The Barretts May 2-year-old sale is riding a wave of momentum that includes a March sale topper of $1.15 million and a May 2013 auction that grew in every category over the previous year. Counter-balancing that is the possibility that this could be the final Barretts May 2-year-old sale to be held at Fairplex Park in Pomona, Calif.
Fairplex Park, home of the Los Angeles County Fair every September and a variety of other fairs and trade shows throughout the year, is moving away from the racing business. Management wants to relocate the fair racing meeting to Los Alamitos, a decision that still needs California Horse Racing Board approval, and talks are ongoing to move the sales to other venues.
"We're going to have our full complement of sales next year," said Kim Lloyd, general manager of Barretts Equine Sales & Racing. "The locations may be different, but we're going to still put on a top-quality show like we always do."
Lloyd added that the 2014 yearling sale, scheduled for Oct. 7, would definitely remain at the current facility.
The upcoming 2-year-old sale will be held May 12 beginning at 2 p.m. PDT at the Hinds Pavilion. Barretts has 129 horses listed in the catalog plus another 14 in the supplementary catalog.
A total of 47 were listed as withdrawn as of May 10. Stallions represented included those highly placed on both national and California sire lists.
Lucky Pulpit , the sire of Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) winner California Chrome , California's current leading sire and among the top 10 stallions in the nation, has three in the sale from three different consignments.
Hip No. 1, consigned by Sam Hendricks as agent for Little Mountain Stables, is a filly out of the stakes-placed Regal Remark mare Pat of Gold. The mare is a full sister to stakes winners Golden Remark and Crescent Remark.
Ciaran Dunne's Wavertree Stables Inc. has a Lucky Pulpit colt, Hip. No. 31, named Lucky Logan. The youngster is out of the unraced Tale of the Cat mare Treed Cat from the family of 1990 Arlington Million (gr. IT) and 1991 Japan Cup (Jpn-I) winner Golden Pheasant.
Spencer Training Stables has the third Lucky Pulpit, Hip No. 116. The filly is out of Canadian stakes winner Moon Path, by Perigree Moon.
Two from the first crop of 2010 Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver are in the May sale. Hip No. 29, consigned by Adrian Gonzalez's Checkmate Thoroughbreds, has a double Derby dose, the colt being out of stakes-winning Talented, a daughter of 2000 Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus . Hartley/De Renzo Thoroughbreds offers Hip No. 38, a daughter of Super Saver out of the Dixieland Band mare What a Girl Needs.
Hartley/De Renzo also has a member of Indian Charlie's final crop. Hip No. 105 is a son of French group I stakes winner Macoumba, by Mr. Prospector.
Other stallions represented in the sale include Artie Schiller , Awesome Again , Big Brown , Colonel John, Midshipman , Rockport Harbor, Tribal Rule, and Wildcat Heir.
"Horses have come out of here and performed well, and we expect that again," said Lloyd.
Previous May sale graduates include millionaire Jeranimo, $922,180 earner The Factor , and 2014 Santa Barbara Handicap (gr. IIIT) winner Stormy Lucy.
