Too Much Bling colt brings $105,000 at Texas Thoroughbred Association sale

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Horses from the dispersal of Lane’s End Texas topped both the yearling and mixed sessions of a Texas Thoroughbred Association auction Monday at Lone Star Park.

A yearling colt by Too Much Bling brought $105,000 from Danny Pish to top the first session of the sale. The mixed session followed, and the broodmares Paddle Out and Fast Find were the co-leading sellers at $45,000 each.

During the yearling session, 63 horses sold for receipts of $611,800, according to preliminary numbers provided by the TTA. The average was $9,711 and the median was $2,500. There were 29 horses that did not sell, chief among them an Uncle Mo colt named My Buddy Bennett at $155,000.

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The sale was the first yearling auction in Texas since 2014, when Fasig-Tipton put on an October yearling auction and mixed sale. Tim Boyce, the sales director for Monday’s auction, was glad to see the return of a yearling auction in Texas. He also addressed the 31 percent buyback rate.

“Given the market conditions now, I think we can be somewhat accepting of the results, as far as the buybacks,” he said. “It’s higher than we’d like to have, but given the fact that we kind of reopened this market . . . it’s almost like we’re starting over a little bit. We had a good response from the consignors. They sent us really nice horses.”

The yearling topper, an unnamed colt, is out of the unraced Mineshaft mare Fast Find. He is a full brother to stakes winners Scooter’s Choice and Shaded. The yearling was bred in Texas. He sold after a slight sale delay due to a sudden rainstorm, which moved out of the area within 20 minutes.

The mixed session Monday saw 28 horses sell for receipts of $167,700. The average was $5,989 and the median, $2,700, according to preliminary figures provided by the TTA.

Ken Carson, agent, purchased both of the top-selling broodmares. Paddle Out is a 5-year-old daughter of Valid Expectations believed to be in foal to Congaree. Paddle Out was a winner and she is a half-sister to stakes winners Stroke ($416,120), Upstream ($275,320) and Boca Bay ($142,440).

Fast Find is an 11-year-old daughter of Mineshaft and she is believed to be in foal to Too Much Bling. She is the dam of the $105,000 sales topper, and produced the stakes winners Scooter’s Choice and Shaded. Fast Find is out of the stakes-winning Eagle Eyed mare Are You Up.

Tranquility Bay, the dam of Super Derby winner Mobility Bay, was a buyback at $75,000.

Combining both sessions, 91 horses sold for receipts of $779,500. There were 31 horses that did not sell.

“We had a few high-dollar RNAs that would have really boosted the average if they had sold, but we are pleased to have a yearling average of close to $10,000 for the relaunch of this sale,” said Mary Ruyle, executive director of the Texas Thoroughbred Association.

Ruyle said the yearling average was up over the last sale in Texas.

“I think it shows that there can still be a viable auction here for Texas horsemen and those in the surrounding region,” she said. “We are looking forward to having our second 2-year-olds in training sale this spring.”

As for bringing back the yearling sale next year, a decision has yet to be made but Boyce is hopeful the TTA board will be in favor of such a move.

“I would think everyone would be encouraged with the results,” said Boyce.