The first standalone Texas Winter Mixed Sale in nearly a decade has attracted more than 125 consignments. To view the online catalog, CLICK HERE.
The auction, held jointly by the Texas Thoroughbred Association and Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie, will be held on Sunday, December 6, at 1 p.m. Central at the Texas Thoroughbred Sale Pavilion on the backside of the Dallas-area track.
Although there have been mixed sessions as part of the
Texas Summer Yearling Sale in recent years, this will mark the first Texas
Winter Mixed Sale since 2011.
“Because of increased purses and breeding incentives in
Texas, and the overall strength of racing in the Southwest region, we saw the
need to bring this sale back,” said Tim Boyce, sales director. “Even though we
knew there would be demand from consignors and buyers, we didn’t anticipate
this many entries or the interest we’ve already seen from potential buyers.
That’s a good sign for how things are growing in this region.”
The sale will kick off with broodmares followed by weanlings, yearlings and horses of racing age. The Texas Summer Yearling Sale in August was the first Texas sale with live online bidding, and that option will again be available for this sale along with online video. More details about online bidding will be posted soon.
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.
Hip 218 – Photo by Denis Blake/Texas Thoroughbred Association
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.
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.
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.”
The
Texas Thoroughbred Association and Lone Star Park have announced that the
upcoming Texas Summer Yearling Sale on August 24 will now include a horses of
racing age session in lieu of having broodmares and weanlings. For this year
only, the mixed session will only be open to 2-year-olds and older horses of
racing age. The change is due to the cancellation of the Texas 2-Year-Olds in
Training Sale, which could not be held due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“After talking to consignors, we found there was strong demand for a horses of racing age session, especially for 2-year-olds,” said Tim Boyce, sales director. “We realize these are unique times for consignors and buyers, so we are working to support them by being flexible with the format of this sale. For any 2-year-olds who have published works, we will include those on the sale website along with any videos that consignors wish to provide. And if we have enough demand for an under tack show, we will work to make that happen prior to the sale.”
With the cancellation of the Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale, we are working to connect consignors with potential sellers to negotiate private purchases. Photos and videos provided by consignors are currently being added to the online catalog, which can be viewed here.
The
Texas Thoroughbred Association and Lone Star Park have announced that the Texas
2-Year-Olds in Training Sale scheduled for April 3 has been cancelled due to
the coronavirus pandemic. All entry fees for the sale will be refunded.
It
was also announced that all horses currently nominated to the Texas
Thoroughbred Futurity at Lone Star Park will remain eligible provided the final
payment of $350 is made. All horses entered in the 2-year-old sale will be
considered to have passed through the sales ring for the purposes of
eligibility for the race. Additionally, the April 15 due date for the final
payment has been pushed back to May 15. The Texas Thoroughbred Futurity, with a
fillies and colts/geldings division for a $100,000-estimated purse apiece, is
scheduled for July 12 at Lone Star. The TTA and Lone Star will make a future
announcement should a date change be needed.
“We
are obviously disappointed to cancel this sale, especially with a record number
of consignments, but it’s really the only option at this point and postponing
the sale simply was not feasible,” said Mary Ruyle, executive director of the
Texas Thoroughbred Association. “We are leaving the sale catalogue online and
making some enhancements so that potential buyers can view photos and videos
submitted by consignors and make contact to negotiate private sales.”
In
the coming weeks, the TTA will accept photos and videos from consignors to be
added to the sale website at www.ttasales.com. The online repository will also
be opened to help consignors market their horses. Each consignor’s contact
information will be listed so that buyers can make direct contact about a
private sale. The TTA will not track or collect commissions on any private
sales.
“We feel this was probably the best group of horses to be catalogued to this sale in over a decade, so we encourage potential buyers to view the horses being offered,” said Tim Boyce, sales director. “We truly appreciate all the support from consignors, so we are working to make the best of this situation and help buyers and sellers get connected.” The Texas Summer Yearling Sale is set for August 24 at Lone Star and will also include a horses of racing age session.
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.”
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.
