The Saratoga sale starts tonight at 6:30 (EDT). Lots of lovely yearlings will be offered. Lots of money will be spent. 
The sale will be live streamed on the Fasig Tipton site: www.fasigtipton.com
It concludes tomorrow evening.
Lotās of lovely yearlings as usual. Iāve written down my favorites from the hips that have video.
I continue to be surprised that removal of OCD lesions has to be disclosed but conformation ācorrectionā procedures do not. It doesnāt matter much for racing, but Iād want to know if I was going to breed the animal. I suppose you can just ask, as well as look for the signs.
Am I the only one who is getting bad quality video?
Nyquist is getting some beauties.
I really liked the Shackleford filly with the blaze and high stockings. Went unsold for 175k. If she ever needs a home, call me :winkgrin:
Yeah, and if you ever get tired of her, send her to me.
Question for the knowledgeable:
I see comments from buyers and sellers about how well their yearling presented him/herself (not in so many words, but that is the gistāI guess it means how the yearling behaved?) Does this matter to buyers? Or do they just go by breeding/conformation/vetting?
Yes, behavior matters. Because racing asks a lot from a horse in terms of being able to deal with potentially stressful situations (little turn-out, shipping to different tracks to run, different jockeys riding them, etc) so a horse that can go with the flow and maintain his equilibrium has a better chance of being successful on the racetrack. One that fights every new change and situation is going to be a lot harder to train.
The yearling sales are a good indicator of temperament because for many of these horses itās the first time theyāve ever been shipped, first time off the farm where they were born, and first time theyāve been stalled for most of the day. Then theyāre asked to walk, pose, walk, pose, all day long with numerous strange horses around them. It can be stressful for them. Most deal just fine, but some do not.
A horse that comes out of its stall looking alert and willing each time a buyer wants to see it, goes a long way toward selling itself.
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Thanks, LaurieB! I appreciate this information.
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There was a Runhappy that was up on his toes quite a bit. The announcer called out āwell isnāt he athletic!ā. It made me giggle, but it made me wonder how he would do in a track environment.
Up on his toes is putting it mildly. :lol:
Unless he was a totally different horse back at the barns, his behavior in the ring would have made me think twice if I was a buyer.
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Hah, I was being diplomatic! The difference between him and the Tapit-Feathered colt was night and day.
Beautiful Tapit colt up now.
What a lovely group of yearlings.
Curlin gets so many like himself.
MDO has so many stunners. Just, wow.
That was a wonderful exhibition of quality thoroughbred breeding. Iāve watched this sale for years and canāt remember when there has been so much quality across the board.
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I know Saratoga is a special place. The sale is like a Boutique sale. Only the top tier horses will sell there and sell well. Consignors dont send ugly ducklings there with vet issues. The saleās atmosphere is very electric, like a party. But you have to wonder about these yearlings selling for 700,000-1,500,000. The majority of them sell to partnerships who buy-in for an amount (The Curlin from Flay was getting partnerships via text right before he went in the ring via West Point owner who wanted to buy him). How do these people justify spending that kind of money on a yearling? This has to be āpocket changeā that people are willing to essentially throw away. Iād love to see the statistical analysis of what % of top tier selling horses actually āturn outā and earn their prices back. Do people show up at these sales with endless funds and drop it on the one that looks the prettiest, pricks its ears, and by a nice sire and dam combo just because they have 6 to 7 figures to blow? I guess I donāt really understand the mindset needed to sign the ticket with a lump sum like that and put all the eggs in one basket on a hope and a prayer.
The only horse I truly liked in the 2nd session was the American Pharoah - Bon Jovi Girl. I had him picked out of the catalog a few weeks ago. Even then, 900,000 (I fully understand its pennies for Magnier) its just unfathomable for me.
You can get those numbers from the BloodHorse. Google it. And some buyers are looking for stallion prospects, some for race horses, some for both. These numbers are really not that high if you look at business in general. Businesses sell for hundreds of millions, even billions, and some are not profitable when they sell. And rich people love their toys.
They justify it because that have it. In the business (please pardon my rhetoric) itās called āf@#& you money,ā but the scrutiny a horse at that level goes through is A LOT more in depth and sophisticated than you give the purchasers credit for. Also the financial goals with a horse like this is much more sophisticated than āearning its price back.ā A certain love of the game has to exist, but some of the money spent at this level will play a role in a purchaserās overall financial goals which may very well include losing some money on the racing side to offset income in other ventures. Yet if the stars align this purchase could also result in a financial windfall through the breeding side of the business. Or it most likely may not, but I donāt think Bobby Flay is going to close any restaurants if this horse doesnāt pan out.
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