PLATINUM CELEBRATION
Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale enjoys 100th anniversary
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. >> Local officials celebrated the 100th Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale earlier this week with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The event, popular among horse owners, is known as the crown jewel of the North American yearling sales calendar.
The sale took place on Monday and Tuesday at Fasig-Tipton’s Humphrey S. Finney Pavilion, located near Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs.
Held during the Saratoga Race Course meet for the past century, this sale annually features the best of the North American yearling crop.
Yearlings catalogued in The Saratoga Sale have been selected on pedigree and physical conformation by Fasig-Tipton’s inspection team.
The horses bought and sold at this sale regularly go on to become racing’s next superstars.
In 2019, the last time the Saratoga Sale was held, a total of $55,547,000 was spent on a total of 135 horses. The average price was $411,459 per horse, with some selling for more than a million dollars each.
“We expect to have similar
levels,” Boyd T. Browning, Jr., president and CEO of Fasig-Tipton, said ahead of the 2021 sale.
Saratoga Springs Mayor Meg Kelly, Senator Daphne Jordan and Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner, along with Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce president Todd Shimkus and Discover Saratoga president Darryl Leggieri, all congratulated Fasig-Tipton on this major milestone at the ribbon cutting.
“We’re here for a very special occasion: 100 years of Fasig-Tipton right here in Saratoga,” Shimkus said at the beginning of the ceremony.
Kelly thanked Fasig-Tipton for all it does in the city, reflecting on its expansion over the past few decades. “I really appreciate this whole complex,” she said, standing in front of the large pavilion that serves as its epicenter. “It was a great thing to see as a young girl, growing up here in Saratoga Springs, to see the growth in this business — and really it transformed right in front of my eyes. I appreciate everything you’ve done for the horse industry, and hopefully we can keep moving forward as partners in the future.”
Jordan spoke about the importance of the state’s racing industry, noting its $3 billion annual economic impact and the thousands of jobs it creates. “It is huge,” she said. “It is something that we revere and want to protect.”
The senator continued, “Thank you for the 100 years that you’ve been a generator and a big part of that industry right here in Saratoga Springs.”
Leggieri agreed. “The economic impact that you bring to our community is significant,” he said to Browning, thanking FasigTipton for all the business it brings to the region.
Woerner said, “It’s really about the horses, and it’s really about the equine industry as an agricultural business. The equine farms that we have in Saratoga County are an important part of our landscape, and we really appreciate that the sales opportunity is here as well,” she added, expressing her best wishes for Fasig-Tipton’s future.
“We’ve enjoyed our first hundred years of doing business in Saratoga, and we look forward to continued success and continued growth,” Browning said on behalf of the company. “We hope the next hundred years are even better than the first hundred years.”