Brisk Trade, Low Buy-Back Rate at NorCal Sale

A Sir Prancealot (IRE) colt (Hip 58) brought $50,000 to top the Aug. 17 California Thoroughbred Breeders Association Northern California Yearling and Horses of Racing Age Sale at the Alameda County Fairgrounds. Robert Jones of San Leandro, Calif., bought the colt, who is the first foal out of the Union Rags mare Root Beer Rag. The colt was bred by Jeff Ganje and consigned by Adrian Gonzalez' Checkmate Thoroughbreds. Jones was the sale's leading buyer with five purchases totaling $102,200. Harris Farms consigned the sale's highest-priced filly (Hip 145), a $45,000 daughter of Vronsky out of the Cyclotron mare Eden Mirelle that Andy Mathis bought. The filly was bred by Ron and Courtney Rand. The third-highest-priced yearling was a $40,000 Sir Prancealot filly bred and consigned by Checkmate Thoroughbreds and sold to Harris Farms. The filly is out of the Frankel (GB) mare Frankly J'ray, who is a half sister to multiple stakes winner General Jack. The sale offered more horses than in 2021 and produced an extraordinarily low 10% buy-back rate. Buyers took home 107 yearlings and 15 horses of racing age. The yearlings grossed $909,100 for an average of $8,496 and median of $4,500. The horses of racing age averaged $3,533 with a median of $3,000. In 2021, 90 yearlings sold for a gross of $841,400 and the buy-back rate was 23.7%.