Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale Set for April 6, 2022

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The Texas Thoroughbred Association and Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie have announced that the 2022 Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale will be held on Wednesday, April 6, at the Dallas-area racetrack. The breeze show will be held Monday, April 4.

The 2022 Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale comes on the heels of the strong 2021 Texas Summer Yearling Sale. That sale saw an increase in the number of horses cataloged and sold, as well as a positive jump in the average and median sale prices.

“Based on what we saw with the Texas Summer Yearling Sale, I think there’s a lot of anticipation for the upcoming Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale in April,” TTA Sales Director Foster Bridewell said. “I think we’re uniquely positioned in the 2-year-old sales landscape to provide a quality sale for our owners, trainers, and breeders and still attract out of region buyers and sellers.”

The sale will be held about three weeks before Lone Star Park kicks off its 2022 Thoroughbred meet with 48 days of racing starting on April 28th. As usual, the Texas Thoroughbred Association Futurity, for TTA Sales graduates and Accredited Texas-breds made eligible through consignor or buyer berths, will be held on closing weekend at Lone Star with two divisions, each at $150,000 guaranteed.

Graduates of the Texas Yearling or 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale will also be eligible for the new Texas Thoroughbred Association Derby and Oaks for 3-year-olds. Both will be held at Sam Houston Race Park in 2023.

“The expanded stakes program for Texas Thoroughbred Association sales graduates certainly gives buyers something extra to think about when they’re bidding on horses,” Bridewell said. “Our graduates have had success in the Texas Thoroughbred Association Futurity, and that’s carried over in other stakes races around the country, including the first, second, and third place finishers in this year’s Clever Trevor Stakes at Remington Park.”

“Also, thanks to the passage of HB 2460 in 2019, the Texas horse industry benefits from the infusion of $25 million per year, increasing purses and Accredited Texas-bred incentive awards,” Bridewell added. “It really does pay to breed, sell and race in Texas.”

The Entry Deadline for the Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale is January 17, 2022, and consignment forms are now available at www.ttasales.com

Click Here for Consignment Contract

Texas Summer Yearling Sale Posts Huge Gains Across the Board

by Posted in Yearling Sale

Monday’s Texas Summer Yearling and Horses of Racing Age Sale at Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie recorded sizable increases in gross sales, average and median with a Texas-bred colt by Too Much Bling topping the auction.

Hip 101, a Texas-bred son of Too Much Bling who topped the sale at $175,000. Photo courtesy Benchmark Training Center.

A total of 228 yearlings went through the ring with 176 selling for $3,219,600, a 138.9% percent increase from last year when 106 of 137 sold for $1,347,700. The yearling average this year came in at $18,293, a jump of 43.9% from last year’s $12,714. The median soared to $10,000 this year, up 96.1% percent from $5,100. The buy-back rate was 22.8% this year compared to 22.6% last year.

There were also three horses of racing age in the sale this year, which sold for a total of $17,500. Last year’s auction had 15 older horses sell for a total of $162,500.

“The numbers are almost overwhelming compared to last year, and this sale exceeded even our very high expectations,” said Tim Boyce, sales director. “The recent gains in purses and breeding incentives in Texas, along with the strong programs in place in Louisiana and Oklahoma, have helped make this a very powerful regional marketplace. This is truly one of the best sales we’ve ever had in Texas.”

“We recently announced increased purses of $300,000 for sale horses to run at in the two divisions of the Texas Thoroughbred Association Futurity, and we added a total of $200,000 for a Derby and Oaks race, so that has attracted some extra interest,” added Mary Ruyle, executive director of the Texas Thoroughbred Association.

Proving the point about the resurgence of interest in Texas racing, the sale-topper was Hip 101, an accredited Texas-bred colt by Too Much Bling, who stands at Valor Farm and is a perennial leading sire in the state. Consigned by Benchmark Training Center, agent, and purchased by Finisterre Racing, the April 3 foal sold for $175,000. The colt is out of Swifterthantaylor, a multiple winning daughter of another top Texas stallion at Valor Farm, My Golden Song. Swifterthantaylor’s first starter is a stakes-placed winner. Two other horses sold for six figures, both Louisiana-bred colts. A son of Not This Time named Star Redemption sold for $120,000 from Clear Creek Stud, agent, to Al and Bill Ulwelling, and a son of Violence sold for $100,000 from 4M Ranch, agent, to Set-Hut LLC.

For complete results, click here.

