Uncle Mo colt tops Barretts spring sale

DEL MAR, Calif. – Led by an Uncle Mo colt purchased for $600,000, the Barretts Sales company offered its lone 2-year-olds in training sale of the year at Del Mar on Wednesday.

This is the first year Barretts has consolidated its March select sale and May open sale into one event.

According to sale company statistics issued on Wednesday evening, 70 horses sold for a gross of $6,221,000. The sale had an average price of $88,871 and a median price of $50,000. There were 46 horses listed as not sold and 54 withdrawn from a catalog of 170 horses.

Because of the company’s new format, market comparisons with past years are difficult.

The 2017 select sale saw 45 horses sell for an average of $150,600, with 19 listed as not sold and 67 withdrawn from a catalog of 131 horses. The most expensive hip was a colt purchased for $675,000.

The 2017 May sale had 47 horses, including 46 2-year-olds, sell for an average of $43,170, with 19 listed as not sold and 25 withdrawn from a catalog of 91 horses.

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“Going into the sale, I didn’t know what to expect,” said Barretts general manager Kim Lloyd. “That’s unusual for me, I have an opinion.

“As the sale worked out, as across the country, the good horses are highly desirable and easy to sell. It’s tough sledding for what the market perceives as lesser stock.”

Lloyd said the number of horses sold was likely to increase through post-sale transactions on Wednesday evening and Thursday morning.

“We’ll sell 20 percent of the buybacks,” he said.

The Uncle Mo colt was acquired by the West Point Thoroughbreds syndicate and will be trained in Southern California by Jerry Hollendorfer, according to West Point founder and chief executive Terry Finley.

The colt, who worked a quarter-mile in 21.20 seconds at Monday’s training session on the Del Mar racetrack, was consigned by Eddie Woods, agent. The colt was purchased for $60,000 as a yearling by Quarter Pole Enterprises at the Barretts August yearling sale at Del Mar last year.

The colt is out of Fresia, by El Prado, and is from the family of the multiple Canadian stakes winner His Race to Win.

Finley said the colt’s workout and pedigree left him impressed.

“I thought he was in the upper ranks of the sale, but it’s all about what goes on on the racetrack,” Finley said. “We’ve got such a good feeling for the colt.”

The leading filly of the sale was purchased for $335,000 by Rockingham Ranch. From the first crop of Will Take Charge, the filly will be trained in Southern California by Peter Miller, according to Raymie Lightner, who signed the ticket on behalf of Gary Hartunian’s Rockingham.

“At Monday’s training session, the filly worked a furlong in 10.20 seconds.

“She was the pick of the sale,” Lightner said. “She looked great and has good confirmation. She galloped out strongly and looked good doing it.”

Overall, nine horses sold for $200,000 or more, including a colt by Into Mischief purchased by Dennis O’Neill on behalf of Amr Zedan for $450,000 and a Mineshaft filly purchased for $275,000 by Khalid Mishref Alkahtani.

West Point Thoroughbreds led all buyers with the Uncle Mo colt. Andy Havens Bloodstock, as agent, led consignors, selling 10 head for $829,000.

Barretts will have two sales at Del Mar this summer – the paddock sale of race-ready horses on July 25 and a select yearling sale on Aug. 28.