Smiling Tiger filly tops Barretts sale at $130,000

DEL MAR, Calif. - A filly by the first-crop stallion Smiling Tiger was purchased for $130,000, making her the most expensive horse of Tuesday’s Barretts select yearling sale at Del Mar.

Gross sales and average price were essentially the same compared to 2015, and median price declined.

Overall, 46 horses sold for $1,710,000, an average of $37,174, according to results provided by Barretts. The gross increased $81,000 from 2015, while the average increased $151. The median price was $27,500 compared to $32,500 in 2015. The number sold increased by 2 from last year.

:: DRF BREEDING LIVE: Real-time coverage of breeding and sales

“We felt holding steady would be a win,” said Barretts general manager Kim Lloyd.

The sale was dominated by California-breds.

There were nine horses withdrawn, and 23 listed as not sold, or 34 percent of the horses that went through the ring. The number of horses bought back was exactly the same as in the 2015 sale, which Lloyd said was discouraging.

“I want people to do business and horses to change hands,” Lloyd said.

He said some breeders see the size of the purses and the incentives for California-breds and decide to race their horse rather than sell.

Three horses sold for six figures – the Smiling Tiger filly, a Tribal Rule colt purchased for $115,000 by Patrick Sheehy, and a colt by Dialed In bought for $110,000 by Rockingham Ranch. Last year, the most expensive horses were two that sold for $90,000.

Trainer Jeff Bonde bought the Smiling Tiger filly and said he will have a partner on the horse in Jerome Russell of Lincoln, Neb. Bonde trained Smiling Tiger, who earned more than $1.4 million and won eight stakes, including three Grade 1 races – the 2010 Bing Crosby Stakes at Del Mar, and the 2010 Ancient Title Stakes, and 2011 Triple Bend Handicap at Hollywood Park.

The Smiling Tiger filly is out of Chanceofalifetime, a 21-year-old mare by Pentelicus who is the dam of Kelly’s Princess, the winner of the Solana County Juvenile Filly Stakes on the Northern California fair circuit in 2004.

“She was the most correct horse in the sale, I thought,” Bonde said.

The filly was consigned by Woodbridge Farm, agent.

Trainer Dan Hendricks bought the Tribal Rule colt on behalf of Sheehy. The colt is out of Maralago, a winner by Thunder Gulch. The price was higher than Hendricks anticipated.

“I thought I’d have to pay $60,000 to $70,000,” Hendricks said. ”He stood out. He vetted out and he’s a good-looking Tribal Rule. He looked like a good-minded horse.”

The Dialed In colt will be trained by Peter Miller. Rafael Becerra Jr., an assistant trainer and bloodstock agent, sat with Miller during the bidding and signed the ticket on behalf of Rockingham Ranch.

“That’s the one we wanted,” Becerra said.

The most prominent buyback was a colt by Lucky Pulpit, who was listed as not sold for $145,000. The colt was consigned by American Sales and Racing, agent, and is a half-brother to Smokey Image, the champion 2-year-old California-bred male of 2015.

Tuesday’s sale is the most prominent of three yearling sales in the state. The California Thoroughbred Breeders Association held an open yearling sale in Pleasanton earlier this month. Barretts will conduct a fall sale of yearlings and horses of racing age at its former home at the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds in Pomona on Oct. 18.