By Bloodhorse.com
POMONA, Calif. (Oct. 16, 2018) — A $75,000 broodmare, a $57,000 yearling colt, and a pair of $55,000 yearling fillies headed the final Barretts auction, the Fall Sale of Yearlings and Horses of All Ages, held Oct. 16 at Fairplex Park in Pomona, Calif. The horses went through the same sale ring in which Barretts conducted its first sale in 1990.
Fairplex management has decided not to continue Barretts Equine Sales past 2018. In its heyday, Barretts was a mecca for pinhooked 2-year-olds, with the likes of Unbridled’s Song passing through the ring for $1.4 million in 1995. This past spring a $600,000 son of Uncle Mo topped the Barretts Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds at Del Mar.
Bargains have regularly come out of the October sale, such as California-bred Spiced Perfection, a $6,500 yearling in 2016. Spiced Perfection sold again for $50,000 at the 2017 Barretts March Selected 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale and is a multiple stakes winner with earnings of $385,405.
At the 2018 fall sale, 139 grossed $1,419,700 for an average of $10,214. In 2017, 158 grossed $2,315,000 and averaged $14,652. A total of 137 of the 276 through the ring did not sell this year, for a buy-back rate of 49.6%.
As the final sale wended its way through the last few hip numbers of the supplemental catalog, agent David Meah bid $75,000 for California-bred La Nez (Hip 313) to top the sale. La Nez is an 11-year-old stakes-winning daughter of Storm Creek—Iza Bay, by Iza a Saros. Adrian Gonzalez’s Checkmate Thoroughbreds sold the mare in foal to Danzing Candy .
“She’s a really good racehorse in foal to Danzing Candy, and we’re a big believer in that stallion,” said Meah, whose wife, Anna, is about to launch their new training stable at Santa Anita Park. “Danzing Candy got a lot of talented mares in his first book, and she could be one of the top mares.”
The $57,000 yearling colt (Hip 210) has roots in California, Washington, and Kentucky. Washingtonians Tim and Sue Spooner bred the Country Light mare Country Whirl to Justin Phillip in Kentucky. When the Spooners decided to get out of the business, they gave Country Whirl to Robin Mason, who with Stormy Hull had broken Country Whirl for them.
Mason sent Country Whirl to California to foal and be bred back to Haynesfield. Nick Cosato purchased the mare’s Justin Phillip yearling, in part because he is eligible for the Cal-bred incentive program. Mason’s Carnation Racing Stable sold the colt through Hull’s Critter Creek Farm.
“Nick Hines, who worked the sale for me, thought this was the best horse in the sale,” said Cosato. Hines signed the ticket for Cosato’s Slam Dunk Racing.
“I don’t have many Cal-breds,” said Cosato. “It was time to take a shot, and we look forward to seeing how he does.”
Trainer Peter Eurton and bloodstock agent Larry Zap purchased one of the $55,000 fillies for owner Joe Ciaglia. The Cal-bred filly is from the final crop of Unusual Heat out of the Runaway Groom mare Bel Air Belle, who has produced stakes winners Bel Air Sizzle and America’s Friend, both by Unusual Heat.
“I love the sire and the family,” said Eurton. “She’s worth at least half that as a broodmare.”
John Harris’ Harris Farms consigned the filly as Hip 188.
Checkmate Thoroughbreds consigned the other $55,000 filly, Hip 15, a Cal-bred daughter of Slew’s Tiznow —Grand Advice, by Mr. Greeley. The filly is a full sister to El Camino Real Derby (G3) winner Zakaroff. Tony Metaxas signed the ticket.