History

Formed in 1898 by William B. Fasig and Edward A. Tipton, Fasig-Tipton Co. is North America’s oldest Thoroughbred auction company. Its first headquarters were in Madison Square Garden in New York, and Fasig-Tipton initially sold high-class road and carriage horses in addition to Thoroughbred and Standardbred racing stock.

After Fasig’s death in 1903, Tipton took on Enoch James Tranter as his partner. Tranter changed the old catalogue pages, which listed up to 30 dams, to focus on a horse’s immediate family members in racetrack performance and production. That change is still reflected in the sales catalogues of today. Fasig-Tipton also was the first auction company to require certificates of health and pregnancy at broodmare sales.

Fasig-Tipton’s Saratoga sale of selected yearlings is one of the premier horse auctions in the world. It has roots that stretch back to 1917 when Fasig-Tipton formed an alliance with some of the top Kentucky breeders to sell their yearlings during the race meet in upstate New York. The great Man o’ War sold as a yearling at the 1918 Saratoga sale.

The Saratoga sale has produced numerous household names for international horsemen, such as Raise a Native, Natalma, Hoist the Flag, Danzig, Miswaki, Conquistador Cielo, and two-time champion filly Open Mind.

The list continues as 1991 Horse of the Year Black Tie Affair, ‘93 Belmont Stakes winner Colonial Affair, ‘94 Kentucky Derby winner Go For Gin, ‘94 champion mare Sky Beauty, 2002 champion two-year-old male Vindication, ‘03 champion three-year-old male Funny Cide (New York-bred sale), and ‘05 Horse of the Year Saint Liam all emerged from the venerable New York sale grounds.

Humphrey S. Finney, for whom the Saratoga sales pavilion is named, announced his first sale for Fasig-Tipton in 1937. In his 1974 autobiography "Fair Exchange", Finney wrote about an auction company’s need to know about the horses and the value of what they are selling. That commitment to horsemanship and customer service remains a focal point for Fasig-Tipton today.

Kentucky

During World War II breeders could not freely ship yearlings around the country, so the Saratoga sale was put on hold. In 1943 Fasig-Tipton held the sale in a tent at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington. Fred W. Hooper Jr. purchased 1945 Kentucky Derby winner Hoop Jr. for $10,200 at the ’43 sale.

It was not until 1972 that Fasig-Tipton established its permanent headquarters in Lexington, from which it initiates a year-round sales schedule for Thoroughbred auctions across the country.

The Kentucky division was an immediate source of high class racing stock. Its classic winning graduates include Seattle Slew, Genuine Risk, Dancing Brave, Rainbow Quest, and Unbridled.

The highest-priced broodmare of all time, Broodmare of the Year Better Than Honour, sold for $14-million at the 2008 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky selected fall mixed sale.

Other prominent Kentucky graduates include 1994 Kentucky Derby winner Go For Gin, 1999 champion sprinter Artax, two-time champion filly Silverbulletday, Dubai World Cup winner Captain Steve, 2008 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Big Brown, and 2009 Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird.

Two-year-old sales

Finney and Joe O'Farrell, the pioneer of Thoroughbred breeding in Florida and founder of Ocala Stud, combined their talents in 1952 to put on the first two-year-olds in training sale at Hialeah Park. When additional training sales started in California, Maryland, Kentucky, and Louisiana, it was Fasig-Tipton conducting the auctions.

Fasig-Tipton moved its Florida two-year-old sale to Calder Race Course, in Miami, in 1983, and it has been the top two-year-old sale in the world ever since. Held in late February or early March, more stakes-winning graduates have been sold at this auction than any other currently-operating two-year-old in training sale.

Monarchos, the 2001 Kentucky Derby winner, as well as dual Classic winner Risen Star, Japanese Champion Kurofune, 2002 champion older male Left Bank, and 2005 champion two-year-old colt Stevie Wonderboy are just a few of the horses who have made the Calder sale a premier event for international buyers.

The Calder sale also sold the most expensive horse of all time - $16-million for The Green Monkey at the 2006 auction. The Fasig-Tipton Midlantic two-year-olds in training sale counts 2001 champion three-year-old filly Xtra Heat and 2005 champion three-year-old colt Afleet Alex among its famous graduates.

New era

Synergy Investments Ltd., a Dubai-based company headed by Abdulla Al Habbai, purchased Fasig-Tipton Co. in 2008. The Hettinger family, led by John Hettinger, had been Fasig-Tipton’s majority shareholder after guiding the company through the industry struggles of the late 1980s.

With a promise to continue Hettinger’s passion and support for the industry, Synergy announced it will devote future operating surpluses to higher levels of customer service and renewed efforts to promote North American racing and breeding. Renovations, expansions, or cosmetic improvements are already in the works for the sales pavilions in Lexington, Saratoga, and Timonium, Maryland.

Fasig-Tipton also formed a new advisory board of directors to assist its management in areas of auction sales and other related initiatives. The 23-member board draws from a wide spectrum of leaders in Thoroughbred racing, breeding, and sales.