Trainers seek next big racing horse at Fasig-Tipton sale at Timonium Fairgrounds

BALTIMORE - Many young horses begin their road to Triple Crown glory at the annual Timonium auction at the Baltimore County fairgrounds.

That's racing's version of the NFL draft combine.

The Fasig-Tipton 2-year-old training sale takes place right after the Preakness Stakes at the Timonium Fairgrounds.

WJZ went behind the scenes to bring you the sights and sounds of this fast-paced spectacle.  

"We are looking for athleticism, confirmation, soundness and stability," trainer Ron Moquett said.

Mage, this year's Kentucky Derby winner, was purchased last May at this sale.

The names of other great champions purchased in Timonium are on the walls of the sales ring.

So, like the NFL Draft, you can hit it big.

However, unlike the NFL Draft, you don't wait your turn to make a selection.

 That's because there is a bidding process.

Now, you won't see potential buyers shouting out their bids or even raising their hands.

Instead, they use discreet signals to people known as bid spotters.

Some buyers prefer to bid online.

It's a competition where they jockey in real time to get the horses they want.

"The fact of the matter is that the horse you are going to get or get out-bid on very well could be the horse that makes your career," Moquett said. "We are all as good as the horses we train or own. And knowing that the competition of the bid is what separates you from owning this life-changing horse or not." 

At this year's sale, the highest price paid was $1 million for a filly out of Arrogate.

A total of 373 2-year-olds were sold at an average price of just over $90,000.

The Gavel Falls and the sale are complete, and this 2-year-old identified solely by a hip number is about to begin a racing career, but the journey to get to the sales ring is fascinating and not well known.

It starts here with a catalog of the hundreds of horses to be sold at Timonium Fairgrounds.

Everyone at the sale has a copy in their hands.

Buyers study the book and make notes on which horses they want to see up close. 

Each 2-year-old has a page that includes great detail on its pedigree, which is an important consideration for a potential buyer.

"It's definitely a tool or a barometer," Moquett said. "But at the end of the day, the horse is out there on its own and its mom and dad aren't running for him."

At the Timonium Fairgrounds, buyers do have more than the catalog, They are also able to watch these 2-year-olds in action.

The week before the sale the horses are on the track doing short training runs known as breezes. They are timed and videotaped. 

Those in the industry liken the whole process to how NFL goes about scouting college players.

"The great thing about 2-year-old sales, it's like the NFL Draft," said Elliott Walden, CEO of Winstar Farm. "You get to see them run a little. They have been out here for a week and you get to like certain horses and then you see if you are successful in the sales ring."