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New Stakes Races Approved for Texas Thoroughbred Association Sales Graduates

by Posted in 2-Year-Old Sale, Mixed Sale, Yearling Sale

A pair of new two-year-old stakes races will be featured at Lone Star Park starting in 2027 for graduates of the two Texas Thoroughbred Association Sales held annually. The races were approved by the full Texas Thoroughbred Association Board of Directors on Wednesday evening.

The races will be for two-year-olds who have passed through the sales ring at the Mary Ruyle Sales Pavilion at Lone Star Park, beginning with the 2026 Texas Yearling Sale and the 2027 Texas Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale. Both races will feature $100,000 purses; one race for two-year-old fillies TTA Sales graduates and one race for two-year-old colts and gelding TTA Sales graduates.

“These races are a great way to continue growing Texas racing and a great incentive for our sellers and buyers at the Texas Thoroughbred Association Sales,” TTA Board President Phil Leckinger said. “We are committed to ensuring our graduates have opportunities that cannot be found anywhere else and we believe supporting our sales through these sales-restricted races is a great way to continue to boost the energy around our sales.”

These stakes races will be held at Lone Star Park during their Summer racing meet beginning in 2027. These two races will be the third set of stakes races for TTA Sales graduates in addition to the two $150,000 Texas Thoroughbred Association Futurity races held at Sam Houston Race Park in December and the $100,000 Texas Thoroughbred Association Derby and $100,000 Texas Thoroughbred Association Oaks at Lone Star Park in May. In total, the six stakes events for TTA Sales graduates will have $700,000 in purse money.

“This announcement comes at the perfect time as we are gearing up for our 2026 Texas Yearling Sale in August,” TTA Sales Director Foster Bridewell said. “These races provide another great opportunity for our sellers and buyers and I appreciate the TTA Board of Directors for their commitment to racing and our sales.”

These races will be presented to the Texas Racing Commission soon and are pending TRC approval.

Yaupon Filly Sells for Record-Breaking $350,000 to Top Texas 2-Year-Old Sale

by Posted in 2-Year-Old Sale

Hip 59 sold for a record price of $350,000. Photo by Olivia Friesen/Texas Thoroughbred Association

A Kentucky-bred filly from the second crop of Grade 1 winner Yaupon sold for $350,000 on Wednesday to set an all-time record price for the Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale operated by the Texas Thoroughbred Association. Held on the grounds of Lone Star Park, the auction reported 43 of 66 horses sold for a total of $1,604,500 with an average of $37,314 and a median of $21,000. Last year’s auction featured a bigger catalogue with 60 head bringing $1,689,100. This year’s average was an increase of 32.5% from last year’s $28,152 and the median increased by 16.7% from $18,000.

“It’s great to see a big price like that at our sale, and she appears to be an exceptional filly,” said Sales Director Foster Bridewell. “While that was obviously the highlight, we also had strong demand at every level and both the average and median were up, so we are very pleased with the results. This bodes well for the yearling sale this summer.”

Named Gee Money and consigned by Danny and Sabina Pish’s Texas-based 1880 Bloodstock, the sale-topping filly worked an eighth-mile in :10 2/5 on Monday to tie for the second-fastest clocking. The filly was purchased by Gee Family Partnership. She is out of the unraced Bodemeister mare Lilacs and Lilies, who has produced two winners from three starters. Lilacs and Lilies is a half sister to Ashland Stakes (G1) winner Lilacs and Lace, who is the dam of multiple Group 1 winner and Japanese champion 2-year-old filly Lucky Lilac.

The highest priced male horse was a colt from the second crop of Known Agenda who sold for $95,000 to Shane Wilson, agent for Jeff Joffrion, from the consignment of Bryan Ford Training Stable. The Kentucky-bred is out of the stakes-placed and stakes-producing Freud mare Skinner Box, and he tied with two others for the fastest time of :10 1/5 in the under tack show.

Next up on the Texas sale calendar is the Texas Summer Yearling Sale set for August 25 at Lone Star Park.

To view a PDF of the sale results, click here. To view complete results in the interactive catalog, click here.

Three Horses Tie for the Fastest Breeze at Under Tack Show for Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale

by Posted in 2-Year-Old Sale

Hip 6. Photo by Olivia Friesen/Texas Thoroughbred Association

A trio of horses worked a co-fastest eighth mile in :10 1/5 during Monday’s under tack show for the Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale at Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie. In advance of Wednesday’s auction sponsored by the Texas Thoroughbred Association, the juveniles ran into a headwind that started at about 10 mph and increased to around 15 mph. A catalogue of 74 head is set to go through the ring.

“We had plenty of solid works on the track and have had strong interest from buyers both here at Lone Star and those looking to bid online,” said Sales Director Foster Bridewell. “We have a mix of horses bred in states all over the Southwest region, and of course from Kentucky, so Wednesday’s sale should have something for everyone.”

