A full brother to California breeders state champion Finneus topped the Sept. 24 Fasig-Tipton California Fall Yearlings sale at Pomona, promoting for $250,000. The colt emulated his older brother, who topped the 2020 version of the sale at $200,000.
Regardless of the Northern California racing schedule nonetheless sorting itself out within the wake of Golden Gate Fields‘ closure earlier this 12 months, the Fasig-Tipton sale held comparatively regular. A complete of 163 yearlings grossed $4,781,400, for a mean of $29,334 and a median of $15,000, in contrast with 2023 figures of 158 grossing $5,218,000, averaging $33,025, with a median of $17,000.
“All issues thought-about, it was a productive train—we acquired the overwhelming majority of the horses bought,” mentioned Boyd Browning Jr., Fasig-Tipton’s president and chief govt officer, shortly after the sale’s conclusion.
Of the 250 by the ring, 87 didn’t promote, for a buyback fee of 34.8%, an analogous buyback proportion to final 12 months (33.6%).
“There might be brisk post-sale exercise tonight and tomorrow as properly,” Browning added Sept. 24.
The sale occurred simply 4 days after a California Horse Racing Board assembly that resulted in conditional approval of a license utility for a gathering at Pleasanton in Northern California from Oct. 19-Dec. 15. The Golden State Racing Affiliation, which is able to conduct the assembly, was nonetheless understanding closing particulars of the horsemen’s settlement with the Thoroughbred Homeowners of California that included the quantity of each day purse distribution.
“I believe everybody has to have real looking expectations, given the state of the racing surroundings in California at the moment,” Browning mentioned. “So that you can inform me we’d be this near being even with final 12 months, given the state of issues, I most likely would have been happy with that. You all the time wish to have will increase in your common and in your median, however it will have been unrealistic to anticipate that at this sale.”
California-breds made up practically the whole catalog, and every of the eight horses to promote for $100,000 or extra was a California-bred.
Terry Lovingier’s Lovacres Ranch consigned the sale topper, a son of Lovacres stallion Keep Thirsty and Lovingier’s homebred Ghostzapper mare My Fiona . The a number of stakes-winning mare was the 2014 champion Cal-bred 2-year-old feminine. John Moroney, who lives outdoors of St. Louis, Mo., and in addition has a house in Carlsbad, Calif., purchased the sale topper. He has been a frequent associate with Lovingier on a number of racehorses.
John Moroney buys Hip 96, (c.. Keep Thirsty-My Fiona) for $250,000 from the Lovacres Consignment on the Fasig-Tipton 2024 Fall Yearlings Sale, Ponona, CA 9.24.2024
“The household was good, and this colt actually seemed good to us,” Moroney mentioned. “We determined that we had a chance to leap in and get him, so we did.”
Moroney, who has 25 Taco Bell franchises, has been in racing for 25 years, usually working horses at Fairmount Park. He started partnering with Lovingier about 5 years in the past, he mentioned.
My Fiona produced stakes winner Fi Fi Pharoah to the duvet of American Pharoah earlier than Lovingier started breeding her to Keep Thirsty. Finneus, her first Keep Thirsty foal, grew to become a stakes winner and grade 1-placed at 2 and was voted the 12 months’s champion Cal-bred 2-year-old male. Maximus Decimus , My Fiona’s 2020 Keep Thirsty foal, bought for $100,000, however suffered an harm early in his profession. Rumble King , her 2022 Keep Thirsty colt bought for $225,000, the second-highest worth of the sale final 12 months. He received his Could 26 maiden debut at Santa Anita Park.
“This colt right here was most likely among the finest colts she has ever had,” Lovingier mentioned of the 2024 yearling.
Barton Thoroughbreds bought the following three highest-priced horses on the 2024 sale, a daughter of McKinzie (Hip 180) and daughter of Yaupon (Hip 227) each introduced $200,000, and a daughter of Metropolis of Mild (Hip 86) bought for $190,000.
“We introduced a pleasant group of fillies this 12 months,” mentioned Kate Barton Penner, govt vp of her household’s racing and breeding operation. “I believe these actually had been standouts, so it was good that folks had been keen on these and confirmed up for these.”
Scott Sherwood of Blinkers On Racing Steady purchased the McKinzie filly, who’s out of Faucet Faucet Ur It . The Tapit mare has additionally produced stakes winner and Barton stallion Faucet Again . Legacy Ranch bought the Yaupon filly, who’s out of the Into Mischief mare Bahama Mischief . Steve Gasparrelli’s Slugo Racing, with the assistance of coach Brian Koriner, purchased the Metropolis of Mild filly, a daughter of the stakes-winning Empire Maker mare Miss Empire .
Fasig-Tipton will now set it is sights on the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Fall Yearling Sale Oct. 1. The sale might be held at 11 a.m. ET on the Maryland State fairgrounds in Timonium, Md.
