Winter mixed sale could offer clues to the future of California racing

Quite a lot has changed in California in the 12 months since the last mixed auction was conducted in the state.

Last July, Golden Gate Fields announced it would cease racing, a plan initially scheduled for December and then delayed to June 9 of this year. Beyond that, the prospects for year-round racing in Northern California have not been resolved.

In recent months, the three tracks in Southern California – Del Mar, Los Alamitos, and Santa Anita – have cut purses because of declines in handle, and may continue to do so in coming months, officials told the California Horse Racing Board last week.

With those factors as a backdrop, Tuesday’s California winter mixed sale will be held at Fairplex Park in Pomona, offering 171 early-season yearlings, 2-year-olds, horses of racing age, and broodmares. The sale, conducted by the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association, begins at noon.

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There are 159 horses cataloged, with an additional 12 supplemental entries. A majority of the yearlings and 2-year-olds are California-breds.

The auction has had mixed results in recent years. The 2022 sale saw 113 horses sell for $1,306,500, an average of $11,562. Those figures were substantially higher than the 2021 sale, which had an average sale price of $7,878.

Last year, figures were lower, with 90 horses selling for $821,400, or an average of $9,127. The median price fell from $5,450 in 2022 to $5,000 in 2023.

The most expensive hip in 2023 was the broodmare Poster Girl, who was sold for $70,000. In 2022, a 2-year-old colt by Vronsky led the sale at a price of $85,000. Named LeVron James, the colt was later gelded and was winless in three starts in 2023.

The results on Tuesday will provide some barometer of how enthusiastic owners and breeders are to invest in California racing at a tumultuous time. The sale also draws interest from buyers in neighboring states.

Poster Girl’s first foal, by the late More Than Ready, is a 2-year-old and sells as Hip No. 25. Other juveniles of note are Hip No. 30, a Sir Prancealot filly who is a half-sister to the multiple stakes winner Tom’s Regret; Hip No. 73, a full-brother to Yo Yo Candy, the upset winner of the Grade 3 Sanford Stakes at Saratoga last July; and Hip No. 107, a Stay Thirsty filly out of the Los Alamitos stakes winner Cholula Lips.

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