Category: Tim Boyce

Texas Summer Yearling Sale Posts Huge Gains Across the Board

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The Texas Summer Yearling and Horses of Racing Age Sale, which was held Monday, August 30th at Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie recorded sizable increases in gross sales, average and median with a Texas-bred colt by Too Much Bling topping the auction. 

 

A total of 228 yearlings went through the ring with 176 selling for $3,219,600, a 138.9% percent increase from last year when 106 of 137 sold for $1,347,700. The yearling average this year came in at $18,293, a jump of 43.9% from last year’s $12,714. The median soared to $10,000 this year, up 96.1% percent from $5,100. The buy-back rate was 22.8% this year compared to 22.6% last year.  

 

There were also three horses of racing age in the sale this year, which sold for a total of $17,500. Last year’s auction had 15 older horses sell for a total of $162,500. 

 

“The numbers are almost overwhelming compared to last year, and this sale exceeded even our very high expectations,” said Tim Boyce, sales director. “The recent gains in purses and breeding incentives in Texas, along with the strong programs in place in Louisiana and Oklahoma, have helped make this a very powerful regional marketplace. This is truly one of the best sales we’ve ever had in Texas.” 

 

“We recently announced increased purses of $300,000 for sale horses to run at in the two divisions of the Texas Thoroughbred Association Futurity, and we added a total of $200,000 for a Derby and Oaks race, so that has attracted some extra interest,” added Mary Ruyle, executive director of the Texas Thoroughbred Association.  

 

Proving the point about the resurgence of interest in Texas racing, the sale-topper was Hip 101, an accredited Texas-bred colt by Too Much Bling, who stands at Valor Farm and is a perennial leading sire in the state. Consigned by Benchmark Training Center, agent, and purchased by Finisterre Racing, the April 3 foal sold for $175,000. The colt is out of Swifterthantaylor, a multiple winning daughter of another top Texas stallion at Valor Farm, My Golden Song. Swifterthantaylor’s first starter is a stakes-placed winner.  

 

Two other horses sold for six figures, both Louisiana-bred colts. A son of Not This Time named Star Redemption sold for $120,000 from Clear Creek Stud, agent, to Al and Bill Ulwelling, and a son of Violence sold for $100,000 from 4M Ranch, agent, to Set-Hut LLC. 

 

For complete results, go to www.ttasales.com. 

Supplement Added for Texas Summer Yearling Sale

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The 2021 Texas Summer Yearling and Horses of Racing Age Sale will feature five supplemental hips, all added to the body of the catalog and available online in the interactive catalog at www.TTAsales.com. The Texas Thoroughbred Association will provide a supplement paper copy of these hips available at the sales pavilion before and during the sale. Additionally, the hips will automatically be updated and added into the Equineline catalog iPad app.

 

The supplement hips are:

  • Hip 13: B C by Midnight Lute out of Moneybru; consigned by Stuart Morris, Agent for Highclere, Inc.
  • Hip 85: Ch F by California Chrome out of Salty Mo; consigned by Craig Singer
  • Hip 117: B F by California Chrome out of Better Be Better; consigned by Craig Singer
  • Hip 185: Gr/Ro F by Cupid out of Colombe; consigned by KP Sales, Agent
  • Hip 243: DkB/Br F by Liaison out of Raffie’s Treasure; consigned by Ellen Caines, Agent
“We’re excited about adding these supplemented horses to our already diverse and strong group of yearlings for this sale,” Sales Director Tim Boyce said. “There’s been quite a bit of interest from prospective buyers this year, thanks in part to the breeders, owners and consignors who have entered quality yearlings. I am looking forward to getting the horses on the grounds at Lone Star Park and our sale on August 30.”

The supplement paper catalog will be available at and around the sale pavilion at Lone Star Park. The horses in the supplement are already added into the interactive online catalog available at www.TTAsales.com. Online bidding will be available for the sale, and the deadline to register for online bidding is Monday, August 23.

The sale will be held at Lone Star Park on August 30 at 10am CT and will be livestreamed on the sale website.

