By Jessica Martini
DEL MAR, CA – The Barretts March Select 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale, conducted for the second time at Del Mar Wednesday, produced numbers up from 2016, with a colt by Malibu Moon bringing top price of $675,000.
“We are thrilled with the results,” said Barretts General Manager Kim Lloyd. “A lot of good horses brought a lot of good money.”
In all, Barretts sold 44 juveniles for $6,707,000. The average rose 22.4% to $152,432 and the median was up 10% to $110,000. A year ago, 43 head grossed $5,356,000 for an average of $124,558 and a median of $100,000.
West Point Thoroughbreds' Terry Finley made the auction's biggest bid when he went to $675,000 to secure hip 109, a colt by Malibu Moon, from the Starting Point Thoroughbreds consignment.
The sales topper was one of 12 horses to bring $200,000 or more, compared to 11 a year ago. Nine brought $300,000 or more, compared to five in 2016.
Lloyd said the March sale at Del Mar is growing its reputation as a must-attend event.
“Our first year at Del Mar last year, we were selling this as a must-attend event, a vacation-type of place,” Lloyd explained. “This year, we had new owners that we've never seen and we had new credit applications. So people came out here because they wanted to be a part of this. I think after this year, we'll have more opportunity to grow.”
Lloyd was confident heading into Wednesday's action that results would be positive.
“The whole vibe of our preview, not that it was bad last year, but the vibe this year was very positive,” he explained. “The horses went well and looked well breezing and we had a big turnout. Now, if they didn't like the breeze, you didn't get any action on them. That's just the way it is. But those that went well, we sold them in all ranges and they sold very well. There was lots of competition.”
From a catalogue of 134, there were 67 outs. Of the 64 horses to go through the ring, 20 were reported not sold for a buy-back rate of 31.25%.
For Ciaran Dunne, whose Wavertree Stables was the auction's leading sales agent, the results continued to reflect the polarized market of recent juvenile sales.
“It's the same old story,” Dunne said. “The ones they perceive to be the good ones sell for way more than you could ever hope they could bring and the rest of them are hard work.”
Malibu Moon Colt on Top at Barretts
Terry Finley of West Point Thoroughbreds admitted he thought he was done bidding on hip 109, but ultimately decided to make one more volley and secured the handsome son of Malibu Moon for a sale-topping $675,000 at Barretts Wednesday.
“We dropped out at $450,000 and, obviously it went up pretty quickly,” Finley said. “I just took one shot and I just jumped back in at the very end. That was my final bid–I can assure you that.”
West Point will partner with Spendthrift Farm on the dark bay colt, Barretts General Manager Kim Lloyd confirmed after the auction concluded.
“We bought a weanling one time for $750,000 that was from the first crop of Ghostzapper, but this is probably the most expensive 2-year-old we've bought,” Finley said of the colt who worked in :21 flat. “I thought he had a beautiful stride.”
Bred by William Peeples, hip 109 is out of stakes winner Indian Breeze (Indian Charlie), a half-sister to multiple stakes winner Don't Countess Out (Take Me Out).
Finley said he was finding plenty of competition at the top of the market, both at Barretts and at the season's earlier juvenile sales.
“I think back to those kinds of horses that sold two weeks ago [at OBS March], there were a good number who brought a whole lot,” he said. “The market is white hot, so we want to play at the top end of the market and I think we have a top colt. I just hope he is as good as we think he is. If they can run, it doesn't matter what you pay for them.”
Asked who will train the youngster, Finley said, “He'll probably go back east, but I'm not sure who he will go to. I think we'll probably talk about it over dinner tonight.”
The sale result was another pinhooking score for Willie North's Starting Point Thoroughbreds, currently in its first year of operation. North and Stuart Morris acquired the youngster for $135,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale.
“He was a very nice horse and he's been very nice all winter,” Morris said. “He performed on the racetrack and he has been very well-received in the barn. The market responded to him and he brought all that we wanted and more. He was a really super athletic horse [last September]. He is just a bigger version of the same horse now. He just stayed nice and did everything right.”
Morris said the Starting Point team enjoyed its first foray at Barretts. “We'll be back,” he smiled.
At the Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream sale, Starting Point sold a Pioneerof the Nile colt, a $280,000 yearling purchase, for $700,000. A Bernardini filly, also purchased last year for $280,000, fetched $425,000 at Gulfstream.
Candy Ride Colt Heads to Japan
Longtime Japanese owner Susumu Hayashi sent trainer Takashi Suzuki to California in search of his next big horse and the trainer will return to the Far East with hip 102, a colt by Candy Ride (Arg) out of Gottahaveadream (Indian Charlie), a half-sister to Grade I winner Here Comes Ben (Street Cry {Ire}).
“[Hayashi] has been a racehorse owner with Japan Racehorse Association for nearly 40 years,” explained Barretts' Naohiro Goda. “He is now in his 80s and he has owned some nice horses in Japan, but now he'd like to have another big horse. Takashi Suzuki looked at the catalogue and Barretts graduates have been doing well in Japan and he decided to come here. He was looking for some ready-to-run horses.”
The dark bay colt, who worked a furlong Monday in :10 flat, was consigned by Kings Equine, which purchased him for $100,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale. He was bred by Siena Farms.
