Smiling Tiger Colt Tops Barretts Fall Sale

A yearling from the first crop of Smiling Tiger, a multiple grade I-winning sprinter and millionaire, topped the Barretts October mixed sale at $190,000. Held at Barretts’ former home at Fairplex Park in Pomona, Calif., the sale included a broodmare for $105,000 as well as a $95,000 yearling filly.

Overall sale figures were nearly identical to last year, when the sale was held at Del Mar. A total of 174 horses grossed $2,484,000 and averaged $14,276, compared with the 2015 figures of 175 horses grossing $2,534,500 and averaging $14,483.

“This shows stability and that it doesn’t matter where you sell them, it’s what you sell that counts,” said Kim Lloyd, general manager of Barretts.

The yearlings averaged $15,705, down 8.8% from the $17,218 average in 2015. A total of 82 of the 217 yearlings through the ring did not sell, for a buy-back rate of 37.8%. The yearling median was $8,500 in 2016 and $10,000 in 2015.

“I was very pleased to hold our own in the yearlings because early in the year it looked like it was going to be tough sledding,” said Lloyd. “There was a lot of competition for horses at $30,000 and up. The more desirable horses in the marketplace had a lot of action.”

Steve Gasparrelli’s Slugo Racing purchased the Smiling Tiger sale topper, foaled Jan. 29, 2015. Former trainer Greg Gilchrist acted as Gasparrelli’s agent. Sue Greene’s Woodbridge Farm, the sale’s leading consignor, sold the colt, who was bred and foaled at Premier Thoroughbreds in Oakdale, Calif. The colt was produced from the multiple stakes-winning, grade I-placed Williamstown mare Erica's Smile and is a half brother to stakes-placed Derivative and to the dam of multiple stakes winner Sheriffa.

“He’s a beautiful animal—very well-balanced,” Gilchrist said. “He’s got a great walk, and it seems like nothing bothers him.”

Greene earlier sold a daughter of Smiling Tiger who topped Barretts’ August select yearling sale at $130,000.

“The Smiling Tigers that I have seen at Woodbridge and Premier are such lovely individuals,” Greene said. “They’re nice-looking, they’re correct, they’re really athletic, and they have great bodies on them.”

Smiling Tiger stands at Harris Farms near Coalinga, Calif., where his 2016 fee was $5,000.

War Briefing, a 4-year-old daughter of War Front  —Fleet Streak, by More Than Ready  , led all broodmares at $105,000. Adrian Gonzalez’s Checkmate Thoroughbreds sold the mare in foal to Violence  , and Qatar Investment Group bought her.

Kim McCarthy’s McCarthy Bloodstock sold the top-priced yearling filly, a California-bred daughter of Crown of Thorns  , for breeder Richard Barton to trainer John Brocklebank, the leading buyer at the sale. Barton owns the California stallion Champ Pegasus, and he bought filly’s dam, the Formal Dinner mare Sweetbabe, in foal to Crown of Thorns for $5,000 at the 2014 Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company fall mixed sale. Sweetbabe is also the dam of multiple stakes winner Sweet Repent.

“This filly looks like a real racehorse,” said McCarthy. “She really catches your eye.”

Two Cal-bred yearlings sold for $90,000 each, a son of Twirling Candy   and a daughter of Lucky Pulpit  .

Florida-based Eddie Woods bought the Twirling Candy colt in the name of his Quarter Pole Enterprises. Andy Havens’ Havens Bloodstock Agency sold the colt, who is out of the stakes-winning Sweetsouthernsaint mare Saint Knows and was bred by CRK Stables.

Trainer Jeff Bonde purchased the Lucky Pulpit filly, consigned by Harris Farms for Stephen Ferraro. Ferraro bred and raced the filly’s dam, Ismene, a multiple stakes winner by Tribal Rule and a Cal-bred champion.