March  2000

1999 California Sales Recap
by DEBRA GINSBURG

    Thought to be a dying breed in the mid-1990s, the historic Del Mar yearling sale closed the century with record numbers. The 1999 sale, held Aug. 16 and 17 at the Del Mar HorsePark, grossed $4,011,000 and averaged $36,798 for 109 horses sold. The average was the highest in the sale's history.
    "To post the highest average recorded in the history of the sale is beyond anything we could have imagined," said CTBA General Manager Doug Burge. "We were hoping for an average of around $30,000. To surpass our expectations is very gratifying, and bodes well for the future of California's breeding industry.
    "We're very pleased with the results," he continued. "Bolstered by the state's lucrative incentive program and restricted purses, the demand for Cal-breds continues to run high. The state of the industry in California has created a demand for quality Cal-breds."
    Validating Burge's comments, five California-breds sold for $100,000 or more, including the $200,000 sale topper. The youngster that brought that figure was a Bertrando filly out of the winning Skip Trial matron When. Consigned by Debbie Sands as agent, she was purchased by trainer Bruce Headley on behalf of Eddie Bernstein, Michael Singh and partners, who also campaign the top sprinter Kona Gold. For the 1999 sale, the CTBA sale committee decided to do away with the preferred session and have an all select sale because the quality of the horses consigned warranted the upgrade.
    CTBA Sales also resurrected its two-year-olds in training sale last year. Held at Hollywood Park and featuring a catalogue that consisted only of Cal-breds, it was the first two-year-old sale the breeders association has held in six years. A total of 29 head sold during a one-evening vendue on April 6, accounting for gross sales of $1,283,000 and an average of $44,241.
    Fire Sale Queen, a daughter of In Excess (Ire)-Queen Vic, by Victorious, topped the sale at $200,000. A three-length winner at Santa Anita in her racetrack debut on March 17, Fire Sale Queen was consigned by Mary Knight and purchased by Ben Rochelle, who also campaigned 1987 Breeders' Cup Sprint heroine Very Subtle and was a partner, with the late Carl Grinstead, on Snow Chief. The filly followed her maiden win with a victory in the CTBA Stakes at Del Mar and was second to Cover Gal in the female division of the California Sires Stakes during the Oak Tree stand.
    Rochelle also secured the second highest priced horse of the sale at $130,000. Boyohboyohboy, a dark bay son of Bertrando out of inaugural Cal Cup Distaff winner Linda Card, also came out of Knight's consignment. Two juveniles went for $100,000-a Runaway Groom filly that was purchased by Harris Farms and Keith Brackpoll, and a Stage Colony colt from the family of Water Crystals, who was bought by Wally Dollase as agent.
    The Barretts March two-year-olds in training sale was held March 16 at Fairplex Park in Pomona. Conducted on the day when the Dow Jones Industrial Average first went over 10,000 points, the Barretts March sale also soared to dizzying heights in 1999. The auction house recorded the highest individual bid and highest average and median prices in the history of two-year-old sales. From a catalogue of 151 head- well-down in number after a disappointing 1998 sale-81 juveniles sold for gross receipts of $20,688,000, an average of $255,407 and a median of $170,000. On the down side, though, the auction registered its highest rate of buybacks ever recorded at a North American sale. There were 70 buybacks at the 1999 March sale, making for a ratio of 46.4 percent.
    Despite the sharp cutback in catalogue size, the Barretts March sale sold 11 juveniles for prices of $500,000 or more. The top sales included three horses that fetched prices of $1 million or more, including the sales-topping Brocco colt that was bought by Prince Ahmed Salman's The Thoroughbred Corp. for $2 million. The record sale-topper, a half-brother to California stakes winner Majorbigtimesheet, was consigned by Sequel Bloodstock. Salman opted to leave the colt in this country and race him in partnership with R. D. Hubbard and Saudi businessman Mohammed Alesayi.
