139 Cataloged for Texas Yearling and Mixed Sale

The Texas Thoroughbred Association has cataloged 139 head for its Aug. 21 Texas summer yearling and mixed sale at Lone Star Park.

This year's sale, the second run by the TTA since it assumed operation of the Texas auctions from Fasig-Tipton, has a catalog nearly identical in size to that of 2016, with 102 yearlings and 37 head during the mixed session being offered. The 2016 sale offered 92 yearlings and 30 head in the mixed session. 

Leading Texas sire Too Much Bling   is well represented in the sale with 10 yearlings, and there are eight yearlings and three weanlings from the first crops of Texas stallion Moro Tap, a son of Tapit   and half brother to grade 1 winner Ascend. Top regional sires including Custom for Carlos  , Grasshopper  , Half Ours  , My Golden Song  , and Songandaprayer   are represented, as are nationally prominent stallions Strong Mandate  , Graydar  , Majesticperfection  , Take Charge Indy  , Sky Mesa  , Stay Thirsty  , Liaison  , and Overanalyze  .

All yearling graduates of this sale will be eligible for the 2018 Texas Thoroughbred Sales Futurity to be run in two divisions at Lone Star Park. The 2017 editions of the races were run July 22 and both won by horses that had been through the Texas summer yearling sale and the Texas 2-year-olds in training sale.

"We are coming off a big weekend for Texas racing as Keene Thoroughbreds' Texas Chrome, who sold here as a yearling for $10,000, became just the second Texas-bred millionaire in history, and we had two of the best runnings of the Texas Thoroughbred Sales Futurity in many years," said Mary Ruyle, executive director of the TTA.

The $105,600-added money colts and geldings division went to Galactica, a Texas-bred son of Uncle Abbie who originally sold for $1,000 as a yearling from Serenity Farm to Thomas Julian and then came back to sell for $52,000 as a 2-year-old from the consignment of Twin Oaks Training Center to Brad Grady and Carl R. Moore Management. Bret Calhoun trains the earner of $79,820 in three starts.

Janae, a Louisiana-bred daughter of Closing Argument, took the $97,525-added money fillies division for owner Susan Moulton and trainer Brandon Jenkins. Janae sold from Benchmark Training Center to Moulton's Safari Bloodstock for $16,000 as a yearling, and then when consigned by Inside Move as a 2-year-old did not meet her reserve at $35,000. She has now earned $77,123 in four starts.

"The goal for this sale has been to increase the quality every year, and I think we've accomplished that," said Tim Boyce, TTA sales director. "Direct Dial, who topped last year's yearling sale, already broke his maiden impressively at Keeneland and then finished second in the Tremont Stakes at Belmont, and we've got several horses of similar quality this year."

The online sale catalog features photos and videos along with other enhancements, such as the ability for consignors to easily share information about their horses on social media. The sale is still accepting supplements and those will be added to the website.

The TTA will hold a New Owners Seminar with a panel of industry experts on Aug. 20, from 10:30 a.m. to noon CDT. A pre-sale party is set for that night at 6 p.m. Both events are free to attend and will be held at the Texas Thoroughbred Sales Pavilion.

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