Juvenile colt by Animal Kingdom brings $180,000 at Del Mar paddock sale

DEL MAR, Calif. – A 2-year-old colt by Animal Kingdom sold for $180,000 at Wednesday’s Barretts paddock sale at Del Mar, the most expensive hip of the horses-of-racing-age sale.

The colt was purchased by Steve Gasparelli, who races as Slugo Racing, and will be trained in Southern California by Mike Puype.

Overall, 13 horses sold for $686,000, an average of $52,769 and a median of $33,000. There were nine horses listed as not sold and 20 withdrawn. The gross, average, and median were substantially higher than at the 2016 sale, which listed eight horses sold for $302,000. The 2016 sale had an average price of $37,750 and a median of $22,500. There were 10 horses listed as not sold last year and three withdrawn.

On Wednesday, three horses sold for $100,000 or more, all 2-year-olds.

A filly by Run Away and Hide was purchased for $140,000 by Michael Donohoe of BBA Ireland, who said he was acting on behalf of a “Middle Eastern client.”

A colt by Uncle Mo was purchased for $100,000 by California trainer Jeff Bonde.

“I’m pleased we sold the higher-end 2-year-olds very well,” said Barretts general manager Kim Lloyd.

The Animal Kingdom colt is out of Alyssum, a 23-year-old mare by Storm Cat who won the Nassau County Stakes at Belmont Park in 1997, the year she was second in the Grade 2 Prioress Stakes.

“The horse looked good, and I quite like the sire,” Gasparelli said.

The unraced colt has had four published workouts, including three furlongs in 34.20 seconds at Del Mar on Monday during a training preview for the sale. Consigned by Bruno de Berdt, the colt was listed as sold for $90,000 at the 2016 Keeneland September yearling sale.

The most expensive older horse was Home Run Kitten, a three-time stakes winner purchased for $80,000 by Gary Hartunian’s Rockingham Ranch from trainer David Hofmans, agent for Susan Osborne’s Tarabilla Farms. Home Run Kitten will be trained by Peter Miller. A 6-year-old horse by Kitten’s Joy, Home Run Kitten has won 5 of 23 starts and earned $437,250. Home Run Kitten is winless in two starts this year and won the Grade 3 American Stakes at Santa Anita in May 2016.

“He’s a step slower than he was,” Hofmans said.

Hofmans said that Osborne is dispersing her racing holdings because of health reasons. Osborne owns Melatonin, who won the 2016 Santa Anita Handicap but is currently out of training. No plans have been finalized for Melatonin, Hofmans said.

This was the sixth year for the paddock sale but the first time the event was held on a weeknight.

Lloyd said he expects the paddock sale to show growth in 2018. Barretts will eliminate its May sale of 2-year-olds in training next year and is hoping some consignors from that sale redirect their prospects to the paddock sale.

“We’d like to see 70 to 80 horses in that sale,” he said. “It will be new and different.”

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