F-T Spa opener crackles with Mo money, Mo money, Mo money
 

Mo Momentum: Sheikh Boosts Saratoga Sale
By Deirdre B. Biles

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-raci...-saratoga-sale

Boosted by the Sheikh Mohammed stimulus package, the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga select yearling sale got off to a sizzling start Aug. 10 in New York at a time when the struggling economy is causing prices to fall at other Thoroughbred auctions. The gross revenue for the 76 horses that sold was $25,470,000, which was a whopping 40.3% increase from the opening session a year ago. The average price grew 10.7% to $335,132, and the median price increased 6.4% to $250,000.

Sheikh Mohammed, who rules Dubai, “has kind of a rock star status, and when he shows up, it gets everybody’s adrenaline pumping,” said Mark Taylor of Taylor Made Sales Agency.

And the bids start soaring.

By the end of the night, Sheikh Mohammed, who mingled with the crowd outside the sale pavilion, had spent $5.5 million through his bloodstock manager, John Ferguson, for six horses, including three of the four yearlings that sold for seven-figure prices. They were the session’s most expensive horse, a $1.5-million Medaglia d'Oro –- Cat Dancer filly, a $1.3-million Bernardini – Bird Town colt, and a $1.2-million Bernardini -- Storm Beauty colt. A number of associates of Sheik Mohammed and Ferguson, including Richard O’Gorman and trainer John Gosden, also were active, and another member of Dubai’s ruling family, Sheikh Hamden, purchased horses in the name of Shadwell Estate Co., but did not attend the Saratoga auction.

The Bernardini - Bird Town colt was impressive, hope he does beat the odds and gets to the Derby trail.

Its been suggested elsewhere that Sheik Mo et al. were bidding up a lot of the Bernardini's to improve/inflate the sales figures. . .and if he gets "stuck" with some nice ones, he can afford it. . .

Wouldn't doubt it. The money seemed to be flowing quite freely all night long, I was a bit surprised.

Not a good sale to really Gauge the Market.

I feel certain There is some truth To making Sure all the Bernardini's sale Well

Plus what Fasig is doing for the Pinhookers too Makes them Spend Alot More Money.

well he owns the sale as well right? Isnt this a game against Keeneland?

The new fasig isnt pinhooker friendly. There were only 3 horses bought last night by pinhookers.

[quote=Cannon Shell]The new fasig isnt pinhooker friendly. There were only 3 horses bought last night by pinhookers.[/


What is a pinhooker?

[quote=RockHardTen1985]
someone who buys a horse & breaks it and re-sells in a sale. (lots of times buy yearlings, break them and get them fit & sell in a 2yo in training sale)

it can be very profitable for people who know what they are doing.

THere were actually a couple more than that from What I see

But alot of the Pinhookers are there and there bidding there just getting outrun most of the time.

I did talk to one today who did not buy a horse but said he had bid on 6 last night and got out bid everytime.

Itmakes these Pinhookers alot braver when they only have to but up 1/2 the money.

I believe they have to come up with 70% under the new regime and pay intrest on the rest

A 3/4 to Aragron brought 2.8mil.. That is serious money for that colt. He must have been wonderful looking. Who knows with these sales what the real price was but the colt brought a million plus more then Azeri's colt.