Western Bloodstock to conduct auctions in Texas

Western Bloodstock Ltd. has entered an agreement with the Texas Thoroughbred Association and Lone Star Park to conduct auctions formerly hosted by Fasig-Tipton at Lone Star’s Texas Thoroughbred Sales Pavilion.

Fasig-Tipton hosted its final sale at the Grand Prairie, Texas, location in March, ending an 18-year residency in the state with the Texas 2-year-olds in training sale.

The first auction to be hosted by the new partnership will be the Texas Thoroughbred yearling sale on Monday, Aug. 24.

Established in 2000, the Weatherford, Texas-based Western Bloodstock is best known in the performance horse realm, and is the official sale company of the National Cutting Horse Association. During the past 18 months, Western Bloodstock has cataloged a total of 2,382 horses for gross sales of more than $35.6 million.

"We are extremely pleased to announce this new partnership with Western Bloodstock," said TTA President Ken Carson. "They have a 15-year track record of conducting sales at the highest level, and we are confident they will bring a new enthusiasm to the market, to the benefit of our members and horsemen throughout the Southwest.

"The TTA and Lone Star Park have enjoyed a longstanding relationship with Fasig-Tipton in the production of our auctions since 1997," Carson continued. "But with Fasig-Tipton making the decision to focus their efforts on other markets, it provided us with the opportunity to develop this new alliance with Western Bloodstock."

The three entities have also teamed with longtime Texas Thoroughbred industry leader Jeff Hooper on the endeavor. Hooper spent nine years as the executive director of the TTA and three and a half years as the vice president of administration at Lone Star Park.

"We are honored to have this opportunity to work with the TTA and Lone Star Park," Hooper said. "The Texas Thoroughbred racing industry has strong roots and, combined with Lone Star Park's commitment to Texas racing and its outstanding facilities, offers an exceptional regional market for quality yearlings and 2-year-olds in training. We are proud of our track record of innovation and pledge to offer a first-class market for consignors and buyers, in tune with their needs."

Consignment contracts for the Texas Thoroughbred yearling sale are now available on the Western Bloodstock website.