Yearling sale at Lone Star Park canceled

A yearling sale that was scheduled for next month at Lone Star Park near Dallas will not be conducted this year, according to Jeff Hooper, the Thoroughbred auction liaison for Western Bloodstock. The sale was to have been on Aug. 24.

The auction was to be produced in partnership by Western Bloodstock, the Texas Thoroughbred Association, and Lone Star Park.

“We have decided to not conduct the Texas Thoroughbred yearling sale this year, and we'll be evaluating options for the future,” Hooper said Thursday.

He said the decision was a joint one among the three entities.

Fasig-Tipton had conducted Thoroughbred auctions at Lone Star for the past 19 years, but this past spring closed down its operation in Texas. The move was made because of the current industry climate in Texas, an official said at the time, and Hooper cited the same kind of reasoning for not conducting next month’s sale.

“I think that at this time, with the state of uncertainty in the Texas racing industry, the timing wasn’t right to have a really quality yearling sale in Texas,” Hooper said. “We’re definitely hopeful that circumstances improve here in the state and that we can produce high quality sale in the future.”

Texas leaders have been pushing for historical racing at the state’s tracks, but the movement is at a current standstill. There are no alternate sources of revenue to supplement purses in Texas, which is surrounded by states able to utilize gaming to increase purses.