    As an added feature in last year's March sale, a special session featured 21 registered Cal-bred juveniles, including several by popular young California-based stallions Bertrando, General Meeting and In Excess (Ire). Sixteen head were sold during the 50-minute session, which grossed $1,307,000 and averaged $81,688.
    The sale topper was an In Excess filly that brought a final bid of $400,000 from trainer Randy Bradshaw on behalf of Satish and Anne Sanan's Padua Stable. It was the highest price ever paid for a California-bred two-year-old at public auction. A close relative to 1998 Santa Anita Derby winner Indian Charlie, the juvenile miss was consigned by John Brocklebank's Utah-based Juvenile Prep Bloodstock. She had been purchased for $55,000 at the 1998 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July yearling sale by Bill Peeples, who bought Cover Gal out of the 1998 Del Mar sale.
    Prices, however, dipped at the Barretts May two-year-old sale. Held May 10 and 11, 153 head sold for gross receipts of $4,085,800, as compared to 1998's total of $4.8 million for 168 head sold. The average slipped 7.1 percent, from $28,735 to $26,705, while the median dipped 15 percent from $20,000 to $17,000. There were 62 buybacks, but Barretts president and general manager Gerald McMahon said that more than a dozen horses were purchased in a strong after-market that does not show up in the sales figures.
    The sale topper, at $175,000, was Daneshadeed, a bay filly by Shadeed out of the Miswaki mare Danish Prospector. Bloodstock agent John Moynihan was the buyer and Donna Wormser the consignor.
    The American Equine Sales Company held its inaugural sale of two-year-olds in training at Bay Meadows on June 8. Twenty-two horses sold for receipts of $265,700 and an average of $12,077. Fifteen of the 37 head that went through the ring were not sold, accounting for a buyback ratio of 40.5 percent. The sale topper was a Stage Colony colt that went to Russell J. Young for $45,000. He was consigned by Mary Knight, as agent for Carl and Olivia Cannata.
    American Equine Sales held its second wine country yearling sale at Santa Rosa on Aug. 31 and posted increased numbers over 1998 figures. Fifty-four yearlings sold for an average of $9,520, which was up more than 61 percent over the previous year's average of $5,910. The sale topper was a colt from the first crop of Distinctive Cat, consigned by Applebite Farms and sold to Jeff Gangi's Texicali Racing for $51,000.
    A yearling colt by In Excess and a three-year-old Sunshine Forever filly each brought final bids of $125,000 to top the Barretts fall sale of yearlings and horses of all ages on Oct. 18 and 19. The In Excess youngster was consigned by Hal Oliver and purchased by Sequel Bloodstock. Bred in California, the colt was produced from unraced Jazz Co. from the family of multiple stakes winner Arewehavingfunyet. Mary Knight consigned the Sunshine Forever filly, who was purchased by Scott Straeder as agent. Named Heat Is On, she is a half-sister to champion and inaugural Breeders' Cup Sprint winner Eillo.
    The select yearling session was the strongest session of the 1999 fall sale. Seventy-six yearlings, most of them registered Cal-breds, were catalogued and 46 sold, netting gross receipts of $1,282,400 and an average of $27,878. Overall, 404 head sold for a total of $4,303,100 and averaged $10,651.
    The Barretts winter mixed sale on Jan. 25 and 26 grossed $2,227,700 for 345 horses sold, for an average of $6,457. Compared with 1998 figures, the gross was up by 18.8 percent but the average fell slightly by 2.9 percent. Top price was the $85,000 that bloodstock agent Brad Martin paid for Classy Lass, a six-year-old Lord Avie mare in foal to General Meeting. She was consigned by Berkey Bloodstock Services.
    Utah-based Dean Parker and Associates also conducted a mixed sale of yearlings, weanlings, horses of racing age and broodmares at the Solano County Fairgrounds on Sept. 28. A total of 66 head sold for gross receipts of $166,700 and an average of $2,526. The sale topper was a yearling filly by Saintry, which sold as the property of Mare's Nest to Colleen Turpin for $15,000.       

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