshman Sire Showcase brings added anticipation, with the progeny by 20 first-crop yearling sires to be offered as Hips 1-88.
Browning said the physical quality of this year's selections will be just as high as it has been in previous years.
"The sales graduates continue to be very, very impressive, and we think we have a very good group of horses physically on the grounds this year," he said.
Some of the most recent graduates include Chop Chop (City of Light ), winner of the Bewitch Stakes (G3T) at Keeneland during the spring meet; Candied, grade 1-winning daughter of Candy Ride ; and, Geaux Rocket Ride (Candy Ride) winner of the 2023 Haskell Stakes (G1).
Leading the Freshman Sire Showcase are four stallions that had six-figure weanling averages. Darley Stallion's Essential Quality (Tapit ), Eclipse champion in 2020 and 2021, led the way in 2023 with five weanlings sold from eight offered that produced a $308,000 average. Essential Quality has just two yearlings cataloged—both fillies. Hip 34 is a half sister to stakes winner Supreme Aura, consigned by Denali Stud. Hip 43 is a filly out of the stakes-placed Medaglia d'Oro mare Knarsdale, offered by Scott Mallory, agent for Determined Stud.
The other top first-crop yearling sires by weanling average are Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa's Charlatan (Speightstown) with a $210,278 average; Darley's Maxfield (Street Sense ) had an average of $165,182; and, Spendthrift Farm's Yaupon (Uncle Mo) had a $130,889 average from 36 sold out of 40 weanlings offered.
Of the 20 first-crop sires represented in the July sale, Yaupon, Rock Your World (Candy Ride), and Beau Liam (Liam's Map ) have the largest number cataloged in the sale. Yaupon has 13 yearlings entered, with Rock Your World and Beau Liam each having 12.
"Everybody loves the freshman sires, we all remember how well they ran on the racetrack. I think there will be significant demand for the new sires. We've seen them, we've inspected them, we love the conformation of these horses, and I believe they will be very well received," Browning said.
He noted pinhookers may be a little more cautious on the upper-end horses.
"At the end of the day, that's how the vast majority of them make their living, they have a great deal of expertise, and they need to have product to resell to the next level. I think they'll still be active buying horses. Hope springs eternal in our industry, and we're all optimists," he said.
