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| Staff Writer |
Anna Seitz hopes to get a closer look at the ‘end game’ in the ‘end game’ in the region
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“It appears that it is not all about the commercial market in the Middle East,” Seitz said. “Here in the United States, many people breed to sell. That’s their endgame. They want to sell their horses commercially. Whereas in the Middle East, I would say they are a little bit more racing purists, which is pretty cool.”
As the Director of Client Relations for Fasig-Tipton, she plans to travel to the Middle East for the first time this year to see racing in action. She starts her trip in Saudi Arabia, attending the Saudi Cup, and then hopes
to continue to Bahrain, Abu Dhabi and finally Dubai for Super Saturday. She had hoped to stop in Qatar but realised this might be too much.
Aware that horses purchased from Fasig-Tipton, the Kentucky-based auction house, will get a lot of opportunities to race in the Middle East, Seitz is excited about the possibility of seeing a few in action.
Seitz has gained valuable experience working for Fasig-Tipton, the oldest auction company in North America. Her time there has given her a deep appreciation for the significance of legacy and history, which can have a profound impact on individuals and organisations around the globe. Seitz is particularly excited to witness the culture surrounding horse racing in the Middle East, where horses have been an integral part of tradition and history for centuries. “They want to run in big races,” Seitz said. “They want to run in those prep races leading to the big races. They’re not looking to sell those horses. I know there are sales in Saudi Arabia, but outside of that, it seems to me they just want to run. I think that’s really cool.”
Seitz hopes to meet with many existing clients who buy and sell horses with Fasig-Tipton and connect with new friends and clients to understand the region better
Fasig-Tipton is like many strong, successful organisations. The foundation of the business was built by the people at the top pushing for innovation over the years. Adding that attitude to a staff driven to
succeed helps push Fasig-Tipton’s success.
Seitz, who moved back to Fasig-Tipton after working for champion trainer Todd Pletcher, said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd T. Browning, Jr. has been a good boss to work for because he is always thinking
outside the box.
“He’s open to new ideas,” Seitz said. “He’s very progressive. He’s a good person to work for because he’s always asking how can we be better?
What can we do to continue to drive us forward? “ One major new initiative Fasig-Tipton has invested in is the Light Up Racing initiative. Light Up is a program that is committed to dismantling the wall of secrecy that surrounds the industry, empowering participants with knowledge and confidence to engage with the concerned public and external media and to provide information to make decisions that prioritize equine safety.
“Boyd jumped right in and made a significant financial investment because he said we want to help,” Seitz said. “We want to help grow this game. We want to get new owners into this sport. We need new fans. We want to change the narrative. If there’s a negative narrative of racing, which we keep seeing in the media, we want to change it and show all the positives that racing brings.”
Remembering a time before digital sales is becoming increasingly difficult for Seitz. Online auctions have been popular with customers for the past two years since the Fasig-Tipton Digital Platform was launched. They are increasingly becoming a larger part of their business now. While there was, and still is, some hesitancy to buy a horse online, many customers have been comfortable with the process. “It’s going to continue to grow because of how convenient and practical it is,” Seitz said. “If you have a horse in training and you’re considering selling, you don’t have to take that racehorse out of training. If you have a broodmare close to foaling, you can leave it at home and not subject her to the stress of a live auction. You can sell that horse. You don’t have to disrupt a schedule. You don’t have to put the horse on a van.
You can cut expenses when you don’t have to ship it to another location.” “Before a horse is listed on the digital auction, there is a stringent process,” Seitz continued. “Sellers need good photos and a nice, clear walking video. X-rays must be loaded in the online repository just like you would at a live auction. We try to make the process as simple and straightforward as possible for buyers and sellers.”
“We have people everywhere that now know how to do this for the sellers” Seitz continued. “So, if you’re in the state of Louisiana and the horse is in training at the Fair Grounds, we have photographers that are there and know exactly what we need.
They know what format it needs to be in. If the horse runs right before the sale, x-rays need to be taken after the race so everything is current and up to date”.
Buyers have all sort of information at their fingerprints – past performances, speed figures, race replays, etc.,” Seitz continued. “The platform is very easy to use and makes things very convenient for people who have teams that are spread out around the world.
If your veterinarian is in Dubai, or in Kentucky, Florida, it doesn’t matter. They can log onto their account, they can view the X-rays, and then they can tell the potential buyer if this horse is one that they should pursue and try to buy or not.”
When Middle Eastern customers come to the market with Fasig-Tipton, they typically look for racers who can handle dirt tracks well. These durable horses are able to handle the schedule and run well at carnival events. Seitz has seen a lot of sales to Middle Eastern racers during their 2YO sales in Maryland.
“They seem to really want dirt horses to bring over and run in those racing festivals,” Seitz said. “They can see the horses train over dirt, buy them, and then bring them over to the Middle East and race them over dirt.” Seitz enjoys how some of the older horses still have opportunities to run in races even as they get closer to 10YO.
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“They have no problem buying older dirt horses,” Seitz said. “And I think what they do is keep them fresh; they give them long breaks. They run them during their carnivals, and then they give them a lot of time off, and they’re able to run them back. So, it appears to me that these horses keep getting better as they get older, like Switzerland for example.”
Seitz is interested in seeing how people in the Middle East work with these horses. “It sounds like they’re training them in the training centres,” Seitz said. And I’m really looking forward to seeing the differences in how they train them in the two different locations. It sounds like these horses can stay sound and run well into their later years.”
Last year, one of Seitz’s coworkers, Ramiro Restrepo, was a part owner of Mage, which won the Kentucky Derby. Seitz said that when Restrepo won, it was a nice moment for the entire company. “We spend so much time with our coworkers, they become like family,” Seitz said.
Seitz said that she expects the digital side of the business will continue to grow. “I would just say, hopefully, we will continue upward growth,” Seitz said. What is important to Seitz and other people at Fasig-Tipton to continue growing the industry. Many different people are trying to promote the prominence of racing in America, but they need to be in lockstep with one another.
“We need to partner together,” Seitz said. “There’s a lot of different organizations in America that are trying to grow and promote racing, but we’re not on the same page. I think we all agree that we need to work together better. We have all these different aftercare organizations in which we do a lot to take care of our horses after they’re retired but we can continue to do more. I think our number one goal should be to have more of a unified message and a unified goal. If we want to continue to sell horses at Fasig-Tipton, we need to make sure there are horses to sell. We need to make sure we are fixing the issues that we currently have.”