Lone Star Park to host Texas's first yearling sale since 2014

Texas is back in the yearling sale business after a one-year absence.

Lone Star Park near Dallas will be the site of a one-day auction that starts at noon Central on Monday. There are 105 yearlings cataloged for the sale, while a mixed session of about 38 broodmares, weanlings, and horses of racing age will immediately follow to accommodate the dispersal of Lane’s End Texas.

The auction is being produced by the Texas Thoroughbred Association after Fasig-Tipton moved out of the Texas marketplace. Fasig-Tipton put on nearly two decades of sales in the state, including its last yearling auction in 2014. Over the past several years, the Texas industry has experienced its share of struggles as surrounding states dole out record purses due to gaming revenue, which is not allowed in Texas.

“I really believe there’s a little more security in the market here now because we’re on solid ground, and unfortunately, it’s because we’ve hit rock bottom and we still survived,” said sales director Tim Boyce. “People at least have the ability to know what to expect. There’s been so many unknowns in Texas for so many years. Now we know that next year, this [level of] purse structure is going to be there.”

Boyce said he is optimistic for a productive sale Monday.

“When you look at the sire list, it’s as strong a sire list as I’ve ever had here,” said Boyce, who previously was the sales director for Fasig-Tipton Texas.

The catalog offers yearlings by such stallions as Exchange Rate, Into Mischief, Lookin At Lucky, Paddy O’Prado, Street Boss, Temple City, Tiz Wonderful, Too Much Bling, and the red-hot Uncle Mo.

Boyce said the TTA has been proactive in using technology to bring the sale to the customer. The online catalog is an interactive one, he said, with consignors having the option to upload photos of horses. The pictures accompany the traditional pedigree pages.

“I’ve not seen a catalog before where the sales company is represented in this way,” Boyce said. “We have a lot of pictures up there, probably close to half of the yearlings. We’ve got a lot of positive response from people looking at that, and some of the horses have had over 300 hits.”

Boyce said the repository for the sale has an online feature whereby veterinarians employed by buyers can remotely view X-rays and other available diagnostics.

“It helps make our marketplace more accessible to people farther out,” he said, noting that such a repository program is used by some of the leading sales companies. “I think it’s a tool that certainly helps inspire buyer confidence.”

Boyce said the sale will be streamed at www.ttasales.com. DRF Breeding will have coverage at http://live.drf.com/events/drf-breeding-live.