Le Vron James Scores at CTBA Winter Sale

Le Vron James, a 2-year-old son of the late Vronsky , sold for a session-topping $85,000 to lead sizeable year-over-year gains Feb. 1 at the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association Winter Mixed Sale at Fairplex.

There were 113 horses sold for gross sales of $1,298,407, an average of $11,490, and a median of $5,200. At last year's Winter Mixed Sale, 73 sold for gross sales of $575,100, an average of $7,878, and a median of $3,200.

The California-bred Vronsky colt, out of the Cee's Tizzy mare Arousing, was bred by Harris Farms and Donald Valpredo and purchased by Dare to Dream, Don Calabria, and John Crawford. He previously sold to Jeff Ganje at the 2021 CTBA Northern California Yearling Sale for $32,000.

A close second to the topper was Prince Jimi, a California-bred son of Jimmy Creed   out of the Tiznow  mare Following a Dream, which sold to Super Horse, agent Sweetwater Trading, for $75,000. He was bred by Tony and Carol Busching. The colt initially went through the 2021 Fasig-Tipton California Fall Yearlings and Horses of All Ages Sale, failing to sell at $7,000 for consignor Easterbrook Livestock Management.

The highest-priced filly purchase was a 2-year-old Kentucky-bred filly by Gun Runner  , out of the A.P. Indy mare Mahogany Lane, purchased by Ron Thomsen for $42,000. The unnamed filly was bred by Calumet Farm and purchased from their consignment at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale for $10,000 by Newport Steel.