Fasig-Tipton October Yearling Sale 2026: $800K Tops, Typical Prices

Fasig-Tipton October yearling sale 2026: the results so far

The top price at the 2026 Fasig-Tipton October yearling sale is $800,000, paid twice on day 2 (Oct. 20) for an Uncle Mo filly and an Into Mischief colt. The typical yearling costs far less: through two of four sessions, the median price was $35,000, according to the Thoroughbred Daily News (TDN).

The official name is the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October Yearlings sale. It runs Oct. 19-22, 2026, in Lexington, Kentucky, with sessions starting at 10 a.m. ET, and 1,615 horses were cataloged, per Fasig-Tipton's session schedule.

Sessions 3 and 4 (Oct. 21 and 22) were still ahead when we published, so final totals aren't in yet. Here is where things stood after two days:

Gross through two days was $33,012,500, compared with $32,776,500 for 529 yearlings at the same point in 2025, per Fasig-Tipton. The middle of the market got stronger, with the median up about 17%, while slightly fewer horses brought $200,000 or more (34 vs 37).

Fasig-Tipton president Boyd Browning Jr. called the market healthy but selective. Buyers were picky about conformation, pedigree and vet reports.

Day 1 (Oct. 19) was quieter at the top. A Constitution colt (hip 328) led at $360,000, bought by Kaleem Shah's KSI, Fasig-Tipton reported.

The $800,000 yearlings and who bought them

Hip 426: the Uncle Mo filly

• Consigned by Heartwood Farm and out of the multiple stakes-placed Tapit mare Velvet Crush.
• Bought by agent Donato Lanni for Jerry Lundergan's stable (Lundergan Stables in TDN, Lundergan Racing Stables in Fasig-Tipton's report). She is headed to trainer Bob Baffert.
• Lundergan told TDN he expected her to bring $350,000 to $400,000, but kept going because Baffert called her his favorite in the sale. The stable has not raced a horse yet.

Lundergan also bought a Good Magic colt (hip 419) for $230,000 the same day.

Hip 676: the Into Mischief colt

• Bred and consigned by Dixiana Farms and out of the graded stakes-placed mare Brielle's Appeal.
• He was first cataloged for Book 1 of Keeneland September but missed it when a foot abscess kept him from shipping.
• Mahmud Mouni signed the ticket at $800,000.

Who is the buyer? Reports differ. TDN says Mouni bought him for Tagermeen Racing, while Fasig-Tipton's session report (also carried by the Paulick Report) lists R T M Racing as the buyer. We name Mouni as the signer and leave the entity question open.

Other headline prices on day 2

• Hip 755, an Into Mischief colt, $700,000 to trainer Mark Casse for the Green family's D J Stable.
• Hip 492, a Gun Runner colt, $385,000 to Mouni.
• Hip 707, a Life Is Good colt, $330,000 from Sequel to Hideyuki Mori for Arabian Farm.

Where the October sale fits in the season

Kentucky's yearling season peaks in September and winds down through the fall. Each sale plays a different role:

1. Keeneland September (Sept. 14-26). The giant. It sold 2,856 yearlings for a record $536.7 million, with an $187,933 average and an $85,000 median. Read our Keeneland September guide.
2. Fasig-Tipton October (Oct. 19-22). The mid-market and second-chance sale. You'll find later-maturing yearlings, horses that missed September (like hip 676) and mid-range pedigrees, and it's a key shopping stop for pinhookers.
3. Fasig-Tipton November (Nov. 2). The focus shifts to broodmares and breeding stock. See our November sale preview.

In Europe, the equivalent October fixture is Tattersalls in Newmarket, which prices in guineas. Compare it in our Tattersalls October guide.

The 2025 October sale set records across the board, with a gross of $71,843,500, an average of $65,491 and a $30,000 median, Fasig-Tipton reported. Its top price was $900,000, for a Curlin colt. So 2026 is being measured against a high bar.

How to read yearling sale results

Sale reports are full of shorthand. These five terms unlock almost all of it.

Hip numbers

Every horse wears a numbered sticker on its hip that matches its catalog page. Numbers run in selling order, so they tell you which day a horse sells: day 3 covers hips 809-1212.

Consignors

The consignor is the farm or sales agency that prepares the yearling, shows it at the barns and sells it, usually on behalf of the breeder. Heartwood Farm consigned hip 426; Dixiana Farms both bred and consigned hip 676.

RNA and buy-backs

RNA stands for reserve not attained. The seller sets a secret minimum price, and if bidding stops short, the horse goes home unsold. That's a buy-back, not a sale.

Through two days, 162 yearlings were RNAs, including horses that failed to sell at $650,000, $585,000 and $390,000. Browning said some owners may have set reserves too aggressively.

RNAs also travel between sales. Hip 419 was an RNA at $335,000 at Keeneland September, then sold here for $230,000.

Average vs median

The average is the gross divided by horses sold, so a few big prices pull it up. The median is the middle price: half sold for more, half for less.

That's why the median is the better guide for everyday buyers. Two $800,000 horses barely move it, but they lift the average noticeably.

Pinhooking

Pinhooking means buying a young horse to resell it later at a higher price. Many October yearlings are bought by pinhookers who break and prepare them, then sell them as 2-year-olds in training next spring. Learn how in what is pinhooking and what is a breeze-up sale.

How much does a yearling racehorse cost?

At this sale, a typical yearling cost about $35,000 through two sessions, and half sold for less. Prices ran from bargain lots up to the $800,000 toppers.

The hammer price is only the entry ticket. Before a yearling ever races, usually at 2 or 3, an owner pays for:

• Pre-sale checks: a vet to review X-rays and scopes, and often a bloodstock agent.
• Shipping from the sale to the farm or training center.
• Breaking and early training through the winter.
• Training day rates once the horse is at the track, plus vet and farrier bills.
• Insurance, licensing and race entry fees.

Many yearlings also never earn back what they cost. Treat this as a passion purchase, not a plan to make money. This article is not betting or investment advice.

A simple budgeting checklist

1. Ask trainers for written day rates and typical monthly vet costs before you bid.
2. Set your top bid after subtracting at least a year of training and care from your total budget.
3. Register with the sales company in advance and read its conditions of sale.
4. Hire a vet to review the repository records; see what a pre-purchase exam covers.
5. Consider a racing partnership if you want to be involved for a smaller share of the cost.

Shopping for a riding horse instead? A yearling isn't it. Start with the best horse for beginners or a retired racehorse (what is an OTTB).

What to watch next

• Final totals, Oct. 22. Watch whether the median holds above last year's $30,000 and how the gross compares with 2025's record $71.8 million.
• The buyer listing for hip 676. Fasig-Tipton's final results should show which entity is officially recorded.
• Breeders' Cup at Keeneland, Oct. 30-31. Casse is set to saddle the Greens' champion Nitrogen on Oct. 31 in the Breeders' Cup Distaff.
• Fasig-Tipton November, Nov. 2. Dixiana plans to sell Gaelic Gold, dam of Grade 1 winner Fionn.
• Spring 2027 breeze-up sales. Pinhooked October yearlings resurface as 2-year-olds.

New to terms like sire, dam and black type? Keep our glossary open while you read the sale reports.