Colorado yearling sale: significant gains across the board at Aug. 10 auction

The Silver Cup yearling auction sponsored by the Colorado Thoroughbred Breeders Association realized significant gains in average, median, and total receipts after a Pleasantly Perfect gelding brought a sales-topping bid of $42,000. The auction was held on Aug. 10 at Arapahoe Park in Aurora, Colo.

The breeders association reported 25 of 44 consigned yearlings sold for $240,800, an increase of 37 percent in receipts from the corresponding sale in 2012. During last year’s auction, 30 of 52 consigned horses sold for $176,050.

The sale Saturday produced an average of $9,632, which was up 64 percent from $5,868 in 2012. The median was $6,000, double the 2012 median, according to the Colorado Thoroughbred Breeders Association. The buyback rate stayed nearly level at 43 percent, compared with 42 percent in 2012.

Stratton, the son of 2003 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Pleasantly Perfect, was purchased by Kent Bamford and Randy Patterson. He is a half-brother to both Get Happy Mister, a four-time stakes winner of $173,363, and Tulsa Te, a three-time stakes winner of $97,136. The horses are from the winning Elusive Quality mare Sara Margaret. Stratton was consigned by Willard Burbach. Stratton was bred in Colorado.

The second-highest seller was an unnamed colt by Notional, the winner of the Grade 2 San Rafael at Santa Anita in 2007, who brought $25,000. He was purchased by Tangarae Farm. The colt is from the Lion Heart mare Sea Dragoness, making him a half-brother to Falling Sky, winner of this year’s Grade 3 Sam F. Davis at Tampa Bay Downs. The colt was consigned by Mark Hillman. He was bred in Colorado.

Tangarae Farm also purchased a Sharp Humor colt for $20,500 from consignor Menoken Farms, and a Grand Minstrel colt named Wendiman from consignor Linda Robertson. The horses were the third- and fourth-highest lots, respectively. Both were bred in Colorado.

All of the horses who passed through the ring Saturday are eligible for divisions of the Silver Cup Futurity next year at Arapahoe. This was the seventh year the Silver Cup yearling sale was sponsored by the Colorado Thoroughbred Breeders Association.

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