Barretts auction has sharp declines

Prices for Thoroughbred racing stock continued to decline at the 2010 Barretts March Sale of 2-year-olds in training in Pomona, Calif., on Monday, with the average and median prices down sharply.

Sixty-nine 2-year-olds went through the ring at an average price of $90,652 during the one-day sale, down 26.4 percent compared with last year's average of $123,245, according to figures provided by Barretts. The average last year was down 30 percent compared to the 2008 sale.

Gross proceeds from the sale were $6,255,000, down only slightly compared to last year's gross of $6,285,500, when 51 horses sold from a catalog of 122. Median this year was $60,000, down 25 percent from $80,000 last year.

Two horses stood out, an Unbridled's Song colt who sold for $475,000 and a Stormin Fever colt who brought $450,000.

The Unbridled's Song colt, out of the Storm Cat mare King Shooting Star, was bought by Narvick International, agent, for Chikura Takahashi, a Japanese owner and breeder who purchased three other horses at the sale. In the breeze-up show for the sale on March 19, the colt ran an eighth of a mile in 10 seconds flat.

The Unbridled's Song colt was purchased last year for $225,000 at the Fasig-Tipton July sale by Ciaran Dunne, who offered the horse in the Barretts sale through the Wavertree Farm consignment.

The Stormin Fever colt, out of the Siphon mare Rainbow's End, was purchased by Demi O'Byrne, the agent for Coolmore International. The colt, who co-equaled the fastest time of the breeze-up show when he ran an eighth-mile in 9.80 seconds, was consigned by John O'Hara, agent.

Thirty-four horses in the initial catalog were withdrawn from the sale, while 31 horses did not reach the reserve price set by consignors, for a buy-back rate of 31 percent. Last year, the buy-back rate was 37 percent.