TTA Announces Expanded $500,000 Stakes Program for Texas Sale Graduates

by Posted in 2-Year-Old Sale, Yearling Sale

The Texas Thoroughbred Association is pleased to introduce a revamped Texas Thoroughbred Association Futurity and the new Texas Thoroughbred Association Derby and Oaks, with purses totaling more than $500,000.

The races are restricted to horses that go through the ring at the upcoming Texas Summer Yearling Sale on August 30 or the Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale this coming spring. Horses need not be Texas-breds to be eligible, and the new format eliminates the previous payment schedule.

“In the last two years, Texas Thoroughbred racing has shown a resurgence due to the increased purse money at Lone Star Park and Sam Houston Race Park,” said Mary Ruyle, executive director of the TTA. “To continue to build on that progress, the TTA has revamped the Futurity and created a Derby and Oaks with significantly increased purses for all those races. We look forward to our yearling sale on August 30. Our goal is to create greater value for breeders, consignors and buyers.”

The revamped Texas Thoroughbred Association Futurity will feature divisions for 2-year-old fillies and colts/geldings with $150,000 guaranteed for each division. Both divisions will be run at 5 ½ furlongs on closing weekend of the 2022 Lone Star Park Thoroughbred meet. The races previously offered purses of approximately $100,000 apiece.

The new Texas Thoroughbred Association Derby and Oaks will be held at Sam Houston Race Park in 2023. The Derby and Oaks will be run on the dirt at a distance of one mile or more. Both races will carry purses of $100,000-added.

More information will be posted soon at texasthoroughbred.com and ttasales.com.

CLARIFICATION: ATB BERTH ENTRIES WILL STILL BE ALLOWED. The consignor and buyer of any yearling that goes through the ring on August 30th will receive a berth to be filled with an Accredited Texas-Bred foal of 2020. Berths must be declared to TTA by December 31, 2021 with a one-time payment of $500. There are no other sustaining payments. There will be an entry and start fee payable to Lone Star Park at the appropriate time.

Supplement Added for Texas Summer Yearling Sale

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The 2021 Texas Summer Yearling and Horses of Racing Age Sale will feature five supplemental hips, all added to the body of the catalog and available online in the interactive catalog. The Texas Thoroughbred Association will provide a supplement paper copy of these hips available at the sales pavilion before and during the sale. Additionally, the hips will automatically be updated and added into the Equineline catalog iPad app.

The supplement hips are:

  • Hip 13: B C by Midnight Lute out of Moneybru; consigned by Stuart Morris, Agent for Highclere, Inc.
  • Hip 85: Ch F by California Chrome out of Salty Mo; consigned by Craig Singer
  • Hip 117: B F by California Chrome out of Better Be Better; consigned by Craig Singer
  • Hip 185: Gr/Ro F by Cupid out of Colombe; consigned by KP Sales, Agent
  • Hip 243: DkB/Br F by Liaison out of Raffie’s Treasure; consigned by Ellen Caines, Agent

“We’re excited about adding these supplemented horses to our already diverse and strong group of yearlings for this sale,” Sales Director Tim Boyce said. “There’s been quite a bit of interest from prospective buyers this year, thanks in part to the breeders, owners and consignors who have entered quality yearlings. I am looking forward to getting the horses on the grounds at Lone Star Park and our sale on August 30.”

The supplement paper catalog will be available at and around the sale pavilion at Lone Star Park. The horses in the supplement are already added into the interactive online catalog. Online bidding will be available for the sale, and the deadline to register for online bidding is Monday, August 23. The sale will be held at Lone Star Park on August 30 at 10am CT and will be livestreamed on the sale website.

Texas Summer Yearling Sale Attracts Record Number of Entries

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The Texas Summer Yearling and Horses of Racing Age Sale, set for Monday, August 30, at Lone Star Park, will feature a record number of entries with nearly 250 yearlings consigned to the Southwest’s biggest auction. The sale, held jointly by the Texas Thoroughbred Association and Lone Star Park, will begin at 10 a.m. in the sales pavilion on the grounds of the Dallas-area track.

“This will easily be our largest sale since taking the reins from Fasig-Tipton in 2016,” said Tim Boyce, sales director. “We’ve seen some solid growth over the past few years, despite the challenges of the health pandemic, and now we’ve really hit a milestone this year. We have several new consignors for this sale, and the sire power is stronger than I can ever remember seeing here.”

In addition to nearly 250 yearlings, there are three 2-year-olds in the sale.

“Texas racing and breeding have been on the upswing thanks to the Horse Industry Escrow Account authorized by the Texas Legislature, which has helped boost purses and breeding incentives,” said Mary Ruyle, executive director of the TTA. “That in turn has increased interest in our sales and allowed us to develop a consignor rebate program. We are also pleased to introduce the Texas Thoroughbred Sales Derby to be run in 2023 to complement the very popular Texas Thoroughbred Sales Futurity.”

