Equine Sales Company’s 2-Year-Olds in Training and Horses of Racing Age Sale, held May 10, recorded impressive increases with double-digit gains in gross, average and median. From 92 head offered, 60 sold for gross receipts of $918,300 with an average of $14,811 and median of $11,000. The gross jumped 27.4 percent from last year’s $720,700 on 54 of 75 sold. This year’s average increased 11 percent from $13,346, and the median soared 60.6 percent from $6,850. Buybacks came in at 32.6 percent, up from 28 percent last year.
“We couldn’t be more pleased with the results of this sale,” Sales Director Foster Bridewell said. “This was our third juvenile auction, and I think it has really established a foothold in the region in that short time. It really helped having the Equine Sales Derby and Equine Sales Oaks last week at Evangeline Downs to showcase the quality of horses to come out of this auction.”
The new races for sale graduates were held for the first time this year, and horses that went through the ring in this auction will be eligible for the 2017 runnings of those $75,000 stakes.
This year’s sale topper at $57,000 was a Louisiana-bred colt by Grade 1 winner and leading Louisiana stallion D’wildcat named D’digger. The chestnut is out of the Grade 2-winning Mining mare Desert Digger, who has produced five winners including stakes winner Sirmione. D’digger worked :11 flat in the May 8 under tack show and sold to Rodney Verret from the consignment of Twin Oaks Training Center LLC, agent.
The high-selling filly is from the first crop of four-time Louisiana Horse of the Year and all-time leading Louisiana-bred earner Star Guitar. Named Shamrock Star and consigned by Benchmark Training Center Inc., agent, the Louisiana-bred sold for $45,000 to Carl Moore Management LLC after working a furlong in a co-fastest :10 1/5.
Next up on the sale calendar for Equine Sales is the Consignor Select Yearling Sale on September 7.
For hip by hip results, go to equinesalesofla.com.