A full brother to millionaire Free Like a Girl brought a bid of $150,000 Aug. 26 to top the Texas Summer Yearling Sale, which was sponsored by the Texas Thoroughbred Association and held on the grounds of Lone Star Park. A total of 142 yearlings sold for $2,685,200 for an average of $18,910 and median of $13,000. Forty-five yearlings were reported as not sold. The average and median were both up compared to last year's figures.
"We started out strong right out of the gate with a $150,000 horse in the first few minutes, and it was great to see the average and median improve over last year," said Foster Bridewell, sales director. "The sale-topper is an outstanding horse, and we had plenty of quality throughout the catalog. This bodes well for our 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale coming up in the spring."
From the consignment of Oakridge Farm (Paul Pruett), the sale-topping Louisiana-bred colt by El Deal went to Josh Stevens for Mansfield Racing. Cataloged as Hip 7, the Feb. 21 foal is out of the winning Flashy Bull mare Flashy Price, whose five winners from as many foals to race are topped by the 5-year-old Free Like a Girl. That Louisiana-bred mare has racked up earnings of more than $1.9 million with 18 wins from 41 starts. Much of her success has come against fellow Louisiana-breds, which earned her 2022 Louisiana Horse of the Year Honors, but this year she has also excelled against open company. She hit the board in the Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) and La Troienne Stakes, and three days before the sale she landed in the winner's circle after the $500,000 Misty Bennett Pink Ribbon Stakes at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races. That victory made her the all-time leading Louisiana-bred earner.
The other horse to bring six figures was Hip 176, a Louisiana-bred colt by Collected out of an unraced Candy Ride mare. He sold for $100,000 from the consignment of Scott Mallory, agent, to SBM, agent for Ken Reimer.
While Louisiana-breds filled most of the top-selling spots, Texas-breds also attracted attention as two fillies foaled in the Lone Star State and sired by Texas stallion Mr Speaker sold for $60,000 apiece. The first to sell was Hip 69, a March 18 foal out of a productive My Golden Song mare who has produced two stakes winners from three foals to race, including a $330,561 earner and 2020 Texas Horse of the Year Redatory. Consigned by Marjorie Farms, agent, she was purchased by Carl. R. Moore Mgmt.
The other Mr Speaker filly, consigned by Highlander Training Center, agent, as Hip 184 and purchased by Josh Stevens for Mansfield Racing, is out of the stakes-winning and stakes-producing Closing Argument mare Closing Report, who sold at the Texas 2-year-old sale in 2013.
A small mixed dispersal was held after the yearling session, with nine head sold for $39,200.
Complete results can be viewed online here.
