On this week’s episode of The Money Barrel, host Kayla sits down with someone listeners know well: Melanie Smith—founder of Solo Select, Select Online Sale and an undeniably influential force in the performance-horse marketplace.
But this time she’s not talking about one of Solo’s celebrated auctions. Instead, Smith unveils her newest venture: FastTrack Sale Company, an online platform designed specifically to serve the racehorse and running-bred barrel horse industries.
Launching its first sale on Sunday, December 14, FastTrack aims to make high-quality speed-bred horses more accessible to buyers across the country while simplifying and elevating the selling process for owners and breeders. It’s a model Smith believes the industry has needed for years.
Read the full press release and check out the must-watch lots here.
Why FastTrack?
Smith explains that while Select Online Sale reaches cow horse, rope horse, and some barrel audiences, the running-bred sector requires its own tailored platform. Buyers in that world historically rely on in-person sales—often traveling long distances, navigating crowded barns, and making high-pressure decisions in a matter of minutes. With FastTrack, everything changes.
Drawing inspiration from the success of online platforms in the cow horse and thoroughbred industries, Smith and her team recognized a gap: Why shouldn’t racehorses and barrel prospects be available online with the same level of transparency, professionalism, and buyer confidence?
FastTrack delivers exactly that.
Learn more about Fastrack Sales on The Money Barrel Podcast
What’s in the December 14 Sale?
The inaugural sale features everything from frozen embryos by elite sires to running-age horses and prospects—plus mares whose pedigrees effortlessly bridge the racetrack-to-barrel-pen crossover.
Among the highlights:
- Embryos by leading sires such as Favorite Cartel, Flying Cowboy 123, and Kiss My Hocks
- Embryos out of Dark NME, a $1.7M-earning champion filly and track-record setter at Ruidoso—her first and only foals ever offered
- A stallion with proven results in both racing and barrel racing
- Yearlings and prospects that, with the right prep, have the potential to be six-figure yearling sale horses
- A unique opportunity to purchase a racehorse qualified for December 21 finals at Los Alamitos—giving the buyer an immediate chance to watch their new horse run for purse money
Smith emphasizes that every horse in the sale is there because it meets FastTrack’s key requirement: bred to run—whether that’s on the track or in the arena.
How FastTrack Ensures Buyer Confidence
What truly sets FastTrack apart is its agent-driven model. Instead of housing every horse like Solo does, FastTrack partners with established professional agents across the country—individuals already known in the industry for fitting, prepping, and presenting top-tier horses.
Each agent follows a strict checklist that includes:
- Professional photos and conformation documentation
- Walking videos from multiple angles
- Vet statements
- Radiographs for prospects and running-age horses
- Hair testing for racehorses to verify clean, drug-free status
- Scope and palpation videos where appropriate
In many cases, buyers receive more information online than they would at a traditional live sale.
Meet the Team
Alongside Smith and Ty Smith, FastTrack is backed by two of the most respected names in the racehorse and stallion-management world: Butch Wise and Matt Whitman. Their decades of experience and deep industry networks ensure that both buyers and sellers are supported by unmatched expertise.
How to Get Involved
Buyers can browse horses, register, and bid through the FastTrack app or at bid.fasttracksales.com. Registration is free, and the platform is designed to be user-friendly—even for first-time online buyers.
The December 14 sale opens at 8 a.m. and begins closing at 5 p.m., with lots ending incrementally.