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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.