The average value of Maryland-breds at the just completed Fasig-Tipton Midlantic fall yearling sale exceeded the average value of all horses sold at the one-day event.

Given the ubiquity of Maryland-breds at the sale, that fact as much as any explains why some of its bottom-line numbers were able to keep pace with last year. Though gross sales were down considerably because of a much smaller book, the average, of $23,799, was off just 2.5% from a year ago. The median, $15,000, was up from $12,000 in 2023.

A total of 251 horses went through the ring this year, with 181 finding new homes. Last year 290 of 368 horses through the ring were sold.

“It was a good crowd here today,” said Fasig-Tipton president Boyd Browning. “I was a little concerned, honestly, coming in with the smaller catalog on what kind of attendance and participation we would have.”

Robust enough, it turned out, to keep the average and median in a similar place to last year. And that’s due in no small part to the performance of Maryland-breds.

Maryland-breds accounted for 97, or 53.6%, of the 181 hips to sell. That was up from 50.7% of the catalog last year when Maryland-breds accounted for 147 of the 290 selling hips.

The Maryland-breds that sold this year fetched a total of more than $2.4 million, good for an average of $24,907. That was up 8.7% from how Maryland-breds fared in 2023, when they averaged about $22,915. As a result, Maryland-breds for just over 56% of sales volume this year.

How they would fare had been an item concerning many heading towards the sale, given the uncertainty that has plagued the state’s racing industry for the last several years.

“There might have been a little uptick in local participation from the Marylanders, which might be a ray of sunshine,” Browning said. “There might be the sentiment, might be a little more sense of an optimism or hope with the changes that are taking place here, which would be a good sign for all of us, and be a good sign for the industry.”

Only three other states were represented by more than a small handful of horses. Twenty-two Kentucky-breds sold for an average of $33,204, the most of any other state, while 23 New York-breds averaged $25,813 and 26 Pennsylvania-breds averaged $14,461.

Seven Virginia-breds sold for an average of $12,071, while four West Virginia-breds brought an average of $16,750. One New Jersey-bred sold for $30,000.

The top two sellers at the event – a City of Light filly that brought $165,000 and a Nyquist colt good for $150,000 – both were Maryland-breds, as were five of the six horses that brought winning bids of six figures.

Forty-nine yearlings by Maryland-based sires were sold, averaging $14,377. The best of those was a Blofeld filly that went for $72,000.

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