Long Hot Summer, a Street Boss filly raised at the same ranch as California Chrome , topped the Barretts May 2-year-old sale at $260,000. She was one of seven six-figure horses at the sale, held May 12 in Pomona, Calif.
McCarthy Bloodstock consigned the California-bred filly out of stakes winner Hotlantic, by Stormy Atlantic , for John Harris and Don Valpredo. Long Hot Summer was raised at Harris' Harris Ranch in Coalinga, Calif., and its nearby River Ranch in Sanger. Those are the same connections that brought up Steve Coburn and Perry Martin's California Chrome, winner of the May 3 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum Brands (gr. I).
With a smaller catalog than last year, the May sale declined in average and total receipts from 2013. A total of 70 horses averaged $43,307 on a gross of $3,031,500, a decrease of 21.7% in average and 37.7% in gross. In 2013, 88 horses sold for $4,869,200 and averaged $55,332.
The median held steady at $30,000, the same as in 2013. A total of 50 horses were withdrawn prior to the sale, and 21 of the 91 put through the ring did not sell, for a 23% buy-back rate.
"It was a smaller catalog, and we lacked some of the sire power that we had last year," said Kim Lloyd, general manager of Barretts Sales & Racing. "The local buyers were here, but I think some of the uncertainty in the stabling going forward affected us a bit."
After Betfair Hollywood Park closed last year, Barretts, Los Alamitos, and San Luis Rey Downs became off-site stabling facilities. However, Barretts could close for off-site stabling by summer, and the September Fairplex dates are in the process of being moved to Los Alamitos. In addition, the Barretts sales may be moved to another location, yet to be determined, in 2015.
Trainer Mike Mitchell bought the sale topper on behalf of Joseph Scardino and Anthony Fanticola. Mitchell trained grade I winner Obviously for them. Mitchell signed the ticket alongside his former assistant, Phil D'Amato. The two recently restructured the stable, with D'Amato becoming the head trainer and Mitchell stepping back into the assistant's role after undergoing surgery for a brain tumor.
"These are great guys, and they really wanted this horse," said Mitchell. "I believe in Street Boss, and I love that the filly is a Cal-bred."
McCarthy, who also works in trainer Bob Baffert's barn, has been consigning to the sales for about five years.
"The filly came in about two weeks ago to Santa Anita, and she was very professional right away," said McCarthy. "She just put her head down and went to work."
The filly breezed a furlong in :10 at the May 9 under-tack preview.
California Chrome also played a role in the top-priced colt of the sale. Named Lucky Logan, the $150,000 colt is by Lucky Pulpit , the sire of California Chrome. Ciaran Dunne's Wavertree Stables Inc. consigned Lucky Logan, who is out of the Tale of the Cat mare Treed Cat. Trainer Peter Miller bought Lucky Logan as agent for an undisclosed buyer.
Lucky Logan breezed a quarter-mile at the preview, going the distance in :21 2/5.
"He is a beautiful-looking colt," said Miller. "He's very correct, and he had one of the best previews of the sale. He's by Lucky Pulpit, he's a Cal-bred--there was nothing I didn't like about him."