Average price up at Texas sale

A yearling filly by Valid Expectations topped the Fasig-Tipton Texas December mixed sale on Sunday when she brought a bid of $34,000 from agent Danny Shifflet. A total of 180 horses were sold for $825,300 during the one-day sale, which was held at Lone Star Park near Dallas.

The sale's average price per lot was $4,585, up nearly 20 percent from $3,673 at the corresponding sale last year. During the 2003 auction, 148 horses sold for total receipts of $543,600.

Oak Tree Ranch, agent, consigned the sales-topper, who is unnamed. The filly is out of the winning mare Fivegirlsinarow, who is a full sister to stakes winner Nite Screen, an earner of $83,209, and a half-sister to stakes winner Hollie's Chief, who has earned $259,671. Valid Expectations, based in Texas, is one of the top sires in the Southwest.

The sale included yearlings, broodmares, broodmare prospects, weanlings, and horses of racing age. Also in the catalog was a section dedicated to the breeding stock reduction of Turf Express Stud.