Details on the Sales Derby are still being finalized, but the race for sale graduates is expected to offer two divisions (one for fillies and one for colts/geldings) with an estimated purse of $75,000 apiece at Sam Houston Race Park. The Sales Futurity also offers two divisions at $100,000-estimated apiece at Lone Star.

The TTA and Lone Star will host a pre-sale party for consignors and buyers on Sunday, August 29, at 6:30 p.m. in the Alysheba room on the second floor of the Lone Star grandstand.

The yearling sale comes on the heels of the Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale held in April, which posted the highest gross, average and median since the TTA and Lone Star took over both sales in 2016.

Online bidding and live online video will be offered on this sale. To view the catalogue, click here.

Texas 2-Year-Old Sale Posts Record-Breaking Numbers

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Wednesday’s Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale at Lone Star Park recorded the highest gross, average and median since the Texas Thoroughbred Association and Lone Star took over operation of the auction in 2016.

Hip 85

A total of 89 horses sold from 104 offered for total sales of $2,907,700, a 66% increase from the 2019 auction total of $1,751,400 (the 2020 sale was cancelled due to COVID-19). The average price this year was $32,671, a jump of 39.9% from the 2019 average of $23,352, and the median increased by 37.9% to $20,000 from $14,500. The buyback rate was 14.4%, compared to 31.8% in 2019.

“This was one of the best sales we’ve ever had at Lone Star Park, including the prior years with Fasig-Tipton,” said Tim Boyce, sales director. “We had a big crowd in the sales pavilion and lots of action with online bidding, so that speaks well about the demand for Texas-breds, Louisiana-breds, Oklahoma-breds and racehorses in general in this region. The increased purses and incentives in Texas have made the Southwest an even more desirable place to race than it already was.”

Hip 85, named The Reese Beast, brought a sale-topping bid of $240,000 from Austin Gustafson, agent. Consigned by Asmussen Horse Center, agent, the Virginia-bred Tiznow filly is out of the winning and stakes-producing Jump Start mare Delta Weekend. She galloped at the under tack show held Monday at Lone Star.

Two horses sold for $150,000 as the second-highest price of the sale, and both were Louisiana-breds consigned by Pike Racing, agent. Hip 36, a Louisiana-bred colt by Overanalyze, went to Highlander Training Center after working an eighth-mile in :10 2/5. The colt is a half brother to multiple Louisiana stakes winner Mirabeau. The fastest horse from the under tack show, hip 57 with a clocking of :10 flat, also brought $150,000 and sold to Wayne Sanders and Larry Hirsch. Named Wupkar, the filly is out of the Songandaprayer mare Anne Margaret, who has produced two stakes-placed runners.

Benchmark Training Center, agent, as the leading consignor by total sales at $622,700. Pike Racing was the leading consignor by average, with four sales for an average of $105,750.

CLICK HERE to download complete results as a PDF, or CLICK HERE to view the interactive, sortable results.

Louisiana-bred Filly Posts Fastest Time in Advance of Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale

by Posted in 2-Year-Old Sale

A Louisiana-bred filly by Bind worked an eighth-mile in :10 flat as the fastest time in Monday’s under tack show for the Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale at Lone Star Park. The breeze show was held under sunny skies with a steady headwind throughout the day. The sale is set for Wednesday at 12 noon. CLICK HERE for a list of breeze show times.

To view videos from the under tack show, CLICK HERE and select the individual hip you want to view from the interactive catalog. Or CLICK HERE to watch the entire breeze show in hip number order.

Hip 57

Consigned by Pike Racing, agent, Hip 57 was the sixth horse to breeze in the under tack show. The February 27 foal, named Wupkar, is out of the Songandaprayer mare Anne Margaret, who has produced four winners. Two of those winners are stakes-placed, including $346,012 earner Adrianne G.

A single horse worked a quarter-mile, with Hip 113, an Ohio-bred colt by Midshipman, clocking the distance in :24 4/5.

“We had a nice crowd on hand today with more people in attendance than I remember over the past several years,” said Tim Boyce, sales director. “We had some very strong works on the track, despite a pretty solid headwind.”

Videos of the under tack show will be posted later this evening.

More than 120 Horses Consigned to Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale

by Posted in 2-Year-Old Sale

The catalogue is now available for the Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale with more than 120 head consigned to the auction set for Wednesday, April 7, at Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie. The under tack show will be held Monday, April 5, at Lone Star, which co-sponsors the sale with the Texas Thoroughbred Association.

