For the first time, the Fasig Tipton auction house held a fall mixed sale in Saratoga.

The Tuesday sale featured a catalog of 254 horses. 104 horses are weanlings – horses born this year. About 100 more are brood mares.

Max Hodge is the Director of Client Services for Fasig Tipton. He says the driving force for this new auction is the increased revenue available for New York breeders. He says the addition of VLT money has pushed up the value of purses, making New York a stronger racing state. “There’s a better opportunity to make money now in New York, so the buyer base has expanded.”



A horse observed by prospective buyers


New York tracks also feature a number of restricted races. These are races available only to horses that are bred in the state. According to the New York Thoroughbred Breeding and Development Fund, there are more than 700 restricted races each year. And that has greatly increased the market for New York-born horses.

Hodge says that’s another reason why Fasig Tipton is here this fall.

The sales bring in interested buyers from across the state and around the country. Hodge says there were several hundred potential buyers attending this sale.



Photo Credit: Sally Hart