By Bloodhorse.com
POMONA, Calif. (Oct. 8, 2014) — The Barretts October yearling sale bounced back from its decline a year ago with a $175,000 sale topper and an average that climbed 14.8% from 2013.
Trainer Peter Eurton bought the sale topper, a California-bred filly by Unusual Heat, as well as a second Cal-bred filly by the sire for $55,000 on behalf of Joe Ciaglia. Two other offspring of Unusual Heat were among the top 10 prices—a colt for $95,000 and a filly for $90,000.
The sale, held Oct. 7 in the Hinds Pavilion in Pomona, Calif., averaged $22,606 for 163 sold, grossing $3,684,700. The gross rose 17.7% over the $3,130,500 figure from last year. The median also increased, from $13,000 in 2013 to $15,000 in 2014, up 15.4%.
“The sale did well, and we were really pleased,” said Kim Lloyd, general manager for Barretts Sales & Racing. “We’re seeing a little more confidence in the transitional period of racing. People know we’re going forward and the racing is settling down. We had more participation from our trainers than we’ve seen in the past.”
Barretts is slated to conduct its January mixed sale and select 2-year-old sale at Pomona and then move its operation to Del Mar. The Los Angeles County Fair Association curtailed its racing at its 2014 fair, moving the dates to Los Alamitos.
Eurton was one of several local trainers to buy at the yearling sale. Jim Cassidy purchased four for Deron Pearson’s D.P. Racing to lead all buyers at $276,000. Ciaglia was second at $230,000.
Ciaglia will partner with Alesia Stable on the sale topper, said Eurton, and they may bring in a couple of other partners. With Bran Jam Stables and Rob Dyrdek, Ciaglia and Alesia campaigned 2011 Del Mar Debutante (gr. I) and Oak Leaf Stakes (gr. I) winner Weemissfrankie, and with Bran Jam they owned 2014 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (gr. I) winner Dance With Fate.
John Harris’ Harris Farms consigned both of Ciaglia’s purchases, the $55,000 filly for Madeline Auerbach, Barry Abrams, and Richard Rosenberg.
“I loved everything about her—her mind, her body, Unusual Heat, and the bottom side,” said Eurton of the sale topper.
The sale topper is out of the stakes-winning Stormy Atlantic mare Hotlantic, who also has produced 2014 Generous Portion Stakes winner Long Hot Summer. At this year’s Barretts May 2-year-old sale, Long Hot Summer brought $260,000, top price of the auction. McCarthy Bloodstock consigned Long Hot Summer for Harris and Don Valpredo.
“You’re always excited to have a horse that sells well,” said John Harris. “We sold her because we have the dam, who is in foal to Unusual Heat and had a foal this year by Acclamation.”
The top-priced colt of the yearling sale was a Cal-bred son of Belong to Me that Cassidy bought from the consignment of John Golightly as agent for $100,000. The youngster is out of the winning Yes It’s True mare Miss Beekman Place, a full sister to stakes-placed True Xena.
Trainer Ron Ellis purchased the $95,000 son of Unusual Heat for Tony Mancuso and Jimmy Johnson’s MJ Stable and Gary Finder. Named Sriracha Heat, the colt came from the Woodbridge Farm consignment and is out of the Wild Wonder mare Wild Reflection.
Lucky Pulpit , the sire of California Chrome, had several in the sale, including a $90,000 colt out of the Lion Heart mare Lion Princess. Woodbridge sold the colt, and Art Sherman, the trainer of California Chrome, signed the ticket for George Kirkorian.
Sherman said that Kirkorian would partner on the Lucky Pulpit colt with Dr. Ed Allred, the owner of Los Alamitos. Sherman trains California Chrome at Los Alamitos.