Texas Summer Yearling Sale Attracts Record Number of Entries

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The Texas Summer Yearling and Horses of Racing Age Sale, set for Monday, August 30, at Lone Star Park, will feature a record number of entries with nearly 250 yearlings consigned to the Southwest’s biggest auction. The sale, held jointly by the Texas Thoroughbred Association and Lone Star Park, will begin at 10 a.m. in the sales pavilion on the grounds of the Dallas-area track.

“This will easily be our largest sale since taking the reins from Fasig-Tipton in 2016,” said Tim Boyce, sales director. “We’ve seen some solid growth over the past few years, despite the challenges of the health pandemic, and now we’ve really hit a milestone this year. We have several new consignors for this sale, and the sire power is stronger than I can ever remember seeing here.”

In addition to nearly 250 yearlings, there are three 2-year-olds in the sale.

“Texas racing and breeding have been on the upswing thanks to the Horse Industry Escrow Account authorized by the Texas Legislature, which has helped boost purses and breeding incentives,” said Mary Ruyle, executive director of the TTA. “That in turn has increased interest in our sales and allowed us to develop a consignor rebate program. We are also pleased to introduce the Texas Thoroughbred Sales Derby to be run in 2023 to complement the very popular Texas Thoroughbred Sales Futurity.”

Details on the Sales Derby are still being finalized, but the race for sale graduates is expected to offer two divisions (one for fillies and one for colts/geldings) with an estimated purse of $75,000 apiece at Sam Houston Race Park. The Sales Futurity also offers two divisions at $100,000-estimated apiece at Lone Star.

The TTA and Lone Star will host a pre-sale party for consignors and buyers on Sunday, August 29, at 6:30 p.m. in the Alysheba room on the second floor of the Lone Star grandstand.

The yearling sale comes on the heels of the Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale held in April, which posted the highest gross, average and median since the TTA and Lone Star took over both sales in 2016.

Online bidding and live online video will be offered on this sale. For more information and to view the sale catalogue, go to www.ttasales.com.

More than 120 Horses Consigned to Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale

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The catalogue is now available for the Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale with more than 120 head consigned to the auction set for Wednesday, April 7, at Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie. The under tack show will be held Monday, April 5, at Lone Star, which co-sponsors the sale with the Texas Thoroughbred Association. 

 

“After being forced to cancel last year’s 2-year-old due to COVID-19, we are very pleased to get back on track this year, especially with the excitement from the increased overnight purses in Texas and the strong stakes schedule coming up at Lone Star Park,” said Tim Boyce, sales director.  

 

First-year sires Klimt, Practical Joke, Lord Nelson, Gormley and Midnight Storm lead a strong stallion list, along with Texas freshman stallions Texas Chrome and Eagle. National and international sire power should be enticing to all buyers with Bernardini, California Chrome, Honor Code, Kitten’s Joy, Maclean’s Music, Malibu Moon and Street Sense among those represented. As usual, offspring of many of the Southwest’s top sires are in the sale, including Bradester, Custom for Carlos, Den’s Legacy, Half Ours, My Golden Song and Star Guitar.  

 

The mailing of catalogues was delayed due to February’s winter weather in Texas, but copies are expected to mail next week. The complete catalogue is now online, and as the sale approaches photos will be posted along with videos following the under tack show. Online bidding will again be available, and interested bidders can register now. 

 

For more information, go to www.ttasales.com. 

Texas Summer Yearling Sale Set for August 30

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The Texas Thoroughbred Association and Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie have announced that the Texas Summer Yearling Sale will be held Monday, August 30, at the Dallas-area track. Entries are now being accepted with a deadline of June 21. 

 

Despite the current health pandemic, last year’s Texas Summer Yearling Sale resulted in an increase in gross sale receipts of more than 166% with approximately twice the number of horses consigned compared to the previous year. Even with the larger catalog, last year’s sale posted an increase in average and median as buyers reacted positively to rising purses and breeders awards in Texas thanks to new legislation. 

