John Franks sale of 2-year-olds posts modest gains in average price

Average sales price showed a slight increase over last year at the John Franks Memorial 2-year-olds in training sale held last Sunday at Evangeline Downs. A total of 134 horses were catalogued and 113 sold for a collective $901,500 and an average of $7,978, a 2.2 percent increase from 2010. Gross receipts declined 14 percent from the 2010 mark of $1,045,700.

“Given the current economic conditions and the lack of any headline-grabbing sales topper, we were pleased with our results,” said Charlotte Stemmans Clavier, president of sales administrator Stemmans, Inc. “The numbers compare favorably with our earlier sales and we continue to offer an improved product and there were many attractive and promising individuals who sold in the mid-level range of $10,000 to $20,000.”

Hip No. 133, a daughter of Shermanesque out of the mare Storm Bird’s Queen, was the session’s most expensive buy and brought $33,000. She was purchased by Danny Butler from Circle H Farm.