Texas Yearling Sale Records Big Jumps in Average and Gross

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Hip 61 sold for $115,000 to top the sale (Photo by Frank Alosa)

The Texas Summer Yearling and Mixed Sale held Monday at Lone Star Park concluded with strong gains in average and gross receipts, signaling that the recent passage of legislation could be having a positive impact on the industry. The sale was sponsored by the Texas Thoroughbred Association and Lone Star Park.

In the yearling session, 42 of 65 head sold for a total of $506,000, which was an increase of 22.1% from last year when 44 of 82 sold for $414,300. This year’s average came in at $12,048, up 28% from last year’s $9,416. The median this year dropped to $5,000 from $7,750. Buybacks at this year’s sale were 35.4% compared to 46.3% last year.

“Even with a smaller catalog this year it’s encouraging that we were able to increase the gross sales along with a big surge in the average,” said Tim Boyce, sales director. “With as much as $25 million annually expected to be added to the Texas racing program thanks to the bill that was passed, that can only do good things for this sale and for the entire Southwest region in the coming years.”

Hip 61, a Louisiana-bred colt by champion Shanghai Bobby, topped the sale with a $115,000 bid from Summer Grove Farm. Consigned by Clear Creek Stud LLC, agent, the March 5 foal is out of the winning Cobra King mare Viva Vega, who has produced eight winners including stakes winners Southern Dude and Viva Vegas.

While the sale-topper was bred in Louisiana, the next three highest-priced horses were all Texas-breds by leading Texas stallion Too Much Bling. Tops among the Texas-breds was Hip 42, a colt consigned by Benchmark Training Center, agent, and sold for $60,000 to Anton Kubacak. He is out of the multiple stakes-producing Devil His Due mare Red Thread.

In the mixed portion of the sale, 13 of 17 head sold for a total of $33,100. Show Me the Bling, a winning and Grade 3-placed daughter of Too Much Bling, topped the mixed session, going to CJ Thoroughbred for $14,000. Benchmark Training Center, agent, consigned the 11-year-old broodmare who sold in foal to Alternation.

Next up on the Texas sale calendar is the Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale. It will be held in the spring of 2020 at Lone Star Park with a date to be announced soon.

Results:
Yearling Session (PDF) | Yearling Session (sortable)

Mixed Session (PDF) | Mixed Session (sortable)

Catalog Now Online for Texas Summer Yearling and Mixed Sale

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Nearly 100 horses have been consigned to the Texas Summer Yearling and Mixed Sale, and the sale catalog is now online. The auction is set for Monday, August 26, at 12 noon at the Texas Thoroughbred Sales Pavilion on the grounds of Lone Star Park near Dallas. The sale is jointly sponsored by the Texas Thoroughbred Association and Lone Star Park.

The yearling portion of the sale will feature offspring of leading Southwest sires Astrology, Custom for Carlos, Half Ours, Songandaprayer, Star Guitar and Too Much Bling along with the first crop of yearlings by Grade 1 winner Bradester. Among the national stallions represented are First Samurai, Goldencents, Maclean’s Music and Overanalyze.

This will be the first sale since the passage of legislation in Texas that is expected to add as much as $25 million annually to purses, state-bred incentives and other programs to benefit the horse industry in the state.

“The Southwest region is even stronger now that the Texas racing and breeding industry should be revitalized by recent legislation,” said Sales Director Tim Boyce. “We have a strong group of Texas-breds in this sale for those looking to jump in on a program ready to trend up, and we also have solid representation from Oklahoma and Louisiana for those looking to participate in those programs.”

The yearling session will be immediately followed by a mixed session with broodmares and horses of racing age.

To view the online catalog, click here.

Fillies Set Pace at Texas 2-Year-Old Sale

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Hip 21 (Photo by Denis Blake/Texas Thoroughbred Association)

After four fillies tied for the fastest time during Sunday’s under tack show at Lone Star Park, fillies again took center stage in Wednesday’s Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale with the five highest prices. The auction, sponsored by the Texas Thoroughbred Association and Lone Star Park, was held at the Dallas-area track.

From 110 horses going through the ring, 75 head sold for a total of $1,751,400. The median was $14,500, up 10.69% from last year’s $13,100, and the average dipped 9.27% from $25,737 to $23,352. Buy-backs at this year’s sale came in at 31.82% compared to 20.75% last year when 84 of 106 head sold for a total of $2,161,900.

