By Jessica Martini
A 2-year-old colt by Merit Man brought top price of $60,000 at Wednesday's California Thoroughbred Breeders Association January Mixed Sale in Pomona. In all, 81 head sold during the one-session auction for a total of $589,300. The average was $7,275 and the median was $4,000. The buy-back rate was 33.6%.
The CTBA hosted the January sale as a transitory auction between the now-defunct Barretts, which ceased operations at the end of 2018, and the upcoming Fasig-Tipton sales.
Frank Veiga, as agent for trainer Bob Hess, Jr., made the winning bid on the sale-topping juvenile (hip 110), who was bred by Terry Lovingier and was consigned by his Lovacres Ranch. The dark bay colt is out of multiple stakes placed Seaside (Aldebaran), who was purchased by Lovingier while in foal to Can the Man for $5,000 at the 2015 Keeneland November sale. The mare's Can the Man colt sold for $30,000 at the 2017 Barretts August Yearling Sale.
Hess, who trained Merit Man, also purchased a 2-year-old filly (hip 138) by the 9-year-old stallion for $30,000 from the Lovacres consignment Wednesday.
“I haven't seen them yet,” Hess said of the two juveniles. “I'm down at Gulfstream with horses, so my dad [trainer Bob Hess, Sr.] drove down from Golden Gate. I had him look at all the Merit Mans in the sale. I trained Merit Man and he's done well with his initial crop, so we were trying to focus on all the Merit Mans. My dad identified the two that we bought as the two best ones in the sale.”
Hess continued, “We bought them for a group of clients that my father and I both work with. My dad will get both of them ready up at Golden Gate and then we would hope to debut them sometime in early summer at Santa Anita or Del Mar.”
A debut winner at Del Mar as a 2-year-old in 2012, Merit Man won the Tim Conway S. at Santa Anita before being nosed out of the win when second in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Sprint. He won the Spectacular Bid S. at Gulfstream in 2013 and was third behind subsequent GI Kentucky Derby winner Orb (Malibu Moon) in the GI Florida Derby.
“Merit Man was precocious, he won early,” Hess said of the 9-year-old stallion whose first foals are three. “And then he ran a good third to Orb going 1 1/8 miles in the Florida Derby. A lot of his horses have a great mind and they have his speed, but they also have his laid back attitude. I'm looking forward to getting a few more Merit Mans and luckily we picked up two yesterday.”
Merit Man stands for $2,500 at BG Thoroughbred Farm. From six starters, he has had three winners and his daughter Give Me a Hint won last year's Golden State Juvenile Fillies S.
A large portion of the CTBA January catalogue was made up of 2-year-olds and three of the sale's top four prices were for juveniles. Hess sees advantages to buying juveniles before the 2-year-olds in training sales season gets underway in March.
“I feel like it's a great buyers market, buying a 2-year-old in January,” he said. “Once they go down the lane in :10 and change, or now :9 and change, then you've got to pay through the teeth. I feel like we stole both of these and I'm sure there were a bunch of other great buys because they didn't get to preview, which I think is better for the horse and better for the buyers. Maybe the seller takes it through the teeth when they sell them early, but there is a lot of risk involved with getting them ready for a 2-year-old sale. So I think it's a win-win for all parties.”
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