The Texas Summer Yearling and Horses of Racing Age Sale, held jointly by the Texas Thoroughbred Association and Lone Star Park, posted a big gain in gross sales on Monday. The average and median also increased compared to last year, even with a much larger catalog on tap this year. The sale was held in the sales pavilion at Lone Star with appropriate safety measures in place, and online bidding was offered for the first time at the Texas sale.

For the yearling session, 106 head from 137 offered sold for a total of $1,347,700, compared to 42 of 65 sold last year for $506,000. That represents a 166.34% increase in gross sales. The average this year was $12,714, up 5.5% from last year’s $12,048, and the median rose to $5,100 from $5,000 for an increase of 2%. The buyback rate this year was 22.6% compared to 35.3% last year.

The format was altered this year to include a horses of racing age session, in part because of the cancellation of the 2-year-olds in training sale earlier this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The session had 15 horses sell from 18 offered for a total of $162,500 and an average of $10,833.

Last year’s summer auction had a traditional mixed session with 12 sold for $31,100.

“The results of this sale were strong on their own, and especially against the backdrop of a health pandemic,” said Tim Boyce, sales director. “With twice as many yearlings as last year, the fact that our average and median still went up shows that there’s a lot of demand in this region for quality stock. We were pleased with the response to online bidding as well.”

Al Pike, agent, bought the three highest priced horses, topped by hip 218, a Louisiana-bred colt from the first crop of Grade 1 winner Klimt. Consigned by Eaton Sales, agent for Coteau Grove Farms LLC, the January foal is the first out of the unraced Ghostzapper mare Ms. Character and sold for $120,000.

Pike also signed the ticket on the hip 203, who sold for $100,000 as the top filly and second-highest overall. Consigned by H & E Ranch, Roger Daly, agent, the Kentucky-bred daughter is also from the first crop of a Grade 1 winner in Classic Empire. She is out of Just Like Pop, by Unbridled’s Song, whose only foal to race is a multiple winner.

Pike also got the third-highest price from H & E Ranch and Daly with hip 243, a Kentucky-bred Lemon Drop Kid colt for $70,000.

From the horses of racing age session, the top price was hip 16, an unraced 2-year-old filly by Twirling Candy. Martin Racing Stable LLC bought her for $27,000 from Eaton Sales, agent.

Eaton Sales, agent, participating in the Texas sale for the first time, topped the list of consignors with gross sales of $454,800 from 28 sold. Roger Daly, agent, had the top average with eight sold for an average of $31,800.

For complete hip-by-hip results, click here.

For a printable PDF version of the results, click here.

The Texas Thoroughbred Association is pleased to announce that registration is now open for online bidding on the August 24 Texas Summer Yearling and Horses of Racing Age Sale at Lone Star Park. Buyers must register in advance and submit a credit reference form in order to bid online. Registrations are now being accepted. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER AND BID.

“We are very excited to offer the option to bid online, and we encourage all interested bidders to register well in advance of the sale,” said Tim Boyce, sales director. “We are also taking all the recommended safety precautions to allow buyers to attend the sale in person at the sales pavilion at Lone Star Park.”

The TTA also announced the return of the Texas Winter Mixed Sale, which will be held December 6, 2020, at Lone Star. This will be the first standalone mixed sale to be held in several years and now gives the TTA three annual auctions as this sale joins the 2-year-old sale in the spring and the yearling sale in the summer.

“Despite the challenges during this health pandemic, Lone Star Park just completed a successful Thoroughbred meet and this upcoming sale attracted double the number of yearlings compared to last year, so we think this is the right time to bring back the Texas Winter Mixed Sale,” said Mary Ruyle, executive director of the TTA. “Purses and breeding incentives in Texas have been boosted significantly thanks to the passage of HB 2463, so we expect there to be a lot of demand for broodmares and racing stock.”

The entry deadline for the Texas Winter Mixed Sale is October 2, and consignment contracts are available by clicking here.

A catalog of 175 head is now online for the Texas Summer Yearling and Horses of Racing Age Sale set for August 24 at 12 noon CDT at Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie. Sponsored by the Texas Thoroughbred Association and Lone Star Park, the sale will welcome bidders on site with enhanced safety protocols and for the first time will also offer live online bidding for those who cannot attend in person. Online Bidders must be registered at one week before the sale, no later than 12 noon on August 17.

“We had to cancel our 2-year-old sale due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and we’ve been working since then to ensure we are able to conduct this sale because of its importance to the region,” said Mary Ruyle, executive director of the TTA. “We normally wouldn’t have a horses of racing age session at this sale, but we are happy to offer that this year to fill the needs of consignors and buyers. The HORA section is quite impressive.”

Ruyle credited higher purses in Texas and a new consignor incentive program as two of the reasons that this year’s sale has twice the number of yearlings as last year.

“In addition to boosting purses in Texas, the passage of HB 2463 allows the horse industry to create new ways to grow, so we were able to provide consignors with a rebate of up to half the consignment fee,” she said. “We saw a great response to that incentive, which resulted in more consignors bringing their horses to sell in Texas.”