“Overall we were pretty pleased with the results,” said Tim Boyce, sales director. “I’m happy to see that the median jumped up. Last year we had four horses break $100,000 compared to two this year, so that affected the average a bit but there was strong demand in the middle of the market as evidenced by the median going up. I heard from several horsemen today who said they were impressed by the quality of horses brought by our consignors.”

Hip 21, a daughter of Street Boss who worked an eighth-mile in :10.3 in Sunday’s under tack show, topped the sale with a $150,000 bid from Maui James. Consigned by Asmussen Horse Center, agent, the unnamed Kentucky-bred is the first foal out of the winning Successful Appeal mare I Have a Price.

Maui James was the leading buyer with two purchases for $203,000 with Danny Keene ranking second with four bought for $171,000.

The second-highest price was for hip 131, All in Harmony. The Kentucky-bred filly by Palace Malice went for $140,000 to Carl R. Moore Management LLC from the consignment of Twin Oaks Training Center LLC, agent. She is out of the Tale of the Cat mare Cativating and worked a furlong in :10.3.

The highest-priced male, and sixth-highest overall, was hip 129. The Oklahoma-bred colt named Duffield and sired by Kennedy sold for $62,000 from Bryan Ford, agent, to John James.

For complete results in the interactive catalog, click here. Or to view the results as a PDF, click here.

Videos and Photos for Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale Now Online

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Videos and photos for all the horses in Sunday’s under tack show at Lone Star Park for the Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale are now online. The auction is set for Wednesday, April 10 at 12 noon and will have live video available right here on the TTA Sales website.

To view individual videos and photos of each horse, go to the interactive sale catalog by clicking here. Simply click on any hip to view the video and photo for that horse, or scroll to the bottom of the interactive catalog to view a listing of all videos and photos.

You can also view a complete video of the entire under tack show in hip number order by clicking here.

Quartet of Fillies Tie for Fastest Time at Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Under Tack Show

by Posted in 2-Year-Old Sale

Hip 133 (Photo by Denis Blake)

Four fillies clocked an eighth-mile in :10 2/5 on Sunday at Lone Star Park during the under tack show for the Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale. The auction, originally scheduled for Tuesday, will be held this Wednesday at noon. The sale is sponsored by the Texas Thoroughbred Association and Lone Star Park.

“We saw some great times considering the track was a bit heavy from some significant rain last night, and early on during the under tack there was a pretty stiff head wind,” said Tim Boyce, sales manager.

The first horse to clock the co-fastest time of the day was hip 35, a Kentucky-bred from the first crop of Florida Derby (G1) and Donn Handicap (G1) winner Constitution. Consigned by Diamond C Racing Stables, she is out of the winning Henny Hughes mare Lil Red Cozette, whose only starter is a stakes winner by Graydar.

Hip 58, a Kentucky-bred daughter of Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) winner Flat Out from the consignment of Bryan Ford, agent, equaled the fastest clocking. The March 4 foal is the second out of the Dehere mare Preciouspurplerain.

From the consignment of Twin Oaks Training Center, agent, hip 72 also joined the fastest group. The Louisiana-bred is from the second crop of Grade 2 winner Guilt Trip out of the Known Fact mare Seda Fina, whose offspring include multiple stakes winner Su Casa G Casa.

The final horse to work :10 2/5 was hip 133, a Texas-bred daughter of Grade 1 winner Twirling Candy, also consigned by Twin Oaks Training Center, agent. She is the first foal out of the winning War Front mare Clara Kelly.

Prior to Wednesday’s sale, a pre-sale brunch will be held from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. in the sales pavilion with a complementary bloody marys and mimosas along with a selection of complimentary breakfast items and food for purchase.

Replays of the under tack show will posted later tonight. Click here to view the complete list of times.

Pre-Sale Brunch to be Held Wednesday, April 10

by Posted in 2-Year-Old Sale

TTA Sales and Lone Star Park are pleased to announce a pre-sale brunch prior to the Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale at Lone Star Park.