O'Neill Back in Action for Zedan
Dennis O'Neill, who has been busy this spring stocking the racing stable of new owner Amr Zedan, struck early in Wednesday's Barretts sale, going to $360,000 to secure a filly by Lucky Pulpit. Hip 6, consigned by Havens Bloodstock, worked the bullet furlong of :9 4/5 during Monday's under-tack preview of the auction.
“Amr Zedan has given me strict instructions at each sale to buy the best horse in the sale,” O'Neill commented after signing the ticket on the juvenile. “I told him I really liked this Lucky Pulpit. There's not a lot of pedigree there, but I thought she was a star on the racetrack. I looked at her all week and I just fell in love with her more and more every day. She's a very classy-looking filly. So we stretched a little more than we wanted to, but we think she is the star of the sale. Hopefully we are right.”
Zedan must already have a positive impression of Lucky Pulpit. He was a co-owner in champion California Chrome, who is by the late stallion.
The chestnut juvenile, bred in California by Cole Ranch, is out of Nine to Five Lady (Mr. Greeley) and is from the family of GI Breeders' Cup Classic winner Concern.
Bloodstock agent John Brocklebank purchased the filly for $42,000 at last year's Barretts October sale.
“We thought she'd sell well,” consignor Andy Havens, who sold the filly on behalf of Brocklebank, said. “She's a gorgeous filly and she had everything going for. I thought she would sell very well.
She was the fastest horse we had, so our expectations were pretty high.”
On behalf of the Saudi Arabia-based owner, O'Neill bought a Union Rags colt for $950,000 and a filly by Flatter for $410,000 at the OBS March sale and a colt by Custom For Carlos at Fasig-Tipton's Gulfstream Sale for $400,000.
O'Neill was the leading buyer at Barretts, signing for three juveniles for a total of $875,000. In addition to the Lucky Pulpit filly, he also signed for hip 121, a colt by Congrats for $360,000, and hip 116, a colt by Flat Out for $155,000
Shah Stretches for Run Away and Hide Colt
Kaleem Shah purchased a colt by Run Away and Hide (hip 76) for $325,000 during Wednesday's Barretts sale. Asked what he liked about the youngster, who worked a furlong in :10 flat during Monday's under-tack preview, Shah said succinctly, “He looked fast, so let's see what he can do.”
Shah admitted he was surprised by the colt's final price tag.
“I thought we would get him for $150,000 to $200,000,” he said.
Shah split with long-time trainer Bob Baffert earlier this year and said he had not decided on a trainer for his newest acquisition. The owner admitted, “I picked him out on my own.”
The bay juvenile is out of Cabales (Pulpit), a daughter of stakes winner Mudslinger (El Gran Senor). He was consigned by Ciaran Dunne's Wavertree Stables and was purchased by the operation for $35,000 at last year's OBS August sale. Dunne admitted he couldn't take credit for the yearling purchase.
“We didn't work the OBS sale because we had to go to California,” Dunne revealed. “We were taking our daughter Caitlyn out to college, so Mark Edmonds and Lee Byrne, who work for us back home, bought him while we were away.”
Dunne admitted he had his concerns about the purchase initially. Asked for his first reaction, he laughed, “What did you just do?” He added of Edmonds and Byrne, “They were probably a little aggressive in what they paid for him.”
He felt better about the purchase once he saw the yearling.
“He was a really nice horse when they bought him, a strong horse, clean legged and a great mover,” Dunne said. “Good for them. It was a big move for them to stick their necks out and say we really want this one. Lee runs all the sales for us. She does all the therapeutic work at the farm and does all the sales. Mark does everything else.”
Wavertree also sold a colt by Quality Road (hip 46) for $350,000 to Gary Broad. The colt cost $45,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October sale.
“He belonged to a partnership from Ocala–they bought him in October,” Dunne said. “He's a nice horse by the right stallion and he moved great. We were hoping for $200,000-$250,000 and they just went on with him.”
Wavertree led all sales agents, with 11 head sold for $1.88 million and an average of $170,000. Its trio of $300,000 sales was completed by hip 123, a colt by Tale of the Cat who sold for $325,000 to Breeze Easy LLC. Bloodstock agent Justin Casse signed the ticket on the youngster at $110,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale.
Orb Filly to Speedway
Speedway Stables' Peter Fluor, sitting alongside bloodstock agent Marette Farrell, secured a colt from the first crop of GI Kentucky Derby winner Orb (Malibu Moon) for $320,000 during Wednesday's Barretts sale.
Bred by Lakland Farm and consigned by Sequel Bloodstock, the chestnut filly worked in :10 1/5. Out of Day of Victory (Victory Gallop), hip 86 is a half to Grade I placed Finley'sluckycharm (Twirling Candy). Her third dam is Gather the Clan (Ire), who produced multiple Grade I winner Pure Clan and graded stakes winner Greater Good. She RNA'd for $30,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale.
“We loved her elegance and how efficient she was in her breeze–it took nothing out of her,” Farrell said of the filly's appeal. “The female family is incredible and she really reminded us of the female family. If she is as good as Pure Clan and everybody else in that family, she'll be awesome.”
In business for just three years, Fluor and K.C. Weiner's Speedway Stable has already campaigned Grade I winner Hard Not To Like (Hard Spun) and graded stakes winner Collected (City Zip).
Asked the stable's buying plan, Fluor said, “If Marette and John Adger find something we like and it vets and is not unreasonable, we'll buy it.”
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