Barretts sale ends in decline

Despite a strong opening session that produced a sale-record top price of $425,000, the Barretts winter mixed sale in Pomona, Calif., closed Tuesday evening with declines across the board.

The record $425,000 lot was Taste of Paradise, a Grade 2-winning Conquistador Cielo colt bought by David Bloom from the Berkey Bloodstock Services agency. Taste of Paradise buoyed prices on Monday, the first of two days' selling. The opening session rang up two other six-figure prices, as well. This N That, a 4-year-old Cryptoclearance-Zonda colt offered by Kristin Mulhall, agent, brought $160,000 from buyer Louis Martinez. But of Course, a 4-year-old Kingmambo-Sun and Shade gelding also in Mulhall's consignment, went to Worldwide Bloodstock for $105,000.

But after Tuesday's final session, the numbers had slipped. Overall, the auction sold 517 lots this year for a total of $4,057,300, off 8 percent from last year, when 524 horses brought $4,431,000. The average price slid 7 percent to $7,848, and the median fell 14 percent to $3,500.

The highest price at Tuesday's session was the $45,000 that Rancho San Miguel paid for Miss Grimsby, an 8-year-old Saint Ballado mare that Special T Thoroughbreds, agent, sold in foal to Tribal Rule.