The 55th WTBOA Summer Sale is in the books. Topping the venue for $85,000 was Hip 80, a colt from the first American crop of topnotch Irish stallion Sir Prancealot . Bred and consigned by Griffin Place, the half brother to 2021-22 stakes winner Slack Tide was purchased by PT Syndicate #11 of San Mateo, Calif. The sale's leading consignor, Terry and Mary Lou Griffin's Griffin Place, also sold for themselves or as agent Hip 46, a Midshipman colt out of Washington champion Bella Mia for $76,000 and Hip 34, a son of hot freshman sire Sharp Azteca, was a $70,000 purchase. Both colts went to Dave Staudacher of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The Buckley couple also consigned Hip 56, a Grazen colt purchased for $62,000 by the successful longtime local partnership of John and Janene Maryanski and Gerry and Gail Schneider. Hip 4, a Grazen filly—the top-priced distaffer at the 2022 venue at $47,000—out of multiple Washington champion Lady Rosberg, brought a bid of $47,000 from California trainer Andy Mathis. Hip 24, a Tapizar filly who went to prominent local trainer Blaine Wright, as agent, for $46,000. All told, the Griffins brought ten yearlings to the sale and sold them for a $474,000 gross and $47,400 average.
Also bringing a top bid was the $40,000 the Birklid family's Suntop Farm received for their Coast Guard half brother to impressive 2022 stakes-winning juvenile Runnin Out of Days from PT Syndicate #1.
Three yearlings sold for $35,000 each: Hip 13, a colt from the last full crop of Harbor the Gold, consigned by Neal and Pam Christopherson's Bar C Racing Stables, was bought by Roy Schaefer of Port Angeles; Hip 59, a colt consigned by Dr. Duane and Susan Hopp's Castlegate Farm was purchased by trainer Michael Puhich as agent; and, also consigned by the Christopherson's, a Stanford filly sold to the Maryanskis and Schneiders.
A total of 22 yearlings brought a bid of $20,000 or more.
Eighty-five yearlings were cataloged, and after nine were withdrawn, 76 went through the sales ring, with 68 selling for a $1,219,700 gross, up 7.6% from the 2021 sale. The $17,677 average was up 24.7% from 2021's $14,175 and the median rose 20% to $12,000.
The sale also provided new homes for 11 broodmares, with Dana Halvorson, as agent, signing for Hip 205 for $7,000. The 7-year-old daughter of Atta Boy Roy was sold through Blue Ribbon Farm, as agent for Timothy Donohue, as a three-in-one package which included her suckling colt by 2022 Washington leading sire Conveyance, who the mare was also bred back to.
Check the WTBOA website at www.washingtonthoroughbred.com for complete sale results. Preliminary sale results are subject to change.
