By DRF.com
POMONA, Calif. (Jan. 3, 2020) — California’s only annual mixed sale will be held on Tuesday at Fairplex in Pomona, the second consecutive year the event has been conducted by the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association.
This year’s sale is considerably larger than the 2019 auction.
Tuesday’s sale, which begins at 11 a.m., has a catalog of 269 broodmares, horses of racing age, yearlings and 2-year-olds. The main catalog has 256 horses, with 13 supplemental entries.
Moonless Sky, the winner of the Fran’s Valentine Stakes for California-bred fillies and mares on turf at Santa Anita in 2017, sells as Hip No. 86. Moonless Sky, who has won 5 of 23 starts, finished fifth in an optional claimer for California-breds at 1 18 miles on turf at Santa Anita on Friday when eligible to be claimed for $20,000.
In 2019, the January Mixed Sale had a catalog of 154 horses, with 81 horses listed as sold for $589,300, an average of $7,275, according to CTBA figures. There were 41 horses listed as not sold and 32 withdrawn.
The CTBA began conducting a mixed sale in 2019 after Barretts Sales ceased operation in 2018.
At the 2019 January mixed sale, a 2-year-old by Merit Man purchased for $60,000 was the most expensive horse. Later named Bill the Commish, the gelding finished eighth in his debut at Del Mar in a maiden special weight race for state\breds on Dec. 1.
Later this year, the CTBA will conduct its annual yearling sale in Pleasanton on Aug. 11. Fasig-Tipton has two sales planned in California later this year – a 2-year-olds in training sale on June 3 and a fall yearling sale on Oct. 19.