April 2000
by JEREMY CLEMONS
Led by the highest price ever paid for a Cal-bred juvenile at public auction, the
demand for Cal-breds proved extremely strong at the Barretts March sale of selected
two-year-olds in training.
A chestnut colt by Fly So Free out of the
Grade 3 winning Majestic Light mare, Heartlight was purchased for $700,000 by trainer Bob
Baffert as agent. Hip number 199 (left)
consigned by Becky Thomas’ Sequel Bloodstock, was purchased out the 1999 Del Mar
yearling sale for $60,000.
“At Del Mar, we liked this horse because he had a very long back and was
leggier than most. That is the type of horse we look for,” Thomas said.
Becky Thomas’ Sequel Bloodstock located in Ocala, Fl is a major player in the
two-year-old market. She not only purchased the Fly So Free colt out of the Del Mar sale,
but she also purchased a Cal-bred In Excess (Ire) colt for $125,000 from the Barretts
October sale. This colt was also entered in the sale, but was withdrawn after sustaining a
minor injury.
Thomas said she decided to get into the Cal-bred market after she saw what the
sales topper from last year’s Cal-bred section of the March Sale brought. Purely Excessive, a bay filly by In Excess (Ire),
was sold to the Padua Stable for a record $400,000.
“California is no longer losing its world class stallions to Kentucky and it
is offering the market a great deal of credibility,” said Thomas.
During the first workouts over an off track,
the Fly So Free Colt was first timed in :21.85, but Thomas decided to work the colt again
over a fast track and he came back with an impressive 20.98.
“A two-year-old sale preview is tough on an off-track,” Thomas said. “We thought we could definitely improve our
time over a fast track.”
The next highest price of $300,000 was paid by Gary Seidler for a General Meeting
filly consigned by Equine Prep. This dark bay or brown filly is out of the Tejano mare
Bountiful V.
The average for the Cal-bred session totaled $118,444 and was 40.1 percent higher
than last year’s mark of $81,688. The median also climbed, from $47,500 to $70,000
for an increase of 47 percent. Out of the 38 Cal-breds entering the ring, 18 were sold for
a total of $2,060,000.
The
$2-million record price for a 2-year-old sold at public auction was matched during the
open session. Trainer Robert Hess Jr. went all the way to $2 million to acquire a Saint
Ballado colt for David J. Shimmon. The dark bay or brown colt was consigned by the Jerry
Bailey Sales Agency. Out of the In Reality mare What a Reality, the colt recorded the
fastest eighth-mile workout of any horse during the two preview sessions, working one
furlong in 10 seconds flat. Craig Lewis was the underbidder on the sale-topper at $1.7
million for Al and Sandee Kirkwood.
The $2-million price tag equaled that of a Brocco colt who topped last year’s
Barretts March Sale. A Not For Love colt also matched that juvenile record at
Keeneland’s April sale of two-year-olds in training.
Target Bloodstock dished out $900,000, which was the second highest price of the
session, for a colt by Southern Halo out of Cause I’m Special from Kirkwood Stable Consignment. This colt was
purchased by Kirkwood Stable for $145,000 at the 1999 Keeneland September yearling sale.
The average for the open session was $195,218, dropping 23 percent from last
year’s $255,407. The median also took a hit, falling from $170,000 to $125,000 for a
26.5 percent decline.
SALES
RESULTS SUMMARY (OVERALL)
HEAD GROSS
SALE MEDIAN
NOT
OUT
SALES
AVERAGE
SOLD
Two-Year-Olds
78 $15,227,000 $195,218
$125,000 54 32
CAL-BRED
Two-Year-Olds
18 $2,060,000 $114,444 $70,000 20 13
HEAD GROSS
SALE MEDIAN
NOT
OUT
SALES
AVERAGE
SOLD
Two-Year-Olds
81 $20,688,000 $255,407
$170,000 70 27
CAL-BRED
Two-Year-Olds
16 $1,307,000 $81,688 $47,500 5 6
Barretts
Equine Ltd.
(FOALED IN CALIFORNIA)
HIP
DESCRIPTION CONSIGNOR FINAL BID
PURCHASER
Offensive Play,
166 dk.b./br.c., Defensive Play-Sabbia Rosa Stubblefield
Thoroughbreds, Agent $16,000 Mr. Stephen B.Weissman
170 ch.c., Distinctive Cat -Shorouk Jockey Club Farm
Agent $140,000 Mr. Bob Baffert,Agent
Demo Memo,
176 b.f., Memo(CHI)-Ultrafleet Mary Knight,
Agent $80,000 Martha Bonde
179 b.f., Prospect Bay-Vandra Kirkwood Stables,
Agent $17,000 Bruce & Joanne Thayre
Exquisite Woman,
180 dk.b./br.f., In Excess (IRE)- Whatawoman Mary
Knight, Agent $100,000 Mr. Gerald J. Ford
181 b.c., Strodes Creek- Yvonnes Victory Havens
Bloodstock Agency, Inc. $25,000 12 Gates Racing Agent
185 dk.b./br.g., Distinctive Cat-Bajocco Juvenile Prep
Bloodstock LLC $55,000 Mr. Jeff Strang
187 b.f., Avenue of Flags -Beggars Would Ride Jockey
Club Farm, Agent $80,000 Ed and Natalie Friendly
Mi Camino,
188 dk.b./br.f., CahillRoad-Be Indifferent Summer Mayberry Thoroughbreds, Agent
$40,000 Triple Crown Bloodstock
190 dk.b./br.c., Pirate'sBounty-Blonde Fever Havens Bloodstock
Agency, Inc., Agent $60,000 Wallace Dollase, Agent
191 dk.b./br.f., General Meeting-Bountiful V Equine
Prep, Agent $300,000 Mr. Gary Seidler
Capitan de Bandera,
193 b.c., Avenue of Flags-Dawn Miranda Havens
Bloodstock Agency, Inc., Agent $160,000 Mr. Jack
Carava
Upsanddowns,
194 gr./ro.c., Peaks and Valleys -Don B's Princess Kirkwood
Stables,Agent $35,000 Mr. Melvin F.Stute, Agent
Another Gear,
197 dk.b./br.c., Golden Gear-Fit and Fleet Niall Brennan Stables,
$90,000 Windy Gift, Ltd.Inc., Agent
199 ch.c., Fly So Free-Heartlight Sequel
Bloodstock(Becky Thomas), Agent $700,000 Mr. Bob
Baffert,Agent
Settle My Nerves,
209 dk.b./br.c., Strike Gold- Nervous Neala Nick de
Meric, Agent $60,000 Sandra New
210 dk.b./br.f.,Dynaformer-Oh Sweet Thing
Nick de Meric, Agent $22,000 Mr. Juan Garcia
Our Blazing Belle,
215 dk.b./br.f., Falstaff -Regal Notion
Mary Knight, Agent $80,000 Ernest F. Cossey
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