Hip 11. Photo by Olivia Friesen/Texas Thoroughbred Association

Hip 6, a Texas-bred filly by multiple graded stakes winner Tapiture, was the first horse to clock 10 1/5. Consigned by Colin Brennan Bloodstock at Highlander Training Center, agent, and named Texas Splendor, she is out of the winning City Zip mare Run to Glory, whose only other foal has yet to start.

That clocking was matched by hip 11, a Kentucky-bred colt consigned by Bryan Ford Training Stable and from the second crop of Curlin Florida Derby (G1) winner Known Agenda. The unnamed juvenile is out of the Grade 2-placed Freud mare Skinner Box, who is the dam of four winners, including a stakes winner, and all of her winners have earned in excess of $120,000.

Hip 27. Photo by Olivia Friesen/Texas Thoroughbred Association

Bryan Ford Training Stable also consigned the third co-fastest runner in hip 27, an Arkansas-bred gelding by Grade 1 winner The Big Beast. Named Bling on the Beast, he is out of the multiple stakes-winning Too Much Bling mare Vivian Da Bling, who has produced three stakes winners, including a stakes winner.

Wednesday’s auction is set to begin at 10 a.m. CDT on the grounds of Lone Star Park. CLICK HERE to view the interactive catalog with links to replays from the under tack show. CLICK HERE to view a list of all under tack show times.

Catalogue Now Online for Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale at Lone Star Park

by Posted in 2-Year-Old Sale

A catalogue of 68 horses and six supplements is now available for the 2026 Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale. The auction, which is operated by the Texas Thoroughbred Association, is set for Wednesday, April 1, starting at 10 a.m. Central, and the under tack show is scheduled for Monday, March 30, at 8 a.m. Central. Both will be held at Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie.

As usual, the auction and under tack show will be streamed online, and online bidding will be available. The TTA is using a new online bidding system this year and interested bidders should plan to register in advance.

“It takes a bit of time to process credit references,” said Tracy Sheffield, executive director of the TTA. “By registering in advance, those interested in bidding online will be able to bid up to their approved credit limit without any delays. Online bidding registration can be done on the TTA Sales website.”

“We have a great selection of both regional and national stallions represented,” said Sales Director Foster Bridewell. “There are 57 different stallions in the catalogue with some promising young sires along with many proven sires.

“We already have several supplements in the works and will be accepting additional horses for a limited time, so I expect the catalogue to grow,” he added.

The catalogue presents a strong mix from around the region, with 18 Texas-breds, 17 Louisiana-breds, 10 Oklahoma-breds and two Arkansas-breds, plus 21 Kentucky-breds.

The online catalogue is available in an interactive format and as a PDF by CLICKING HERE. Online bidding information is available by CLICKING HERE. The catalogue is also available on the Equineline Sales Catalog App for iPad.

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Exciting Changes for Texas Racing in 2026

by Posted in 2-Year-Old Sale, Mixed Sale, Yearling Sale

Changes have been made to several major races on the Texas Calendar for 2026.  “The Texas Thoroughbred Association is very excited about these changes” commented Tracy Sheffield, executive director of the TTA.  “We feel that these changes will make several of our most exciting stakes races accessible to a greater number of horses.”

The Texas Stallion Stakes Series now has a pathway to nominate two-year-olds.  A foal by a nominated stallion (a stallion paid into the program for the conception year of the foal) that did not nominate for the series as a weanling or a yearling can now nominate as a two-year-old with the following rules:

  1. The horse must go through a TTA sale. Either the yearling sale or the two-year-old in training sale.
  2. The nomination fee for a two-year-old will be $5000. No partial payments will be accepted.
  3. The nomination fee must be paid by May 1.

The dates for the TTA Futurity, Derby and Oaks have been changed.  Sam Houston Race Park and Lone Star Park are planning to slightly adjust their racing calendars to allow the TTA Futurity to be run in December of a horse’s two year old year.  Currently, the TTA Futurity is run in July.  Making this date change will allow trainers and horses more time to prepare two-year-olds and lead to fuller, more competitive fields.  In 2026 the Derby and Oaks will be run at the Sam Houston Race Park January through April meet.   Sam Houston Race Park will host the TTA Futurity in December of 2026.  In an interview, trainer Karen Jacks said she is pleased with the change.  “This gives us several more months to prepare two-year-olds for the futurities.”

The TTA Derby and Oaks will be moved to the meet at Lone Star for 2027.

If you have any questions about these changes, please contact the TTA office at (512) 458-6133 or email Tracy Sheffield at tracys@texasthoroughbred.com

Louisiana-bred Colt by Aurelius Maximus Tops Texas Summer Yearling Sale

by Posted in Yearling Sale

The Texas Summer Yearling Sale was held Tuesday at Lone Star Park with the largest catalog of horses since the Texas Thoroughbred Association took over operation of the auction in 2016. This year’s yearling session had 234 head go through the ring with 182 selling for a total of $2,918,100. The average came in at $16,034 and the median was $7,500, which both declined from last year’s smaller catalog of 187. Last year’s total sales were $2,685,200 with an average of $18,910 and median of $13,000.

