D’Wildcat colt tops Equine Sales Co. of Louisiana juvenile sale

The third edition of the Equine Sales Co. of Louisiana 2-year-olds in training and horses of racing age sale closed Tuesday with significant gains in both gross and average price, led by a $57,000 D’Wildcat colt.

The auction company reported 62 horses sold Tuesday evening for revenues of $918,300, up 27 percent from the previous year’s sale, when 54 horses brought $720,700. The average sale price increased 11 percent, from $13,346 to $14,811, while the buyback rate rose to 33 percent after finishing at 28 percent in 2015.

The increases in gross and average came despite less activity at the top end of the market. The sale-topper was the lone offering to bring $50,000 or more Tuesday, trailing the four that did so in the previous sale. However, the seven horses to sell for $30,000 or more bettered the 2015 renewal by one.

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Rodney Verret purchased the sale-topper, D’digger, a D’wildcat colt out of the Grade 2-winning Mining mare Desert Digger. The colt is a sibling to six winners from seven foals to race out of the dam, including stakes winner and producer Sirmoine and stakes-placed Back Packer.

Bred in Louisiana by Raymond Prejean, D’digger is from the family of Grade 2 winner Explicit, Grade 3 winner Flying Victor, and stakes winners Vying Victor and Sharp Victor.

The colt was consigned Tuesday by Twin Oaks Training Center, agent. He was an $8,200 purchase out of last year’s Equine Sales Co. consignor-select yearling sale.

To view the full sale results, click here.