Yearlings were busy this weekend on the Fasig-Tipton grounds in advance of Monday and Tuesday’s New York-bred sale. Fasig-Tipton Photo.
The Saratoga Special’s editorial team of Miles Clancy, Alec DiConza, Fin Maroney and Julia Reedy dodged raindrops and walked the Fasig-Tipton grounds in advance of Sunday and Monday’s Saratoga New York-bred yearling sale to talk with consignors and capture the vibe of the sale:
John McMahon, McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds: “We have a few more horses this year than previous years. We have a few more New York-sired New York-breds this year. The markets are really trending up for New York-sired New York-breds this year. With the award program in place it’s something that rewards the New York-sired New York-breds a little more. With these nice purses and purse parity right around the corner, the potential for a New York-sired New York-bred is really strong right now. First crop for a stallion named Galilean. How can you not like the son of Uncle Mo? Then we have our own Central Banker and Solomini. Central Banker’s has been the leading sire in New York for three years running. Solomini had a great winter last year. Had a nice maiden special weight winner at Saratoga yesterday.”
Derek Mackenzie, Vinery Sales: “There’s less horses in the sale this year from last year, so I think that’ll help the supply and demand. And I know our group is stronger this year than it was last year, so hopefully they bring the money.”
Carlos Manresa, Sequel New York: “Even through the rain, people are rushing to see horses whenever they can. Everyone has high, but reasonable expectations. Coming off of a record-setting sale, everyone’s feeling pretty good about the industry as a whole. We have a really good collection of Kentucky-sired New York-breds that we’ve bred and that our clients have bred. Overall, we have a pretty spectacular selection of physicals over there. Every year, we try and bring horses that we believe are going to not just sell here, but sell very well here. We’ve done that this year, so hopefully everyone goes and takes a look at them, and I’m sure there’s something over there for everybody.”
Jonathan Thorne, Thorndale Farm: “(Friday’s bad weather) made it better because people start getting worried they’re going to miss something and they pay more attention. It actually kind of helps. Then we’ve got two more days that are going to be beautiful up here. People can really start to work it out, see what they land on. … I like a bunch of them, really. I kind of plan all year-round trying to bring the best horses up here that I can. Luckily, they’ve all come in here in pretty good shape and are acting very nicely. There’s kind of a little bit for everybody. Got good pedigrees, good physical. We’ll be in good shape.”
Lili Kobielski, The New Hill Farm: “It’s actually a little better today than I thought. We are making it through. It looks like the next two days are really nice, so just get through today and hope it clears up.”
Chris Bernhard, Hidden Lake Farm: “Very excited. The select sale was strong. A lot of the 2-year-old people did not get horses bought. It should be a fun market. With everything that’s going on in New York in a positive way right now, with the purse parity coming in the future, I’m a little more amped up for this sale.”
Francis Vanlangendock, Summerfield: “There’s a lot of people here. The last sale was good, so the momentum is going to go into this sale. Good horses are going to sell really well. You just have to know where you are. … The value has gone up and the care of them has improved over the 30 years I’ve been doing this. When I first started selling up here they weren’t prepped, they were small, pot-bellied. Now there’s not much difference between the way these are prepped and the ones in the first sale.”
Frank Taylor Taylor Made Sales Agency: “I feel good about it. We have some really nice horses, and the first sale was fantastic. I think this sale will be good. … You worry about it, but a lot of the time the weather doesn’t stop them. People are either here to buy a horse or not and they aren’t going to let a little bit of weather stop them. We had a pre-showing (Thursday) and showed 24 of our horses, and there were about 25 to 30 people for that, and we have been steadily showing here today.”
Sarah Estrada, C&S Thoroughbreds: “We brought a pretty good group up here and the horses appeal to both pinhookers and end users. We’re just hoping not to go home with any horses. It’s been steady. Started a little slow because it was raining harder earlier, but it picked up while there was a break and slowed down a little bit right now. People are still here and they’re still wanting to look at horses, which is good. It means they’re going to be buying, hopefully.”
Kerry Cauthen, Four Star Sales: “When you start off hot, it keeps going. I don’t know if you can get much hotter than what it was, and there are a bunch of really good horses here. I would expect good things to come.”
Colin Brennan, Colin Brennan Bloodstock: “I hope it’s a lot like the first sale, really. Granted it’s a different buying group, different clientele, but we tend to see more than New York-bred trainers here, particularly the ones that don’t always shop September. They’re trying to load up on New York-breds here. The ones that stay in New York, even through the winter, you see a lot more of the shopping. Especially with the dark day, things are just a bit quieter. We’ve had luck here in the past and we’ve done well with the New York-bred program. We’ve supported it. We breed here. I just enjoy being up here. You have to love Saratoga.”
Sarah Sutherland, Indian Creek: “We’re hoping to see a little bit of a trickle down from the strong markets we had in July and obviously in the select sale. This sale is always supported by a really nice mix of end users and some pinhookers as well. It’s going to be solid, hopefully all the way through. It’s nice for them to be able to come over when they’re finished training or before they go to the races and take a look at horses. It’s a big advantage, having the New York-breds here.”
David Wade, Northview Stallion Station: “It’s going to be a strong sale. All of the people that you like to see here are here looking at horses. The weather helped us out today. It looked like it was going to be a washout, but we’ve had some pretty good traffic. So we’re optimistic.”
Don Robinson, Winter Quarter Farm: “We’ve done well up here and people seem to like them. I hope a little bit carries over from the main sale. People seem to like my horses. I’m hopeful.”
Bill Johnson, Turning Point Bloodstock: “A lot of enthusiasm for this sale. After the select sale, there’s a lot of energy in Saratoga. If you look around, the foal crop here has been improved over the last five years, and we’re now starting to see the same people from the select sale show up to the New York sale. I’m very excited about what’s been happening. The momentum started for me about two or three years ago. It’s been pretty consistent. With the changes in the New York program, the changes in the awards, the purse structure, there’s a new enthusiasm for the New York-breds. We can compete against anyone in the nation.”
Conrad Bandoroff, Denali Stud: “The New York market is always one of the most well supported markets we sell into and we get a lot of New York trainers that come over after training to look at the horses. Once we get the rain out of the way today, we won’t look back. It will be all systems go.”
Jill Gordon, Highgate Sales: “This is the first time I am sticking around for the New York sale. I usually come up here for the select sale, but this will be our first group here. Obviously, it’s a rainy dreary day, but the traffic has been good through the barns. The horses are showing well.”
Pat Costello, Paramount Sales: “Good, good, good. I think the other sale was excellent, and with that energy that will carry on to this sale.”
Joe Seitz, Brookdale Sales: “We bought a strong group. We’ve got a little bit of something for everybody. They are all very different. We have some first-year sires, we’ve got some proven horses… There is a little bit of something for everyone.”
Angel Ordonez, Ordonez Thoroughbreds: “I feel so great coming to sell my babies. It is my second year to come here. I was doing really good last year, so I have just been waiting since last year to come. I love the weather. I always love it here. We have a lot of people here. The action has been good. The action looks good. We are good we are going to be good.”
