A stroll through the Fasig-Tipton sales grounds in Saratoga Springs on Sunday morning was all one needed to be rest assured that there is plenty of interest, and one hopes by extension plenty of money, for high-quality horse flesh.Many of the same faces that were seen around Saratoga Race Course a day earlier to enjoy a stacked 14-race card headed by the GI Whitney Stakes could also be found right across the road in advance of Fasig-Tipton's 105th renewal of the Saratoga Sale, which begins its two-day run at the Humphrey S. Finney Pavilion Monday evening. Both sessions begin at 6:30 p.m.Horsemen like Todd Pletcher, fresh off a record-setting day on Saturday when he bagged his 6000th career win, was seen diligently looking at yearlings while fellow Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, who seemed a bit more low-key than his East Coast counterpart, was also observed with several key players in the bloodstock world, including owner Amr Zedan and bloodstock agent Donato Lanni. The triumvirate teamed up on Day 2 of last year's sale to purchase a $2.9-million Gun Runner colt out of Princesa Carolina (Tapit).“It's Saratoga pixie dust–that is what makes Saratoga such a special place,” said Fasig-Tipton President and CEO Boyd Browning Jr. “If you were at the races [Saturday] and weren't still invigorated and excited by some of the performances that we saw on the racetrack, chances are you're not going to come over here and buy a horse. But if you went to the races, it gave you some bounce in your step. We saw some fabulous horses and some fabulous stories.”Frank Taylor of Taylor Made Sales echoed the sentiment.“Everybody feels good about it. It was almost like a Breeder's Cup Day. It was just crazy good racing, but all that just gets the energy flowing and creates a good vibe. And everybody's here. So I think it's just going to be a good sale.”After a record-setting 2025 season that saw the sale draw over $100 million in sales, Browning was cautiously optimistic heading into the 2026 renewal.“[The atmosphere] feels really, really, really good,” he said. “I'm always anxious and I don't want to make any crazy proclamations or predictions, but it feels very, very good so far.”The auction has produced six individual Grade I winners over the past year. Recent sales graduates include Champion Sierra Leone (Gun Runner), last year's winner of the GI Whitney; Journalism (Curlin), who followed up his win in last year's GI Preakness with a victory in the GI Haskell; Clicquot (Quality Road), winner of the GI Cotillion; Commandment (Into Mischief), winner of this year's GI Florida Derby; Shred the Gnar (Into Mischief), who captured the GI Fasig-Tipton La Troienne Stakes on Kentucky Derby day; and Hope Road (Quality Road), who claimed the GI Ballerina Stakes at Saratoga.In addition to success at the Grade I level, Saratoga has produced 10 additional individual graded stakes winners over the last 12 months: Barnes (Into Mischief), Call Sign Seven (Speightstown), Final Score (Not This Time), Fulleffort )Liam's Map), Litmus Test (Nyquist), Nafisa (Quality Road), Paladin (Gun Runner), Perfect Shot (Gun Runner), Potente (Into Mischief) and Zany (American Pharoah).“You look on the front of the catalog, in the back of the catalog, and you see the quality of sales graduates. And then you open up the catalog and you see the pedigrees that are in the catalog this year,” said Browning. “And then when you go look at the horses on the grounds, on the end of the shank, they're here for a reason. And they're here for a reason because we've been very fortunate that our consignors and the owners of horses, we get to see a better quality and a higher quality horse every year when we go to the farms for our yearly inspections. People have confidence bringing a really good horse here.” The Saratoga Sale: the Ultimate Litmus Test…Taylor Made Sales can always be counted on to present a quality group of youngsters in Saratoga. Included among the operation's recent Saratoga graduates is Final Score (Not This Time), a two-time graded stakes winner for Repole Stable and Todd Pletcher. Bred by BG Stables, the colt brought $600,000 in 2024.In 2025, the operation sold 27 head for a total of $16,185,000 in sales, with an average of $599,444. The agency sold a quartet of yearlings for over $1 million, including the consignment's 2025 topper–a colt by Uncle Mo out of Still There (Union Rags)–who brought $1.8 million from Flying Dutchmen.As of Sunday afternoon, Taylor Made had approximately 40 head set to sell this week.Asked what is the secret sauce for selling at the Saratoga Sale, Frank Taylor explained, “This sale is a great sale and you can really sell a horse for a premium, but you got to check all the boxes. You can't miss on the physical, and you can't miss on the vetting. We try to bring horses up here that have very good walks. Most people get to see them two, three, four times. And they have a great walk. They just get more expensive every time they look at them. If they don't have a good walk, they tend to fall off the list.”Remarking on the activity buzzing around the consignment on Sunday morning, Taylor said, “We keep numbers and it's been trending. We hit the 150 show-per-horse early [Sunday] morning and usually it's not that early. So, I think that shows the volume is probably up 20, 30%.” Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale grad Litmus Test | Benoit Photo Also enjoying plenty of action at the barn on Sunday, Machmer Hall Sales heads into the sale with a hot dozen.“We try to focus on the physicals,” said Machmer Hall's Carrie Brogden. “Many people watch them from the side because the way the rings are set up. So everyone's sitting down, watching them from the side, walking from the side. So you have to have a good mover. It would be very hard to have a horse that didn't move or use itself well at this sale.”Highlighting its recent success at the sale, Machmer Hall is responsible for selling homebred Litmus Test (Nyquist) for $875,000 at the 2024 renewal of the sale. He won last season's GII Los Alamitos Futurity and was third in this year's GII Rebel Stakes.Coming up early on Day 1, Machmer Hall has a colt by Yaupon out of Mimi's Tiz (Tiznow). Offered as Hip 23, the Apr. 10 foal is a member of the Preferred Partners group.“It seems like every time you turn around, there's some incredible horse running by Yaupon,” Brogden said of the Spendthrift stallion. “He's going down really well.“Essential Quality is also doing really well and we have Hip 71, who is out of Secret Passion (Archarcharch),” she added.Also selling for Preferred Partners, Machmer Hall presents Hip 139, a colt by first crop sire Arabian Lion. He is the first foal out of Anna L (Alternation).“I'm excited by our yearlings by the young stallions,” she said. Freshman Sires AboundEvery year, Fasig-Tipton rolls out a solid string of first-season sires and this year's catalogue is no different. Among the young stallions represented this season: Arabian Lion, Arcangelo, Cody's Wish, Elite Power, Gunite, Loggins, Mage and Taiba.And while Taylor Made will once again have a strong group of established stallions to roll out this week, including blazing hot stud Not This Time, the operation is also high on the young sire power it has in this year's arsenal.“Everybody's got to find their level and everybody wants a Not This Time and an Into Mischief, but a lot of people just can't afford them,” explained Taylor. “So they'll fall back into the second tier of horses and sires and a lot of freshmen sires too. It always amazes me how well these freshmen sires sell. It's almost like people will pay more for hope than they have proof.”Browning was quick to point out the importance of having young, up-and-coming sires in the rotation in addition to the more proven stallion. According to Browning, however, Fasig-Tipton never veers from its prime directive.“You've got to have a diversity of sire power,” Browning explained. “You've got to have young stallions and you've got to have proven stallions. The one thing that we're not going to forgive on is the physical aspect of a horse. So when a man or woman walks on these sales grounds, the expectation that they have that we've fortunate and built over the years with them, it's going to be a good-looking horse.” It's Stuart's Time…It's rare for owners to name a yearling they're going to sell, but sometimes, circumstances just demand it.Such is the case with hip 112 in the Taylor Made consignment, a colt by Not This Time out of Tiny Tina. The dark bay is named Stuart's Time, after the late Stuart Angus, the subject of a series of articles in the TDN last year by friends who wrote in to share their favorite 'Stu moments' after his passing.Courtesy Steve and Denise SmithAngus was the longtime senior thoroughbred advisor for Taylor Made, who passed away Aug. 28, 2025 at the age of 60.“We met Stuart Angus in 2023 while having dinner at the bar of Giuseppe's restaurant in Lexington,” said the yearling's owners, Steve and Denise Smith, in a statement to the TDN. “After a brief conversation, we realized we had much in common and thus began a relationship that went from acquaintances to business to a friendship. Stuart was such a kind soul, always quick to share advice and he & Steve bonded over their shared love of Taylor Made Stallion Not This Time. In January of 2024, Stuart helped us with a breeding season to Not this Time for one our mares, Tiny Tina. When the resulting 2025 foal was born, we shared pictures and videos which Stuart enjoyed. We had learned of Stuart's ongoing illness, and after Stuart came out to the farm to visit the colt, we decided to name him after Stuart with a nod to our shared favorite sire. Thus became Stuart's Time. During the final months of his illness we shared many pictures and videos of the foal, hoping they may have offered a smile or a small reprieve from treatment. Stuart's Time is blossoming into a handsome and athletic colt, who has a guardian angel to accompany him. We know he will make us as well as his namesake proud.” The post “It’s Saratoga Pixie Dust”: the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale Buzzing after Star-filled Saturday appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.