Incentive and Bonus Programs Announced for Texas 2-Year-Olds and Horses of Racing Age Sale

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The Texas Thoroughbred Association has announced two new programs to make buying, selling and racing horses in Texas more lucrative for horsemen. The Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training and Horses of Racing Age Sale, set for April 3 at Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie, will offer a rebate program for consignors and a purse bonus program for graduates of the sale.

Thanks for the passage of H.B. 2463, which injects up to $25 million annually into the Texas horse industry, funds are available that will be used to rebate up to half of the $500 consignment fee for ALL horses entered in the sale who pass through the ring, even those that are not Texas-breds.

ALL sale graduates (horses that pass through the ring), again including horses not bred in Texas, will be eligible for a purse bonus program with money paid out to owners of horses finishing first, second or third in any races at Texas tracks in 2020. The amount of the bonus payouts will be based on a percentage of purse earnings which will depend on the number of eligible horses hitting the board in Texas races, but it will be administered similarly to the Accredited Texas-Bred Program with the money being paid out in January 2021 for all races through December 31, 2020.

“The goal of these new programs is to encourage horsemen to buy and sell their horses in Texas, and then to keep those horses racing in Texas to add to what already creates a significant impact on the state’s agricultural and overall economy,” said Mary Ruyle, executive director of the TTA. “We’ve already seen more interest in Texas racing and breeding with the boosted purse structure at the current Sam Houston Race Park meet. We expect that to continue at Lone Star Park and Retama Park, and we believe these programs will only enhance that interest and participation.”

Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale Moved to April 3

by Posted in Yearling Sale

The Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training and Horses of Racing Age Sale will be held April 3, 2020, at Lone Star Park. The date was originally set for March 31 but has been pushed back to better fit with the national sales schedule and with the start of the Lone Star Park Thoroughbred meet. The breeze show will be held April 1. Presented by the Texas Thoroughbred Association and Lone Star Park, the sale will also include a horses of racing age session.

“We’ve already seen some added interest from consignors and potential buyers now that purses are on the upswing in Texas thanks to recent legislation,” said Tim Boyce, sales director. “Sam Houston Race Park has announced a lucrative purse structure for their upcoming meet, and Lone Star Park is also expected to have larger purses this year. I expect there to be added demand for the Texas-breds in this sale now that buyers will have a chance to run for some nice money this summer, including the $100,000-estimated Texas Thoroughbred Futurity in two divisions for sale grads.”

The entry deadline for the sale is January 15, 2020.

For more info, go to ttasales.com.

Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training and Horses of Racing Age Sale Set for April 3

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The 2020 Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training and Horses of Racing Age Sale has been scheduled for Friday, April 3, at Lone Star Park. The breeze show will be held at the Dallas-area track on Wednesday, April 1. The auction is a joint venture by the Texas Thoroughbred Association and Lone Star Park.

“Our yearling and mixed sale at Lone Star Park in August had gross sales and average prices both jumping by more than 20 percent, and we expect that momentum to continue into the 2-year-old sale,” said Tim Boyce, sales director. “The Southwest area has been strong for many years, and now with this very important legislation recently passed to boost the industry in Texas the region will get even stronger.”

Sale graduates will be eligible for the 2020 Texas Thoroughbred Futurity to be run in divisions for fillies and colts/geldings at Lone Star in July. The estimated purse for each division is $100,000.

“With new legislation passed to enhance purse money at Texas tracks and funds for the Accredited Texas-bred program, there is a lot of optimism for 2020 and beyond,” said Mary Ruyle, executive director of the Texas Thoroughbred Association. “We’ve already noticed an uptick in interest as breeding season approaches, so that bodes well for the future of Texas racing and breeding.”

The entry deadline for the sale is January 15, 2020. Click here for the consignment contract.

Texas Yearling Sale Records Big Jumps in Average and Gross

by Posted in Yearling Sale

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

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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.