High Cotton juvenile filly brings $55,000 at Barretts

A 2-year-old filly by High Cotton sold for $55,000 at Wednesday’s Barretts January mixed sale at Del Mar, the first of six auctions the company will hold this year.

The sale company reported 143 horses sold for $1,188,000, an average of $8,308. The number sold fell 42 percent from the 248 sold in 2015, while the gross fell 43 percent from the 2015 figure of $2,104,800. The average price fell 2 percent from $8,487 in 2015.

The 2015 mixed sale was held at the former home of Barretts at the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds in Pomona, Calif. The company moved its sale operation to Del Mar last spring.

There were 30 horses listed as not sold Wednesday and 34 withdrawn. The median price was unchanged from last year at $5,000.

The Florida-bred High Cotton filly who led the sale was consigned by H&E Ranch and purchased by Kristina and Jerome Russell of Lincoln, Neb. On Thursday, Jerome Russell said he plans to ship the filly to the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, Calif., to begin training. The Russells will have a string of horses based in Northern California with trainer Gordon Hansen.

The filly is out of Think Fast, a Crafty Prospector mare who was second in the City of Edmonton Distaff at Northfield Park in Canada in 2004. Think Fast is the dam of Ciaran’s Prize, the winner of the 2014 Assiniboia Oaks who has earned $139,543.

H&E Ranch also consigned a Maryland-bred Broken Vow filly who was listed as bought back for $75,000. The 2-year-olds in the mixed sale were the strongest division, with 48 horses selling for an average of $11,017.

The Russells led all buyers, acquiring six horses for $134,000. Mary Knight, as agent, was the leading consignor, selling 12 horses for $169,400.