Fasig-Tipton March Digital Sale Grosses $4.4 Million, Clears 84 Percent

Maximum Bourbon delivered the marquee moment of Fasig-Tipton's March Digital Sale, fetching $400,000 from Agave Racing Stable to headline a five-day auction that grossed $4,430,500 on 142 horses sold and an 84% clearance rate when bidding closed Tuesday evening.

The sale, which opened March 19, drew offerings across multiple categories: horses of racing age, racing and broodmare prospects, broodmares including mares with foals at foot, two-year-olds in training, short yearlings, and a fractional interest in graded stakes winner Just Beat the Odds.

At the center of the catalog was Maximum Bourbon, Hip 5, a four-year-old gelding by multiple graded stakes winner Maximum Security, consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency. The son of Maximum Security had given buyers plenty of reason to pay attention. A three-time winner in five starts with $124,824 in earnings, he carries four 90+ Beyer Speed Figures into his next barn, including a career-best 103 when he finished second in allowance company at Fair Grounds Race Course on March 13.

That March 13 effort told the full story of what buyers were purchasing. Trainer Joe Sharp's charge broke his maiden by 7½ lengths as the only first-time starter in a $50,000 maiden claimer at Churchill Downs in late November, then went four more starts with two wins and just one off-the-board finish before running into something exceptional at Fair Grounds. Built, a son of Hard Spun, set a new track record that day; Maximum Bourbon still finished only 1½ lengths behind while spotting the winner 4½ pounds.

"He came out of the race super," Sharp said. "What an impressive effort. He ran too good to lose. He ran into the best version of Built and that's a tough task on any day. But he came out of it super and shipped into Keeneland flawlessly. He's a horse that is very uncomplicated and I wish I had barnful like him."

Sharp also credited owner Larry Romero's business instincts for the decision to sell. "Larry is the kind of guy that likes to play the game," Sharp said. "He likes to claim horses and buy horses but at the same time, he's a businessman and when an opportunity arises to sell a horse for what is believed to be a pretty good price, he's going to give it a go."

Tom Hamm of Taylor Made Sales said the March 13 race was the catalyst for bringing Maximum Bourbon to the platform. "I watched his race and called the owner afterwards and just said, 'this is the kind of horse on a digital platform that could bring a good amount of money,'" Hamm said. "That race on March 13 where he hopped at the start, gave the winner 4½ pounds, they broke the track record and he just got beat 1½ lengths. Obviously it's a good time to sell."

Fasig-Tipton Director of Digital Sales Leif Aaron framed the result in the context of the broader market. "The sale delivered a strong performance, achieving an 84% clearance rate and generating $4,430,500 in gross sales, further reinforcing the continued strength and resilience of the digital racehorse market," Aaron said. "Attention now turns to Maximum Bourbon, who will be an exciting horse to follow in the coming year."

That attention may come quickly. Connections have indicated a potential next start for Maximum Bourbon in the GI Churchill Downs Stakes on the Kentucky Derby undercard May 2, a Grade I target that would test his new connections at the highest level within weeks of the gavel falling.