“We expected the average and median to slip with a bigger catalog this year, so overall we are pleased with the results,” said Foster Bridewell, sales director. “We also had two six-figure horses last year to help boost the numbers as well. We had a big crowd on hand today and the middle and higher end market were strong, and our total sales were up.”

The high seller was hip 130, a Louisiana-bred colt by young stallion Aurelius Maximus that went for $95,000. The April 17 foal sold to Terry Stephens from the consignment of Scott Mallory, agent.

Aurelius Maximus, the leading second-crop sire in the Southwest region, is represented by one of the top horses to come out of the Texas Summer Yearling Sale in recent years in Secret Faith. That 3-year-old Louisiana-bred filly, who sold two years ago for $75,000 to Jayde Gelner from the Red River Farms consignment, is now a seven-time stakes winner with earnings approaching $500,000.

The sale-topping colt this year is out of the stakes-placed Too Much Bling mare Too Much to Bear, who has produced two winners including $99,790-earner Mo Bling.

The high-selling filly was hip 188, an Arkansas-bred filly by Grade 1 winner Yaupon. She is the first foal out of Cara’s Dreamer, a multiple stakes-placed mare by The Factor who earned $259,820. The filly sold to OCL (Abul-Keer Okab) for $87,000 from the consignment of Colin Brennan Bloodstock at Highlander Training Center, agent.

Following the yearling session, a short mixed session was held, topped by the Texas-bred gelding Shanghai Bobby, a 7-year-old with earnings of more than $325,000, selling for $10,000.

Click here for hip-by-hip results, or get PDF yearling results or PDF mixed results.

Important Changes for the August 26 Yearling Sale

by Posted in Yearling Sale

On the occasion of Mary Ruyle’s retirement after 37 years with the Texas Thoroughbred Association, buyers and consigners will notice a few changes at the upcoming TTA Yearling Sale.

First and most significant, the sales pavilion has been renamed The Mary Ruyle Sales Pavilion at Lone Star Park. The TTA board of directors unanimously agreed that this was the best way to honor her years of service to the Thoroughbred industry.

With Mary’s retirement, she will no longer be at the sale, and this has necessitated the need for some changes in our office procedures. These changes are aimed at making the purchase and check out process as efficient as possible. With the number of horses at the upcoming sale we want to minimize waiting times for everyone.

The forms needed to be a buyer are now available on this website under forms or by clicking here. There you will find the buyer application form, the credit reference form and the authorized agent form if you a planning to use an agent. The forms can either be printed out or filled out online and emailed to the TTA.

We request that all buyers (even if the buyer has purchased previously from a TTA sale) check in at the office prior to making a purchase. This will allow us time to answer any questions and to be sure that we have all the paperwork we need so your purchase can be processed quickly and efficiently. It will be easiest if buyers check in upon arrival at the sale.

At this sale, as we did for the Two-Year-Old In Training sale we will have college interns helping out in various areas of the sale. They will be wearing name tags identifying them as interns. If you have the opportunity to meet them, please welcome them. Young people are the future of our industry.

Widely Respected Texas Horseman Al Pike Passes

by Posted in 2-Year-Old Sale, Yearling Sale

Al and Salley Pike

Al Pike, a veteran horseman who was a perennial leading 2-year-old consignor in Texas and on the national scene, passed away on July 26 at the age of 70 after a valiant battle with cancer. Pike, along with his wife of nearly 45 years, Salley, and their son, Colt, operated Pike Racing. Pike is also survived by daughter Chelsey Pike Hooton.

Pike got his start in the horse industry in the 1970s as a Quarter Horse trainer in Texas, and then he and Salley transitioned to Thoroughbreds and eventually focused on pinhooking.

The Pike family enjoyed considerable success at sales in Texas and around the country. In the Lone Star State, Pike Racing sold the $300,000 sale-topper at the 2023 Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale. That price set a record for the TTA sale. Originally a $60,000 yearling purchase, the filly by Tapwrit who would later be named Blue Squall has earned $338,703 and is still in training.

Pike Racing again had the sale topper at the 2024 Texas juvenile sale with a Texas-bred colt by Street Boss who sold for $265,000. That was part of the Pike Racing at Highlander consignment. Pike retired from working with Texas-based Highlander Training Center earlier this year.

Pike Racing was active at many other sales in the Southwest and around the country. On the national scene, Pike Racing had three juvenile sale horses make it to the Kentucky Derby, including millionaires Vyjack and Vicar’s in Trouble. Other notable sale horses included Modest Maven, an $80,000 yearling who sold for $1 million as a 2-year-old, and Shazz, a $185,000 yearling who brought $1.1 million the following year.

The Texas Thoroughbred Association and TTA Sales extends its condolences to the Pike family and all of Al Pike’s many friends in the industry.

“Al Pike was synonymous with Texas sales,” said Foster Bridewell, sales director for TTA Sales. “Everyone knew and respected Al, and together with Salley and Colt they were a vital part of the sale scene here. We are going to miss Al dearly and plan to honor his memory at our next auction.”