Sale Success Validation for Airdrie’s Jones

Going into the 2016 yearling auction season, Brereton C. Jones had described the crop at his family’s Airdrie Stud as the best in the history of the farm located near Midway, Ky.

Judging results so far, the veteran horseman and former Kentucky governor was on target with his assessment.

Through the first two books of the sale, Airdire has sold 15 horses for total receipts of $4,045,000, an average of $269,667. That number included two well-bred colts that sold for $900,000 each in the Book 1 portion of the Lexington sale.

One was a War Front   colt out of Don't Trick Her (Mazel Trick) purchased by Japan-based Shadai Farm. The colt is a half brother to two-time grade I winner Include Me Out, grade I winner Check the Label, and stakes winner On the Menu.

The other Airdrie colt sold just under the seven-figure level was a son of Tapit   produced from the Proud Citizen mare Believe You Can, whose eight wins in 14 starts included the Kentucky Oaks (gr. I). The colt was purchased by Robert Baker and William Mack, who have a long business relationship with Jones.

Grade II winner Proud Citizen, campaigned by Mack and Baker in partnership with David Cornstein, stood at Airdrie.

“I know for dad, it’s real validation because he has been saying all year this is the best group of mares we’ve ever brought over,” said Bret Jones, who handles all aspects of bloodstock services for Airdrie. “He’s been doing it a long time, so it is really fulfilling to see these horses sell like this and to see horses that you have put so much time into get into other hands and get a chance on the racetrack.”

Much of Airdrie’s yearling success stems from the farm’s broodmare band, which includes grade I winners who were bought back after being sent through the sales ring. They include Lovely Maria, a $5,000 buyback as a weanling, Believe You Can, who RNA'd at $70,000 as a yearling (and for $4.9 million while carrying the Tapit colt in utero), and Include Betty, another yearling who failed to sell on a final bid of $42,000. Also, champion Proud Spell was retained by the Joneses after being offered privately, with no buyers.

“We have been fortunate in last few years to race some really nice fillies and add them to our broodmare band,” Bret Jones said. “You would hope they would continue to pay off for us, and they really have. We bring everything over here and give the market the chance to do what they will with them.”

Jones said one key to the family’s racing success has been their association with trainer Larry Jones, who is not related.

Jones trained Proud Spell, Lovely Maria, Believe You Can, and the grade II-winning Proud Citizen colt Mark Valeski  , among others.

“He is the best thing that ever happened to Airdrie and not just because of the time we spend together in the winner’s circle,” horseman Jones said of trainer Jones. “It’s just a real family atmosphere around the barn. We’re very lucky he continues to have some stalls for us.”