Average, gross down at Woodbine sale
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – The average and gross both sagged during the select session of the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society’s 2010 yearling sale at the Woodbine Sales Pavilion on Tuesday.
Ron GierkinkSep 08, 2010
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – The average and gross both sagged during the select session of the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society’s 2010 yearling sale at the Woodbine Sales Pavilion on Tuesday.
The yearlings in the first book are narrowed down first by pedigree, and then selected by an inspection team after being viewed in the spring. Without knowledge of the physical grades assigned, the following is an opinion of some of the leading pedigrees in Book 1. Obviously, however, it stands to reason that those sired by stallions standing for lesser fees within that catalog were impressive physically to the group of inspectors.
In 1986, Ben Walden Jr. was a young man in a hurry. At age 28, he had just opened the doors at Vinery. Within a decade, it would become one of Kentucky’s busiest stallion stations with a 30-horse roster.
A few stallions have already been put before the buyers this year at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July and Saratoga August sales, but shoppers will get a true first impression at the marathon Keeneland September sale. Because the Keeneland auction begins with the select stock − even more so this year with a small, select Book 1 − and progresses for two weeks, viewing the offspring of a stallion whose progeny is spread over the entire sale is akin to attending a Debutante Ball and two weeks later being invited to a YMCA sock hop.
Frankie Brothers was resigned to a quiet retirement when he decided to leave the racetrack after nearly 40 years of hard work. But a couple of things came up, and here he is, still involved in racing. And happily so.
For commercial Thoroughbred breeders, 2010 marks a turning point as the last of the yearlings bred on pre-crash 2008 stud fees head through the auction ring. The question for now is whether this year’s sale yearlings, particularly those headed to the Keeneland September auction – the world’s largest Thoroughbred yearling auction – will sell well enough to keep their breeders in the game until next year.
The 4-year-old Midshipman, a champion as a 2-year-old, has been retired.
Celtic Swing, the European champion who sired Takeover Target and Six Perfections, has died in Italy at age 18, according to Racing Post. The Damister horse was euthanized after developing colitis.
Dual Grade 3 winner American Lion has been retired from racing, the colt’s owner, WInStar Farm, announced Friday.
Enriched appeared in the entries for an $80,000 claimer for maidens at Hollywood Park in May 2009 when trainer Doug O’Neill approached longtime friend Mark Verge about a potential claim.