CTBA sale at Pleasanton reopens marketplace

Tuesday’s Northern California yearling and horses of racing age sale at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton will be the first auction in the state since January, a schedule disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.

Fasig-Tipton was scheduled to host a 2-year-olds in training sale in the spring, but the event was canceled.

The annual Pleasanton sale, conducted by the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association, will be the first auction since a mixed sale was held in Pomona in January. Fasig-Tipton is planning a yearling sale in October in Pomona.

There are 123 horses cataloged for Tuesday’s sale, including 11 2- and 3-year-olds. The catalog could be expanded this weekend. Sale officials said earlier this week that supplemental entries will be accepted until the day of the auction.

All of the horses in the catalog are California-breds, with the largest consignments from Barton Thoroughbreds of Santa Ynez, Harris Farms of Coalinga, Lovacres Ranch of Warner Springs, and Easterbrook Livestock Management, agent.

The Harris consignment includes a colt by second-crop stallion Tamarando who is a half-brother to Club Aspen, winner of the King Glorious Stakes for statebred 2-year-olds at Los Alamitos last December. Club Aspen was third in two stakes at Santa Anita earlier this year.

There are 12 yearlings by Stay Thirsty and five by Smiling Tiger, who are among the five leading stallions in the state by progeny earnings as of Thursday. Govenor Charlie, the second-year stallion, has four yearlings. Govenor Charlie is the sire of Governor Goteven, the unbeaten filly who won the CTBA Stakes for 2-year-old statebreds on Aug. 1 at Del Mar.

The auction includes first-crop yearlings by the stallions Bal a Bali, Cat Burglar, Danzing Candy, Shaman Ghost, and Stanford.

Last year, the Pleasanton sale had an average price of $5,795, compared to $4,591 in 2018 and $6,868 in 2017. There were 105 horses listed as sold in 2019.

The most expensive hip of the 2019 auction was a colt by Mr. Big purchased for $45,000. Named Big Fish, the colt has finished second and third in maiden special weight races for California-breds at Santa Anita and Del Mar this summer in his first two starts.