Lexington, Ky - From their too-long legs to their tiny muzzles to their fuzzy coats, the yearlings at Keeneland’s January Horses of All Ages Sale are quite a mixed bag. Some dwarf their handlers in height. Others appear to be miniature versions of their fellow 2012 classmates. While all are called “yearlings”, there can be as much as a seven-month difference in their ages.
The universal birthday for Thoroughbreds in the Northern Hemisphere is January 1, which means that any horse born in a given year is considered a year older each New Year’s Day, regardless of their actual birthday. Foals are typically born anywhere from early January to early June (although Thursday’s Keeneland session featured a pair of horses with August birthdays), and while the few months’ difference in actual age is negligible once they reach adulthood, it’s more strongly noticeable at this stage of their growth.
Just like children, horses go through growth spurts that sometimes leave them looking a little awkward. Most commonly, young equines might have hindquarters that grow faster than their shoulders, so they can appear “downhill” even when standing on flat surfaces. Many of them balance out with time.
“One of the biggest things buying short yearlings at this time of year is that you have to see potential in some of these horses, because some of these are ugly ducklings that are going to grow into beautiful swans,” said Laurie Metcalfe, DVM of Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington. “But some of them are going to stay ugly ducklings.”
Yearlings at this age are commonly referred to as “short yearlings” since it’s so early in their yearling year.
“In the younger yearlings, the growth plates [parts of the long leg bones that fuse when the growth is complete] quite aren’t as closed, so they have a lot more room to change, which could be a good thing. They have room to improve, but they also have room to get worse,” said Metcalfe.
She recommends buyers have a veterinarian look at young horses carefully to see what issues may be present, especially for buyers hoping to resell in the short term—some will be minor problems that should dissipate with time, while others may become more permanent concerns.
Experts say most buyers are savvy enough to make allowances for the age differences, especially in January.
“I think the really savvy buyers can see—there’s a difference between being young and being little,” said Mark Taylor, vice president of marketing and public sales operations at Taylor Made Sales Agency. “Based on the ratio of their leg to their whole body, you can tell [if] they’re going to catch up. The ones who get penalized are the February foals who look like they’re going to be short-legged—a real mature horse that’s real low to the ground.”
Just as with people, horses sometimes mature mentally quicker than they do physically, which can lessen the gap between their competitors once they reach the track. And ultimately, the biggest horse isn’t always the one most ready to be in the winner’s circle.
Molly Jo Rosen, managing member of Post Parade Racing ownership syndicate, recalls two two-year-olds her group trained together—one born in February or March, and the other in May.
“Derby morning they work head to head and the May baby outworks the other,” said Rosen. “When they get in the gate, you never know … I think it depends on trainer, and seasoning, and how long they’ve been at a track and how they’ve been training.”
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Buying cooled off Thursday at Keeneland January as the last Fares Farm dispersal horses went through the ring.
Gross sales for the day totaled $3,389,600, down 6.4 percent from last year’s fourth session, while the average dipped 4.5 percent to $13,668. Median was also down 17.7 percent to $7,000. The percentage of horses not attaining reserve was 18.7 percent, slightly better than the 2012 final session RNA of 19.2 percent.
The day’s highest price was $145,000 paid for broodmare prospect Mahkama. Selling as Hip 1211, Mahkama was consigned by Brookdale Sales and purchased by Blandford Bloodstock. The four-year-old daughter of Bernardini amassed $7,629 from her race career in England.
Cumulative numbers for the sale are still up from last year’s auction, which only lasted four days. The current gross of $43,688,600 is up 15 percent with one day remaining. The average of $47,282 is up by 24.8 percent, while the $20,000 median is up 33.3 percent.
The Fares stock dispersal contributed to the auction’s improvement over 2012 with 78 horses sold for a total of $7,313,000. Dispersal average price was $93,756 for the in-demand stock, while the median was $56,000.