Uncertainty over the longterm viability of the Barretts Sale company led the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association to distribute an email Sunday morning assuring state breeders that auctions will continue in coming years, perhaps under the direction of another sale company. In a five-paragraph message, the CTBA stated “there have been concerns regarding Barretts and the future of sales in California. Be assured that the CTBA is working with Barretts, the (Los Angeles) County Fair and several other interested parties to assure continuing sales in California. “There will continue to be yearling, horses of racing age and mixed sales in California, as there is strong interest from existing and other sales companies.” Barretts is owned by the Los Angeles County Fair in Pomona. The CTBA’s statement indicated that the four sales scheduled this year will be conducted as scheduled, including three operated by Barretts: the Del Mar paddock sale on July 25, August select yearling sale on Aug. 28, and fall sale of yearlings and horses of racing age on Oct. 16. The CTBA is holding its Northern California yearling sale on Aug. 14, the organization’s only auction. Kim Lloyd, general manager of Barretts Sales, declined to comment, deferring to LA County Fair officials, who were not available Sunday. He confirmed Barretts has no plans to change its 2018 sales schedule. The Los Angeles County Fair has been unwinding its investments in horse racing this decade. The county fairgrounds was home to the Los Angeles County Fair race meeting each September until 2013. Since 2014, the County Fair race meeting has been held at Los Alamitos. The racetrack on county fairgrounds has been dismantled. Launched in 1990, Barretts was based in Pomona on a full-time basis until the spring of 2015, when it began to offer a majority of its sales at Del Mar. In recent years, sales of 2-year-olds in training, horses of racing age in July, and the select yearling sale in August have been held at Del Mar, while the January mixed sale and fall sale of yearlings and horse of racing age have been held in Pomona. Barretts had six sales each year from 2015 through 2017, but will have five this year. The company eliminated its May sale of 2-year-olds in training, offering some of those horses at its initial 2-year-olds in training sale held in early April. Barretts had gross revenue of $14,979,800 at its six sales in 2017, a gain from $13,666,400 in 2016. This year’s figure is likely to be lower with five sales scheduled. Doug Burge, the executive director of the CTBA, said his organization is working with Barretts to protect the market, which could change significantly as early as next year. “We’re working with Barretts, the L.A. County Fair and several major sales companies across the country to have a smooth transition in 2019,” he said in a phone interview. “We want people to understand there will be viable commercial outlets in the future. We’re looking at all the options. “We knew this could come to fruition.” Burge did not elaborate on what companies could become involved in California sales if Barretts no longer hosted auctions. He said there is an urgency to ensure a stable auction market in California at a time when some owners and breeders are actively buying mares bred to Kentucky stallions and importing them to California. The resulting foals can be registered as California-breds if the mares are bred back to California-based stallions. “We’ve got people breeding horses again,” Burge said. “I’ve never seen this many Kentucky-sired Cal-breds. “That’s something I want to put out. Continue doing what you’re doing and investing in the program.”