The sale is set for Wednesday, April 10 at 12 noon, and the pre-sale brunch will be held in the sales pavilion that morning from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Complimentary Bloody Marys and mimosas will be available along with water, coffee and tea. Also complimentary food including breakfast burritos, fresh fruit with honey yogurt dip, yogurt cups, danishes and pastries will be available along with other food for purchase.

The pre-sale brunch is open to all horsemen, consignors and buyers.

Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale Moved to April 10

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The Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale, originally scheduled for April 9, has been moved to Wednesday, April 10, at 12 noon. The undertack show will be held on the originally scheduled date of Sunday, April 7, at 10 a.m. Both the auction and undertack show will be held at Lone Star Park, which co-sponsors the sale with the Texas Thoroughbred Association.

“After talking with some of our major buyers, and confirming that our consignors were in support of the change, we decided to move the date back a day,” said Tim Boyce, sales director. “We think this new date on April 10 will allow as many buyers as possible to attend in person, and as always we will accept phone bids from those who cannot.”

More Than 135 Head Consigned to Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale

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The Texas Thoroughbred Association, in partnership with Lone Star Park, has announced a catalog of more than 135 hips for the Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale to be held Wednesday, April 10, at the Dallas-area track. The sale will start at 12 noon, with the undertack show set for 10 a.m. on Sunday, April 7, at Lone Star.

This year’s catalog is larger than last year, when a total of 106 horses went through the ring. The offering this year also features a stronger group of sires, with national stallions including Kitten’s Joy, Malibu Moon, Uncle Mo and Union Rags all included. As always, the majority of leading stallions in the Southwest region are also represented, including Astrology, Custom for Carlos, Half Ours, My Golden Song and Too Much Bling.

“Our consignors have really stepped up again this year and continue to bring better quality 2-year-olds, and I think the list of stallions in this catalog really proves that,” said Sales Director Tim Boyce. “I’m looking forward to seeing what these horses do in the undertack show.”

All sale graduates will be eligible for the Texas Thoroughbred Futurity, run in divisions for fillies and colts/geldings at $100,000-estimated apiece this summer at Lone Star.

“We’ve had horses from this sale win all around North America, but it’s a nice bonus for buyers to know that they can shoot for a big purse at Lone Star just a few months after the sale,” added Boyce.

The interactive catalog, which will include photos and videos after the undertack show, is now online by clicking here. The auction will also be broadcast live on the website.

Songandaprayer Filly Tops Texas Yearling and Mixed Sale

by Posted in Yearling Sale

Hip 83 (Photo courtesy Clear Creek Stud)

A Louisiana-bred filly by Songandaprayer topped the yearling session of Monday’s Texas Summer Yearling and Mixed Sale at Lone Star Park. Held jointly by the Texas Thoroughbred Association and the track, the auction reported 44 of 82 yearlings sold for a total of $414,300. The median jumped 72.2 percent to $7,750 from last year’s mark of $4,500, and the average dropped from $11,556 to $9,415 this year. The buy-back rate this year was 46.3 percent.

Last year the yearling session grossed $681,800 with 59 of 90 sold.

Susan Naylor signed the ticket on the sale-topper with a price of $30,000 on hip 83. The March filly from the consignment of Clear Creek Stud, agent, is out of the stakes-placed Lion Heart mare Those Lion Eyes, whose one foal to race is a winner.

“Obviously we would have liked to see some bigger numbers today, but overall the middle and lower-end of the market seemed fine,” said Tim Boyce, sales director. “We just didn’t have the really exceptional individuals we had last year, so the average was down a bit but it’s encouraging that the median jumped almost 75 percent. It was also good to see the mixed session numbers jump compared to last year.”

In the mixed session this year, 18 of 24 head sold for $93,100 with an average of $5,172 and a median of $2,350. Those numbers compared favorably to last year’s mixed session that grossed $30,000 with 13 of 36 head sold for an average of $2,357 and median of $1,400.

The highest-priced horse in the mixed session was a weanling filly by Too Much Bling who sold for $19,000 to Naylor from the consignment of Benchmark Training Center, agent for the Estate of Ed Few. A good portion of the mixed session was composed of horses from Few, one of the state’s leading breeders and owners who passed away in April.

The Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale is next up on the sale calendar at Lone Star and will be held April 9.

For hip-by-hip results, click here for the yearling results or click here for the mixed results. Or for complete results in printable PDF form, click here.