The sale will utilize a live online bidding system along with improved online video.

“We made an investment in technology to allow buyers to bid from anywhere,” said Tim Boyce, sales director. “Starting in early August we will allow online bidders to register in advance, so we encourage anyone who is interested to do that on our website.”

The sale will kick off with a horses of racing age session including 2-year-olds in training by top sires such as Too Much Bling, Texas Red, Astrology and Twirling Candy. Among the older horses on offer are Herbs Love, a daughter of Etesaal who in her most recent start won the $75,000 San Jacinto Turf Stakes at Lone Star Park.

The yearling session will include 151 head by leading regional sires such as Too Much Bling, Star Guitar, Flat Out, Court Vision and My Golden Song. Top national sires including Tonalist, Sky Mesa, Bayern, Honor Code and California Chrome are also represented.

To view the online catalog, click here.

The Texas Thoroughbred Association is pleased to announce a consignor incentive program for the August 24 Texas Summer Yearling and Horses of Racing Age Sale at Lone Star Park. Thanks to the passage of H.B. 2463, which injects up to $25 million annually into the Texas horse industry, funds are available to rebate up to half of the $400 consignment fee for all horses passing through the ring, including horses not bred in Texas. Entries are due by June 15.

A similar incentive was previously announced for the Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale. That auction was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and all consignment fees were refunded. Instead of a live auction, horses entered in that sale are currently being showcased on the TTA Sales website with potential buyers being able to connect directly with consignors to negotiate private sales with no additional fees.

The Texas Summer Yearling Sale has traditionally included a mixed session for broodmares and weanlings, but for this year’s auction only, that format will change to a horses of racing age session focused on 2-year-olds. If there is sufficient demand, an under tack show may be added prior to the sale.

“We know that these are challenging times for horsemen, so in order to adapt to the current situation we rolled over the consignment incentive to this sale and changed the format to give consignors an option for selling 2-year-olds and other horses of racing age,” said Mary Ruyle, executive director of the TTA. “We had a record number of entries for the 2-year-old sale, so we expect to have strong participation in this sale as well. We are truly thankful for all the consignors and buyers that have helped make this such an important sale for the Southwest region.”

Click here to download the consignment form.

This year’s Texas Summer Yearling and Mixed Sale has been set for Monday, August 24, at Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie. This will mark the fifth renewal of the auction held jointly by the Texas Thoroughbred Association and Lone Star Park. The entry deadline is June 15.

“We have a record number of entries for the Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale on April 3, and we anticipate added interest in this auction thanks to all the positive things going on with Texas racing,” said Mary Ruyle, executive director of the TTA.

Up to $25 million annually is being pumped into the Texas horse industry thanks to legislation passed last year, and purses at the current Sam Houston Race Park meet and upcoming Lone Star Park meet are at their highest levels in many years. “With the enhanced purses at Texas tracks and added incentives for accredited Texas-breds, the Southwest region has never been stronger,” added Tim Boyce, sales director. “In addition to an added number of horses, we anticipate an increase in quality just like we saw with the consignments for the 2-year-old sale.”

Click here to download the consignment contract.

The Texas Thoroughbred Association and Lone Star Park are pleased to announce a record number of consignments to the Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale. A total of 182 head, pending the addition of supplements, have been entered in the sale set for Friday, April 3, at 12 noon at Lone Star. The under tack show will be held Wednesday, April 1, at 10 a.m. at the track.

This year’s head count is up nearly 35 percent from last year’s 135 (including supplements) and more than double the number in the 2016 sale, which was the first held jointly by the TTA and Lone Star.

“We expected to have more entries after the passage of beneficial legislation in Texas last year, but we were a little surprised by just how much interest there’s been from both consignors and buyers,” said Mary Ruyle, executive director of the TTA. “We are excited about the two incentive programs related to this sale and the overall increase in purses in Texas and incentives for Accredited Texas-breds.”

The passage of H.B. 2463 is expected to inject up to $25 million annually into the Texas horse industry, and its effect is already being seen with increased purses in 2020 for the current Sam Houston Race Park meet and upcoming Lone Star meet.

In addition, money generated by H.B. 2463 is being used to provide a rebate of up to one-half of the entry fee to consignors at this sale. Plus, all graduates of this sale will be eligible for a new purse incentive program for all races this year at Texas tracks. The incentive is available for all graduates, regardless of where they were bred.

As always, sale graduates will be eligible for the Texas Thoroughbred Futurity this summer at Lone Star with divisions for fillies and colts/geldings offering purses of $100,000-estimated apiece.

The list of nationally prominent stallions in the sale is far more extensive than in recent years, including Animal Kingdom, Bodemeister, Candy Ride, Fusaichi Pegasus, Goldencents, Kitten’s Joy, Maclean’s Music, Overanalyze, Palace, Tapiture and Uncle Mo.

This year’s catalog includes offspring of many of the Southwest’s leading and emerging stallions, including Astrology, Bradester, Court Vision, Custom for Carlos, Early Flyer, Flat Out, Half Ours and Too Much Bling.

To view the online catalog, click here.