A week after Barretts extended its brand to include racing at Fairplex Park, the auction company will host its March sale of selected 2-year-olds in training in Pomona, Calif. The March 4 sale, scheduled for the Monday after the Santa Anita Handicap (gr. I), has cataloged 138 youngsters.
The sale features sire power, quick preview times, and a mixture of pinhooks from yearling auctions across the country, along with youngsters that have yet to set foot in an auction ring.
Several of the stallions represented have offspring that are traveling the 2013 Triple Crown trail. Those sires include Tapit , whose sons Flashback and Honorable Dillon won this year's Robert B. Lewis Stakes (gr. II) and Hutcheson Stakes (gr. II), respectively. Becky Thomas' Sequel Bloodstock offers hip #35, a daughter of Tapit out of unraced Haysee, a half sister to Preakness Stakes (gr. I) winner Shackleford . Bruno DeBerdt's Excel Bloodstock has the other Tapit, hip #86, a filly out of multiple stakes winner Punch Appeal.
Malibu Moon , the sire of 2013 Besilu Stables Fountain of Youth Stakes (gr. II) winner Orb , has four in the sale, all of them six-figure Kentucky sale yearlings. Jim Chapman's Breaking Point Farm has consigned hip #27, a son of Malibu Moon who breezed the fastest quarter-mile, :20 4/5, at the March 1 preview. Two others by Malibu Moon, hip #102 and #136, have been withdrawn.
Another sire of a current stakes-winning 3-year-old, champion Midnight Lute , will be represented by hip #39, a son of the stakes-winning A.P. Indy mare In Secure consigned by Niall Brennan Stables. A member of Midnight Lute's first crop, Shakin It Up , won this year's San Vicente Stakes (gr. II).
Will Take Charge captured the 2013 Smarty Jones Stakes for 3-year-olds, and his sire, Unbridled's Song, has hip #42 in the sale. Offered by Eddie Woods, one of the many Florida consignors, the filly is a half sister to 2013 San Gabriel Stakes (gr. IIT) victor Jeranimo, a grade I winner. Woods' group also includes hip #15, a colt from the first crop of Santa Anita Derby (gr. I) winner Pioneerof the Nile .
"We just try to bring nice horses and hope for the best," said Woods. "We need various outlets. Many of the Southern California trainers go to the Florida sales, but not all of them do."
Woods noted that Japanese buyers often find California an easier geographic location than Florida. Japanese buyers have frequented the Barretts March sale for many years, getting the likes of group I winner Testa Matta.
Other stallions represented in this year's catalog include Into Mischief , sire of 2013 Sham Stakes (gr. III) winner Goldencents , and Flower Alley, the sire of 2012 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) and Preakness winner I'll Have Another .
Henrythenavigator has one in the sale, a filly, hip #12. She is a half sister to stakes winner Light Cat from the family of grade I winner Quiet American consigned by Excel Bloodstock. Classic Bloodstock will offer the only Tiznow in the sale, Tizarocket, a daughter of the Storm Cat mare Lungta cataloged as hip #56.
Among California sires, perennial leader Unusual Heat has two, including hip #65, a half sister to Santa Anita Derby (gr. I) winner Brother Derek, consigned by Callaway Thoroughbreds.
War Front has two in the catalog, including hip #97, a son of the stakes-placed Pulpit mare Seasoned, consigned by Ciaran Dunne's Wavertree Stables Inc. The youngster has already gone through two sale rings, bringing $100,000 at the 2011 Keeneland fall mixed sale as a weanling and $195,000 at last year's Saratoga yearling sale.
The March sale has typically been Barretts' signature piece since Fred Sahadi founded the company in 1989 and named it after his son Steve's middle name. Fairplex Park, which conducts a three-week race meeting in September, signed on as a partner in 1991 and bought out Sahadi's interest in 2002. Fairplex announced Feb. 26 that it has combined its sales company and racing interests into Barretts Sales & Racing, and the race meet has been renamed the Barretts Race Meet.
"The Fairplex race meet signal is a major signal, and Barretts has a very strong brand nationally and internationally," said Kim Lloyd, general manager of Barretts Sales & Racing. "This rebranding should provide synergy that lifts up Fairplex racing and expands and strengthens the Barretts brand."
The sale will begin at 3 p.m. PST at the Hinds Pavilion at Fairplex.