 

“Last year’s sale showed how strong the Southwest market is with Texas on the rise and Oklahoma and Louisiana continuing to have solid racing and breeding programs,” said Tim Boyce, sales director. “We fully expect that upward trend to continue with our upcoming 2-year-olds in training sale followed by this yearling sale.” 

 

Last year the TTA introduced a consignor rebate program that rebates up to 50% of the consignment fee using funding from the passage of HB 2463, and that offer will again be in effect for this sale. 

 

As previously announced, the TTA and Lone Star Park will hold the Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale on April 7. The breeze show will be held April 5.  

 

For more information, go to www.ttasales.com.

Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale Set for April 7, 2021

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The Texas Thoroughbred Association and Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie have announced that the 2021 Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale will be held on Wednesday, April 7, at the Dallas-area track. The breeze show will be held Monday, April 5.  

 

The sale will be held about two weeks before Lone Star Park kicks off its expanded Thoroughbred meet with 48 days of racing starting on April 22. The track has announced an enhanced stakes schedule worth more than $2.2 million and the revival of Lone Star Million Day. As usual, the Texas Thoroughbred Sales Futurity, for TTA Sales graduates and those made eligible through a consignor berth, will be held at Lone Star with two divisions at $100,000-estimated apiece.  

 

“With daily purses at Lone Star expected to be around $250,000 and maiden races at $36,000, this sale will offer buyers the chance to get an almost immediate return on their investment,” said Tim Boyce, sales director. “In addition to the Sales Futurity in July, Lone Star will be running two divisions of the Clarence Scharbauer Jr. Texas Stallion Stakes for 2-year-olds in June, so that’s another opportunity for Texas-sired horses.”  

 

The entry deadline for the 2-year-old sale is January 15, 2021, and consignment forms are now available at www.ttasales.com.

More than 125 head consigned to Texas Winter Mixed Sale

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The first standalone Texas Winter Mixed Sale in nearly a decade has attracted more than 125 consignments. The auction, held jointly by the Texas Thoroughbred Association and Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie, will be held on Sunday, December 6, at 1 p.m. Central at the Texas Thoroughbred Sale Pavilion on the backside of the Dallas-area track.  

Although there have been mixed sessions as part of the Texas Summer Yearling Sale in recent years, this will mark the first Texas Winter Mixed Sale since 2011.  

“Because of increased purses and breeding incentives in Texas, and the overall strength of racing in the Southwest region, we saw the need to bring this sale back,” said Tim Boyce, sales director. “Even though we knew there would be demand from consignors and buyers, we didn’t anticipate this many entries or the interest we’ve already seen from potential buyers. That’s a good sign for how things are growing in this region.”  

The sale will kick off with broodmares followed by weanlings, yearlings and horses of racing age.   

The Texas Summer Yearling Sale in August was the first Texas sale with live online bidding, and that option will again be available for this sale along with online video.  

For more information and to view the sale catalog, go to www.ttasales.com.

Catalog Now Online for Texas Summer Yearling and Horses of Racing Age Sale, Online Bidding to Be Offered

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A catalog of 175 head is now online for the Texas Summer Yearling and Horses of Racing Age Sale set for August 24 at 12 noon CDT at Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie. Sponsored by the Texas Thoroughbred Association and Lone Star Park, the sale will welcome bidders on site with enhanced safety protocols and for the first time will also offer live online bidding for those who cannot attend in person. Online Bidders must be registered at one week before the sale, no later than 12 noon on August 17.

“We had to cancel our 2-year-old sale due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and we’ve been working since then to ensure we are able to conduct this sale because of its importance to the region,” said Mary Ruyle, executive director of the TTA. “We normally wouldn’t have a horses of racing age session at this sale, but we are happy to offer that this year to fill the needs of consignors and buyers. The HORA section is quite impressive.”

Ruyle credited higher purses in Texas and a new consignor incentive program as two of the reasons that this year’s sale has twice the number of yearlings as last year.