CLICK HERE to view the online catalog.

CLICK HERE for more info about online bidding and to register.

“After being forced to cancel last year’s 2-year-old sale due to COVID-19, we are very pleased to get back on track this year, especially with the excitement from the increased overnight purses in Texas and the strong stakes schedule coming up at Lone Star Park,” said Tim Boyce, sales director.

First-year sires Klimt, Practical Joke, Lord Nelson, Gormley and Midnight Storm lead a strong stallion list, along with Texas freshman stallions Texas Chrome and Eagle. National and international sire power should be enticing to all buyers with Bernardini, California Chrome, Honor Code, Kitten’s Joy, Maclean’s Music, Malibu Moon and Street Sense among those represented. As usual, offspring of many of the Southwest’s top sires are in the sale, including Bradester, Custom for Carlos, Den’s Legacy, Half Ours, My Golden Song and Star Guitar.

The mailing of catalogues was delayed due to February’s winter weather in Texas, but copies are expected to mail next week. The complete catalogue is now online, and as the sale approaches photos will be posted along with videos following the under tack show. Online bidding will again be available, and interested bidders can register now.

“After being forced to cancel last year’s 2-year-old due to COVID-19, we are very pleased to get back on track this year, especially with the excitement from the increased overnight purses in Texas and the strong stakes schedule coming up at Lone Star Park,” said Tim Boyce, sales director.

First-year sires Klimt, Practical Joke, Lord Nelson, Gormley, and Midnight Storm lead a strong sire list with local first year sires Texas Chrome and Eagle. National sire power should be enticing to all buyers with Bernardini, California Chrome, Honor Code, Kitten’s Joy, Maclean’s Music, Malibu Moon and Street Sense. As usual, many of the Southwest’s top sires are represented in the sale, including Bradester, Custom for Carlos, Den’s Legacy, Half Ours, My Golden Song and Star Guitar. The mailing of catalogues was delayed due to February’s winter weather in Texas, but copies are expected to mail next week. The complete catalogue is now online, and as the sale approaches photos will be posted along with videos after the under tack show. Online bidding will again be available, and interested bidders can register now.

Texas Summer Yearling Sale Set for August 30

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The Texas Thoroughbred Association and Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie have announced that the Texas Summer Yearling Sale will be held Monday, August 30, at the Dallas-area track. Entries are now being accepted with a deadline of June 21. Click here for the entry form.

Despite the current health pandemic, last year’s Texas Summer Yearling Sale resulted in an increase in gross sale receipts of more than 166% with approximately twice the number of horses consigned compared to the previous year. Even with the larger catalog, last year’s sale posted an increase in average and median as buyers reacted positively to rising purses and breeders awards in Texas thanks to new legislation.

“Last year’s sale showed how strong the Southwest market is with Texas on the rise and Oklahoma and Louisiana continuing to have solid racing and breeding programs,” said Tim Boyce, sales director. “We fully expect that upward trend to continue with our upcoming 2-year-olds in training sale followed by this yearling sale.”

Last year the TTA introduced a consignor rebate program that rebates up to 50% of the consignment fee using funding from the passage of HB 2463, and that offer will again be in effect for this sale. As previously announced, the TTA and Lone Star Park will hold the Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale on April 7. The breeze show will be held April 5.

Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale Set for April 7, 2021

by Posted in 2-Year-Old Sale

The Texas Thoroughbred Association and Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie have announced that the 2021 Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale will be held on Wednesday, April 7, at the Dallas-area track. The breeze show will be held Monday, April 5.

The sale will be held about two weeks before Lone Star Park kicks off its expanded Thoroughbred meet with 48 days of racing starting on April 22. The track has announced an enhanced stakes schedule worth more than $2.2 million and the revival of Lone Star Million Day. As usual, the Texas Thoroughbred Sales Futurity, for TTA Sales graduates and those made eligible through a consignor berth, will be held at Lone Star with two divisions at $100,000-estimated apiece.

“With daily purses at Lone Star expected to be around $250,000 and maiden races at $36,000, this sale will offer buyers the chance to get an almost immediate return on their investment,” said Tim Boyce, sales director. “In addition to the Sales Futurity in July, Lone Star will be running two divisions of the Clarence Scharbauer Jr. Texas Stallion Stakes for 2-year-olds in June, so that’s another opportunity for Texas-sired horses.”

The entry deadline for the 2-year-old sale is January 15, 2021. Click here to download the consignment form.