Well-Balanced Catalog Awaits at Texas Yearling Sale

The Texas Thoroughbred Association will host its annual summer yearling sale Aug. 26 at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie. The sale begins at 10 a.m. CT.

This year's catalog includes 207 yearlings, available for inspection Aug. 24-25, that include 10 horses in a Three Feathers Farm dispersal along with 48 Texas-breds, 91 Louisiana-breds, 32 Arkansas-breds, and 18 Oklahoma-breds.

Some of the sales notable entries are: 

• Hip 7, a colt by El Deal  out of Flashy Prize, making the colt a half brother to multiple grade 1-placed stakes winner and millionaire Free Like a Girl . Paul Pruett's Oakridge Farm consigns the colt. 
• Hip 13 is a colt by freshman sire Volatile   out of the Malibu Moon mare Funny Moon , who won the 2009 Coaching Club American Oaks (G1) and earned $530,900. The colt is consigned by Channon Farm.
• Hip 181 is a filly Aurelius Maximus , who also is consigned by Channon Farm. The filly is out of the stakes-placed City Zip winner City Gone Wild. Aurelius Maximus is the sire of Secret Faith , who sold for $75,000 during the 2023 TTA Summer Yearling Sale and has won two black-type stakes this year.

"We have a well-balanced catalog this year," said sales director Foster Bridewell. "A runner can come from anywhere, and prospective buyers have a variety of stallions and mares who are quality producers in the upcoming sale."

Bridewell credits the Texas TTA board of directors for supporting this sale by creating stakes opportunities for sale graduates. These races include the $150,000 Texas Thoroughbred Association Futurity, with divisions for fillies and for colts and geldings; and for the past two years, 3-year-old sale graduates have been eligible to compete in the $100,000 TTA Derby or Oaks. Secret Faith won the TTA Futurity July 13 and banked $90,000 for the victory.

Jeff Hooper, chairman and CEO at Highlander Training Center in Sulphur Springs, Texas, said the TTA yearling sale has become a consistent source of successful racehorses and pinhook prospects. The farm has 23 yearlings entered in this year's sale.

"We have sold yearlings from $15,000 to $100,000 and will have several in the upcoming sale by proven stallions, including Mr Speaker and Competitive Edge," Hooper said. "The TTA sale continues to offer quality yearlings that go on to prominence in Texas and other regions. Plus, pinhookers have taken notice of the Texas sale and have done well here. Graduates have some excellent stakes opportunities here in Texas paired with many restricted stakes offerings in Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Arkansas."

Highlander sold this sale's top seller in 2022, a $100,000 Too Much Bling  filly named Too Much Kiki , who has won five of 10 starts and earned nearly $258,000 for owner Mansfield Racing and trainer Bret Calhoun. She won last year's Texas Stallion Pan Zareta Division Stakes at Lone Star Park and this year has won or placed in six of seven starts.