Equine Sales Co. of Louisiana open yearling and mixed sale posts declines

Returns dropped across the board at the 2017 Equine Sales Co. of Louisiana open yearling and mixed sale, which was topped by a $17,000 Redding Colliery filly.

The auction, held Sunday in Opelousas, La., closed with 111 horses sold for revenues of $219,550, down 31 percent from last year’s renewal when 117 horses changed hands for $316,700. The average sale price dipped 27 percent to $1,978 from $2,707, and the median was down 31 percent to $1,100 from $1,600.

Sunday’s buyback rate finished at 39 percent, compared with 35 percent in 2016.

One horse traded for a five-figure price Sunday, down from six last year. The number of horses sold for $5,000 or more fell to 11 from 17.

Marianne and Paul Phillips bought the sale-topper, a Redding Colliery filly, for $17,000.

The gray or roan filly, named Rosie Morning, is out of the stakes-winning Menifee mare Morning Memory, whose first foal to race is a winner. Her extended family includes Argentine Group 2 winner Anjiz Lake, U.S. Grade 3 winner Morning Meadow, and stakes winners Another Audible and Wake Up Alarm.

Rosie Morning was bred in Louisiana by Richard Ringo and consigned at the Louisiana sale by Red River Farm, agent.

Ringo bought Morning Memory for $12,000 at the 2008 Fasig-Tipton Texas 2-year-olds in training sale and campaigned her to two wins in 14 starts for earnings of $119,221, highlighted by a win in the Louisiana Futurity at Fair Grounds.

Rosie Morning is the third foal out of Morning Memory to be offered at public auction, and the first to finish above her reserve.

To view the full results from Sunday’s auction, click here.