At the sales grounds.

At the sales grounds.

Next Monday, December 8, marks the end of the sales year in the mid-Atlantic, with Fasig-Tipton holding its annual mixed sale at the Timonium fair grounds.  As its name implies, the mixed sale brings together a variety of types of horses — from weanlings to broodmares, and everything in between — under one roof.

That can be good news for buyers; whatever you’re looking for, chances are one of ’em will be on hand.

Some facts and figs from the catalog:

[su_list icon=”icon: gavel”]
  • Small is beautiful?  The number of hips catalogued has declined from 210 in 2013 to 197 this year; that’s a drop of nearly 11 percent.
  • Maryland, my Maryland.  The number of horses offered at the sale that were bred in Maryland has risen, from 64 a year ago to 83 this year.  One reason: slot machines have fueled rising purses and breeder bonuses in the Free State, and optimism has broken out.  Maryland-breds account for over 42 percent of the hips in the book this year, up from about 30 percent a year ago.
  • My old Midlantic home.  Fueled by that rise in Maryland-breds, the number of horses bred in that state, plus Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, and West Virginia has risen from 122 to 128.  Midlantic-breds now account for about 65 percent of the hips on offer, up from 58 percent last year.
  • I wanna race…  The number of horses aimed at the racetrack– as opposed to the breeding shed — has risen from about 47 percent of all hips to nearly 53 percent.  Overall, the sale includes 104 weanlings, yearlings, and horses of racing age (a catchall for horses two-years-old and up that are not potential broodmare prospects), versus just 82 broodmares and broodmare prospects; another 11 are listed as racing/broodmare prospects.  Some observers think that suggests a larger shift in the marketplace, as breeders, particularly Maryland breeders, aim to boost, rather than cull, their broodmare bands.  The number of broodmares on offer has fallen from 92 to 78.
  • But not just yet… Don’t hold your breath waiting for these prospects to appear at a track near you, however.  Most — 88 of them — are weanlings; that number is up from 77 a year ago.
  • Girl Power: Given the sale’s general focus on breeding stock, it’s perhaps no surprise that the preponderance of hips on offer are female.  Of the 197, 134 are mares or fillies (75 and 59, respectively), while there are 63 males (57 colts and six geldings).
  • And just for fun… There are nine gray/ gray or roan horses in the sale.  If you follow that sort of thing.
[/su_list] [su_row][su_column]HORSES BY BRED STATE

    1. Maryland – 83
    2. Pennsylvania – 34
    3. West Virginia – 8
    4. Virginia – 2
    5. New Jersey – 1
    6. All others – 69
[/su_column] [su_column]SOLD AS

  1. Weanling – 88
  2. Broodmare – 78
  3. Racing/Broodmare prospect – 11
  4. Yearling – 8
  5. Horse of racing age – 8
  6. Broodmare prospect – 4 [/su_column][/su_row]