Northern Calif. yearling sale posts massive gains

A Forestry colt whose 2-year-old half-brother is a contender for the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity on Sept. 3 sold for a record $75,000 at Tuesday’s Northern California yearling and horses of racing age sale at Pleasanton, Calif., a sale that had dramatically higher economic figures than past years.

Overall, 84 yearlings sold for $1,054,700, a whopping 141 percent higher than the 2013 gross of $438,500 from 73 sold, according to figures released by the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association, which conducted the sale. The average reached $12,556, higher by 109 percent than the 2013 average of $6,007. By comparison, the 2012 sale had an average price of $7,665.

The median price rose 25 percent, from $4,000 in 2013 to $5,000 at Tuesday’s session.

In addition to yearlings, there were eight horses of racing age sold totaling $42,600, for an average of $5,325 and a median of $5,000. Overall, there were 10 horses withdrawn and 27 listed as not sold, or 23 percent of the horses that went through the ring.

The Forestry colt was consigned by H & E Ranch and was listed as bought by Randy Morris of Anthem, Ariz. The colt is a half-brother to Rowdy Dylan, the winner of a maiden special weight at Los Alamitos in July. The Sky Mesa ridgling is a candidate for the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity, trainer Peter Miller said earlier this year.

Bred in Kentucky, the Forestry colt is out of the 9-year-old mare Serious Vow, by Broken Vow. Serious Vow earned $59,060 and was third in the Andover Way Stakes at Aqueduct in 2008.

The sale’s leading filly, by Artie Schiller, was purchased for $58,000 by Al Bresciani. Consigned by Adrian Gonzalez’s Checkmate Thoroughbreds, agent, the filly is out of the 14-year-old Chilean-bred mare Paz Ciudadana, a five-time stakes winner in the U.S.

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