Fasig-Tipton California Fall Yearlings Sale maintained steady market metrics Tuesday at Fairplex, with the average price increasing 11.4% to $32,666 while the median held firm at $15,000.
The auction saw 140 yearlings sell for a total of $4,603,400. This compares to last year’s sale where 163 head grossed $4,781,400 for an average of $29,334.
Buy-back rates rose to 40.8%, up from 34.8% in 2023.
“The California breeding program is such a great breeding program, so these breeders are proud to take and race their homebreds,” said Fasig-Tipton’s Mike Machowsky. “There is such an advantage for stallion awards, breeders awards, and owners awards in California. There is a big advantage for those breeders. There is money to be made with a nice Cal-bred. So guys aren’t shy to take them home.”
A filly by Corniche commanded the sale’s top price of $250,000, purchased by Legacy Ranch. The auction produced three yearlings selling for over $200,000 — matching last year’s figure — and 11 selling for six figures, up from eight in 2023.
“We are committed to serving and establishing a solid sale out here in Southern California to support the market and all the breeders,” Machowsky said. “We are here to support these California breeders and we are going to stay here.”
The sale-topping Corniche filly (hip 193) will join Legacy Ranch after being purchased by the Parrellas’ operation. The yearling is out of Carmelita (North Light {Ire}) and is a half-sister to multiple stakes winner Carmelita’s Man (Mucho Macho Man).
“The Corniches were selling very well at Keeneland,” said trainer John Sadler, who attended alongside Legacy manager Terry Knight. “And she is a very smooth filly. We thought she was the best horse in the sale.”
Yearlings by Corniche averaged $203,651 at the recent Keeneland September sale. The stallion stands at Coolmore for $15,000.
The sale-topper was bred by Richard Barton Enterprises and consigned by Barton Thoroughbreds, agent.
“There have been a lot of good horses coming out of this sale the last couple of years and the state-bred program is solid,” Sadler said. “There are races for these horses on our circuit. We were delighted to get her.”
The filly will go to Legacy Ranch where Terry Knight will oversee her early training and breaking.
Moroney Strikes Again at Fairplex
John Moroney, who purchased last year’s $250,000 sale-topping son of Stay Thirsty, returned to acquire two yearlings for $225,000 each at Tuesday’s auction. Both colts — a Maxfield (hip 20) and a Good Magic (hip 61) — were purchased in partnership with trainer Steve Knapp and Thomsen Racing.
Like last year’s topper, both yearlings were bred by Terry Lovingier and consigned by his Lovacres Ranch.
Hip 20, out of graded stakes winner Lost Bus (Bring the Heat), is a half-brother to stakes winner Bus Buzz (Stay Thirsty), who captured the 2023 Real Good Deal Stakes for Knapp, Lovingier, Thomas Halasz and Amanda Navarro.
“I trained Bus Buzz, who looks just like him,” Knapp said. “He was a running son of a gun.”
Knapp also trains Maxfield’s son Max Ciao, co-owned with Lovingier and Moroney. Max Ciao won the Sept. 5 I’m Smokin Stakes at Del Mar.
“He looks like both of them,” Knapp noted. “He’s a big, good-looking horse. And we will go from there.”
The Good Magic colt (hip 61) is out of stakes winner Noble and a Beauty (Noble Causeway), a mare Lovingier purchased with the colt in utero for $22,000 at the 2023 Keeneland November sale.
“He’s bred really nicely and he’s a really good-looking colt,” Knapp said. “If you don’t buy them, then you’ve got to beat them.”
The Moroney-Knapp-Thomsen partnership acquired three additional yearlings, including a filly by McKinzie (hip 86) for $100,000. Moroney also partnered with Tom Landon to purchase two yearlings by Stay Thirsty (hip 65 and hip 21) for $40,000 each. All seven purchases came from the Lovacres Ranch consignment.
Moroney, a Missouri businessman, owns a string of Taco Bell restaurants in the Midwest.
Last year’s sale-topper, now named Fionello, races for Knapp, Lovingier, Moroney and Sandra Lee Grey. After winning his debut at Santa Anita in May, he finished fourth in both the Aug. 8 Graduation Stakes and the I’m Smokin Stakes in his most recent start.
