2020 SUMMER-FALL YEARLING SALES CALENDAR

September is the belated kickoff to the major-market yearling sales in North America, with activity at both FasigTipton and Keeneland in Lexington, Ky. The action runs at a steady pace through September and October, with other majormarket and regional sales, plus new players in the digital marketplace.

Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society sales

The divisions of the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society planned four yearling sales in late summer. CTHS Ontario’s Canadian premier yearling sale was held Sept. 2, following the CTHS Manitoba division’s yearling sale on Aug. 23. The CTHS British Columbia division’s yearling and mixed sale is scheduled for Sept. 8, and the CTHS Alberta division’s Thoroughbred sale will be Sept. 18.

Fasig-Tipton Midlantic fall yearling sale Oct. 5-6, Timonium, Md.

Fasig-Tipton was originally scheduled to host this sale on Oct. 12-13, but shifted it earlier in the month to immediately follow the rescheduled Preakness Stakes, which concludes the 2020 Triple Crown on Oct. 3. To have a sale following the Preakness has been a successful formula for Fasig-Tipton, which usually conducts its Midlantic sale of 2-year-olds in training in May.

Iowa Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association fall sale Oct. 8, Des Moines, Iowa

This regional sale is mainly comprised of yearlings, although a handful of weanlings and broodmares also are included in the catalog.

Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. fall yearling sale Oct. 13-15, Ocala, Fla.

This sale had been scheduled earlier in October, but OBS swapped dates with Fasig-Tipton. The shift in dates will allow potential buyers to attend both sales.

Equine Sales Co. of Louisiana open yearlings and mixed sale Oct. 18, Opelousas, La.

The Equine Sales Co. will hold its second sale of the season focused mainly on yearlings. The company held its consignor select yearling sale on Aug. 20 and also allowed juveniles to be entered in that sale, due to the turbulence of this year’s juvenile marketplace. That Louisiana sale was one of a handful of regional yearling and mixed sales held around the country in August. Those sales included the Northern California yearling and horses of racing age sale on Aug. 11; the Washington Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association summer yearling and mixed sale on Aug. 18; and the Texas Thoroughbred Association summer yearling and horses of racing age sale on Aug. 24.

Fasig-Tipton California fall yearling sale Oct. 19, Pomona, Calif.

This sale is a potent source of California-bred yearlings, as well as yearlings bred in other regions.

Fasig-Tipton Kentucky fall yearling sale Oct. 26-29, Lexington, Ky.

This sale is the final stop on the North

American yearling sales tour that attracts national major-market attention, and with supply-and-demand economics in strong play, the sale has expanded from three sessions to four in recent years to meet increasing market demands. Last year’s auction was led by a $560,000 Candy Ride colt, marking the third consecutive year the sale produced at least one horse to hit a half-million dollars.

Heritage Place fall mixed sale Oct. 30-31, Oklahoma City

This mixed auction, which includes Thoroughbreds, Quarter Horses, Paint, and Appaloosa racing stock, consists of a yearling session followed by a horses of all ages session.

Online auctions

With the coronavirus pandemic upending traditional physical auctions due to social distancing, travel constraints, and other considerations, independent auction companies have begun making forays into the marketplace and could attract some yearlings, particularly those from regional or statebred programs that could be lost in the shuffle of major sales. The online platforms also lessen shipping and employment expenses for consignors, perhaps providing relief to smaller operations that have been hard hit by the economic fallout of the pandemic.

BloodstockAuction.com, an independent company that was the first onlineonly Thoroughbred sale in Australia, has arrived in the U.S. market and is set to hold an online sale from Sept. 24-29. Wanamaker’s, which sold a $400,000 horse in just its second auction over the summer, is continuing to conduct monthly sales.