“In addition to boosting purses in Texas, the passage of HB 2463 allows the horse industry to create new ways to grow, so we were able to provide consignors with a rebate of up to half the consignment fee,” she said. “We saw a great response to that incentive, which resulted in more consignors bringing their horses to sell in Texas.”

The sale will utilize a live online bidding system along with improved online video. 

“We made an investment in technology to allow buyers to bid from anywhere,” said Tim Boyce, sales director. “Starting in early August we will allow online bidders to register in advance, so we encourage anyone who is interested to do that on our website.”

The sale will kick off with a horses of racing age session including 2-year-olds in training by top sires such as Too Much Bling, Texas Red, Astrology and Twirling Candy. Among the older horses on offer are Herbs Love, a daughter of Etesaal who in her most recent start won the $75,000 San Jacinto Turf Stakes at Lone Star Park.

The yearling session will include 151 head by leading regional sires such as Too Much Bling, Star Guitar, Flat Out, Court Vision and My Golden Song. Top national sires including Tonalist, Sky Mesa, Bayern, Honor Code and California Chrome are also represented.

The online catalog and more information are available at www.ttasales.com.

 

For more information, contact Mary Ruyle at maryr@texasthoroughbred.com or 512-458-6133

Texas Summer Yearling Sale Adds Horses of Racing Age Session

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(April 8, 2020 – Austin, Texas) – The Texas Thoroughbred Association and Lone Star Park have announced that the upcoming Texas Summer Yearling Sale on August 24 will now include a horses of racing age session in lieu of having broodmares and weanlings. For this year only, the mixed session will only be open to 2-year-olds and older horses of racing age. The change is due to the cancellation of the Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale, which could not be held due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

“After talking to consignors, we found there was strong demand for a horses of racing age session, especially for 2-year-olds,” said Tim Boyce, sales director. “We realize these are unique times for consignors and buyers, so we are working to support them by being flexible with the format of this sale. For any 2-year-olds who have published works, we will include those on the sale website along with any videos that consignors wish to provide. And if we have enough demand for an under tack show, we will work to make that happen prior to the sale.”

 

The entry deadline for the sale is June 15, and consignment contracts are being mailed soon. More information, along with a downloadable consignment contract, is available at www.ttasales.com.

Texas 2-Year-Old Sale Cancelled, Consignments to be Promoted Online

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(March 23, 2020 – Austin, Texas) — The Texas Thoroughbred Association and Lone Star Park have announced that the Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale scheduled for April 3 has been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. All entry fees for the sale will be refunded.

 

It was also announced that all horses currently nominated to the Texas Thoroughbred Futurity at Lone Star Park will remain eligible provided the final payment of $350 is made. All horses entered in the 2-year-old sale will be considered to have passed through the sales ring for the purposes of eligibility for the race. Additionally, the April 15 due date for the final payment has been pushed back to May 15. The Texas Thoroughbred Futurity, with a fillies and colts/geldings division for a $100,000-estimated purse apiece, is scheduled for July 12 at Lone Star. The TTA and Lone Star will make a future announcement should a date change be needed.

 

“We are obviously disappointed to cancel this sale, especially with a record number of consignments, but it’s really the only option at this point and postponing the sale simply was not feasible,” said Mary Ruyle, executive director of the Texas Thoroughbred Association. “We are leaving the sale catalogue online and making some enhancements so that potential buyers can view photos and videos submitted by consignors and make contact to negotiate private sales.”

 

In the coming weeks, the TTA will accept photos and videos from consignors to be added to the sale website at www.ttasales.com. The online repository will also be opened to help consignors market their horses. Each consignor’s contact information will be listed so that buyers can make direct contact about a private sale. The TTA will not track or collect commissions on any private sales.

 

“We feel this was probably the best group of horses to be catalogued to this sale in over a decade, so we encourage potential buyers to view the horses being offered,” said Tim Boyce, sales director. “We truly appreciate all the support from consignors, so we are working to make the best of this situation and help buyers and sellers get connected.”

 

The Texas Summer Yearling Sale is set for August 24 at Lone Star and will also include a horses of racing age session.