Interest High in Barretts March Juvenile Auction Says McMahon

There has been "real solid interest" from prospective buyers in the Barretts March select sale of 2-year-olds in training, according to the company's president Jerry McMahon. In addition to juveniles, Tuesday's sale in Southern California is scheduled to offer more than 50 horses that are part of a dispersal being conducted by The Thoroughbred Corp. of the late Prince Ahmed Salman.

"The Thoroughbred Corp. dispersal has helped broaden our base of buyers," said McMahon, who has been encouraged by the number of requests for catalogues and credit. "We're seeing Kentucky breeders and other people we don't usually see expressing an interest."

Among the horses in the dispersal are recent La Canada Stakes (gr. II) winner Cat Fighter, a 4-year-old daughter of Storm Cat. Also scheduled to sell is multiple graded winner Atlantic Ocean (by Stormy Atlantic  ), who brought a world record price for a juvenile filly of $1.9 million dollars at the 2002 Barretts March auction.

According to McMahon, one horses in the juvenile portion of the auction that has attracted a lot of attention is an Awesome Again   -- Sassy Pants filly that is a half-sister to Madcap Escapade, winner of the Feb. 14 Old Hat Stakes at Gulfstream Park by 11 3/4 lengths. During the sale's first under tack show on Feb. 24, the Awesome Again filly worked an eighth of a mile in :10.2 at Fairplex Park.

The first workout show was delayed a day because of rain, and McMahon is concerned because not some horses weren't able to handle the off track and perform well. He is hoping for better weather for the auction's second and final under tack show, which is scheduled for Sunday at 10 a.m. (PST).

Last year at Barretts, Diamond Fury, a son of Sea of Secrets, brought a world record price of $2.7 million for a juvenile sold at public auction that was broken twice at the recent Fasig-Tipton Florida select sale of 2-year-olds in training. In 2003, the gross revenue rose 11.7% from the previous year, but the average price and median price fell 5.2% and 33.3%, respectively. The buy-back rate increased significantly, soaring from 39.7% in 2002 to 48.5% in 2003.