Juvenile stakes winners offered at Del Mar Paddock Sale

DEL MAR, Calif. – Saturday’s Paddock Sale of horses of racing age at Del Mar will have an emphasis on juveniles, with two July stakes winners scheduled to be sold at the evening auction.

The number of horses to be offered fluctuated in the last week. There were 21 in the sale as of Tuesday, according to Barretts general manager Kim Lloyd.

The most accomplished 2-year-olds are the stakes winners California Diamond and Crosscheck Carlos, both unbeaten in two starts. They are being offered by Andy Havens Bloodstock as agent.

California Diamond won the Santa Anita Juvenile at 5 1/2 furlongs in his stakes debut July 9. The colt has earned $108,900. Crosscheck Carlos won the D.S. “Shine” Young Futurity at Evangeline Downs in his stakes debut last Saturday. The colt has earned $78,600.

California Diamond, by the Seeking the Gold stallion Harbor the Gold, was trained by John Brocklebank for his first two starts. The colt was purchased by Vern Dickman for $35,000 at a yearling sale in Washington last September and was listed as bought back twice at sales conducted by Barretts in the last year – for $42,000 at the October yearling sale and for $60,000 at the May sale of 2-year-olds in training.

Brocklebank said earlier this month that California Diamond changed hands in recent weeks. California Diamond was listed as owned by Dickman when nominations for the Santa Anita Juvenile were published in early July. For the race, he was listed as owned by Twin V Farm, which Brocklebank said represents his family.

Crosscheck Carlos, by the More than Ready stallion Custom for Carlos, won a $50,000 claiming race for maidens at Santa Anita on June 12 and the Young Futurity for Louisiana-breds at 5 1/2 furlongs.

Crosscheck Carlos has been through the sale ring twice, selling for $11,000 at the Breeders’ Sales Co. of Louisiana yearling sale last September and for $37,000 at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. auction of 2-year-olds in training in March to Dennis O’Neill and Erik Johnson.

Crosscheck Carlos was listed as owned by Johnson, Neil Haymes, and the Slam Dunk Racing partnership when he won the Young Futurity.

The Paddock Sale has been held annually since 2012. The sale set records in 2014, when 19 horses were sold for $2,147,000, an average of $113,000. Heir Kitty, the winner of the Grade 1 La Brea Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Santa Anita in 2013, led that sale. She was sold for $750,000 and exported to Japan as a broodmare prospect.

Last year, 19 horses sold for $728,500, an average of $38,342.

For the first time in the sale’s brief history, a training preview for the unraced juveniles will be held at Del Mar at 10 a.m. Pacific on Friday, immediately after normal training hours.

The most prominent unraced 2-year-old in Saturday’s sale is a filly by The Factor who has been through two sales in the last year. The filly was listed as purchased for $250,000 at the Keeneland September yearling sale by Alex Elliott, agent, and for $150,000 at the OBS sale of 2-year-olds in training last month for $150,000 by trainer Simon Callaghan’s SAC Racing.

Callaghan said last weekend that he was part of the group that bought the filly as a yearling with Elliott and that he bought her back at OBS in his name. The filly worked a half-mile in 49.80 seconds at Del Mar last Saturday, leaving Callaghan impressed.

He said the filly’s reserve price may rise if she goes through the ring.

“I want speak to my partners,” he said. “We’d expect now to get well paid. I’m definitely pleased we didn’t sell for $150,000.”

Lloyd said the sale has a smaller catalog than in past years after several 2-year-old prospects from Ireland did not make the trip because of travel complications.

:: WATCH: Live streaming of Saturday’s Barretts Paddock Sale at Del Mar