By Jessica Martini
Bidding returns to the Humphrey S. Finney Pavilion in upstate New York for the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Fall Mixed Sale, which begins Tuesday at 10 a.m. A total of 281 horses, including weanlings, broodmares, and broodmare prospects, have been catalogued for the one-session auction.
Lili Kobielski saw plenty to be optimistic about as she oversaw her The New Hill Farm consignment at barn seven Monday.
“The activity has been wonderful,” she said. “We have been non-stop yesterday and today. We've seen some new faces today that I think just got in. The energy is amazing.”
After a busy day of showing Monday at his Vinery Sales' consignment, Derek MacKenzie said, “It looks like a very strong group of buyers this year. I would say the numbers are definitely up. I saw a lot of new faces–not new faces in the business, but new to this sale.”
Some of those new faces may have been encouraged to shop the Fall sale after seeing the results of the record-setting Fasig-Tipton New York-bred Yearlings Sale in August, which set highwater marks for gross and average, as well as a record-tying median.
“Absolutely,” MacKenzie agreed of the correlation. “They probably noticed a lot of the guys that bought out of this sale last year made really good money. So they thought they better be here.”
The record-setting August sale this summer was a boon to several pinhookers who had purchased weanlings at the 2024 Fall sale. The $525,000 co-sale topping daughter of Early Voting had been purchased for $150,000 last October, while a daughter of Practical Joke purchased for $62,500 last year, sold in August for $500,000.
Pinhookers shopping The New Hill Farm consignment last October also found success in August, with a daughter of Upstart purchased as a weanling for $80,000 selling this year for $350,000 and a colt by Vekoma purchased for $90,000 selling for $325,000.
“We are very grateful to the pinhookers,” Kobielski said. “It's always good news for everyone when someone buys from you and they do well with your horses. Then they come back and hopefully buy more.”
The Saratoga auction comes as an ultra-competitive yearling sales season nears its finale.
“The yearling sales were so strong, I would certainly expect that everyone would be excited to buy babies,” Kobielski said. “I would think all the yearling sellers would be feeling confident and have some cash in their pockets.”
The newly passed tax code, which features bonus depreciation, allowing buyers to write off the up-front cost of a horse in its first year, has helped drive much of the national demand for yearlings this summer and fall. On a regional level, purse parity will begin in 2026, allowing New York-breds to race for equal purse money to open company horses on the New York Racing Association circuit. Both factors figure to make for a competitive market in Saratoga, according to Kobielski.
“I think depreciation is a big deal right now,” Kobielski said. “And there is also purse parity in New York starting soon, so New York-breds will be running for the same money as open company. That's another great incentive to buy one. And purses are so big. It's a really exciting time to be buying.”
Asked what he thought was driving the competitive market, MacKenzie said, “I think depreciation is a big factor. And purses are so good right in Kentucky and New York. I think those purses are really starting to pick the market up, as well as the depreciation.”
During last year's Saratoga Fall sale, 148 head sold for $3,920,500. The average was $26,490 and the median was $14,500. A filly by Cyberknife brought the auction's top price of $230,000 and the weanling was one of eight to sell for six figures.
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