Fasig-Tipton opens July Sale catalogue, strong yearling book awaits

Fasig-Tipton’s July Sale is set to launch the yearling market’s main season with a catalogue that blends proven runners, fresh bloodlines and recent headline-makers. The auction will be held Tuesday, July 14, at Newtown Paddocks in Lexington, Kentucky, and will begin at 10 a.m. ET.

The company says the July Sale remains the grand opening of the North American yearling sales season, and the numbers help explain why buyers treat it that way. BloodHorse MarketWatch statistics put the sale first among major North American yearling sales by percentage of stakes winners, stakes horses, 2-year-old winners and winners sold. It also ranks second by percentage of Grade I winners and graded stakes winners sold, trailing only Fasig-Tipton’s Saratoga Sale.

The 2026 catalogue will feature 19 first-crop yearling sires, a group likely to draw plenty of attention from pinhookers and end users looking for the next breakout stallion prospect. The list includes Annapolis, Arabian Lion, Arcangelo, Cody’s Wish, Country Grammer, Dr. Schivel, Forte, Fulsome, Gunite, Loggins, Mage, Pappacap, Proxy, Rombauer, Taiba, Two Phil’s, Up to the Mark, Verifying and Zandon. Fasig-Tipton said the book also includes yearlings by established sires such as Candy Ride, Girvin, Golden Pal, Liam’s Map, Life Is Good, Maxfield, McKinzie, Munnings, Omaha Beach, Oscar Performance, Practical Joke, Street Sense, Tiz the Law, Twirling Candy, Upstart, Vekoma and Yaupon.

Recent graduates are part of the sales pitch. Splendora and Shisospicy emerged as Breeders’ Cup champions last fall, and Shisospicy later was named Eclipse Champion Female Sprinter. Argos, winner of the Summer Stakes, became the sale’s latest Grade 1-winning 2-year-old, while Forged Steel’s recent Hollywood Gold Cup victory added another top-level name to the résumé. Fasig-Tipton also points to the 2025 edition, when 261 selected yearlings catalogued, 156 sold through the ring for $16,828,000, and the average reached $107,872. The median of $90,000 tied the sale record set in 2022 and matched in 2024, and the average topped $100,000 for the fifth time.

The market momentum does not stop with the yearlings. Fasig-Tipton’s July Selected Horses of Racing Age Sale will follow immediately after the yearlings on July 14, continuing a market that first launched in 2013 and has become a key stop for ready-to-run horses heading into Saratoga and Del Mar. For the 2026 sale, nominations are open until sale time, entries must be finalized by June 19 to make the initial catalogue release, and the company’s calendar lists entries closing June 24. Last year, Romeo set the tone with a record $1.7 million top price, underscoring how quickly the July marketplace can shift from prospects to proven performers.