Eleven youngsters shaded 10 seconds for a furlong at the March 1 under-tack preview for the Barretts March sale of selected 2-year-olds in training in Pomona, Calif. Two went in :09 3/5 for the fastest previews, while nine clocked :09 4/5.
"Coming into the sale, we thought we had a very good group of horses," said Kim Lloyd, general manager of Barretts Equine Ltd., recently rebranded as Barretts Sales and Racing to encompass the September race meeting held at Fairplex Park. "The consignors were confident in these horses. The horses have trained for two weeks here and continued to give everybody confidence."
The horses previewed on the Fairplex Park oval in three sets with two track renovations. Two horses breezed :09 4/5 in the first set, five clocked that same time in the second set, and four bettered :10 in the third set —two going in :09 4/5 and two in :09 3/5.
A son of Dunkirk from Bruno DeBerdt's Excel Bloodstock consignment was the first of the two :09 3/5 youngsters. The gray colt, hip #67, is out of the Kyle's Our Man mare Missy Turtle and is a half brother to stakes-placed Among the Willows.
Ciaran Dunne's Wavertree Stables Inc. had the second horse to breeze in :09 3/5. Cataloged as hip #84, the bay colt is by Exchange Rate out of the stakes-placed Songandaprayer mare Perfect Paula.
Four Wavertree 2-year-olds went in :09 4/5: hip #51, a colt by Street Boss —Legion of Merit, by Danzig; hip #74, a filly by Colonel John—Mystery Bullet, by Red Bullet; hip #116, a filly by Harlan's Holiday—Tasha's Star, by Spanish Steps; and hip #120, a filly by Hard Spun —Two Punch Gal, by Two Punch. Excel also breezed one in :09 4/5—hip #12, a filly by Henrythenavigator—Delighted Cat, by Storm Cat.
"We maybe have a little more strength and depth than we've had in years past," said Dunne. "We always try to bring some of our better horses here."
Most of the 107 to preview breezed a furlong. Of the eight sent a quarter-mile, hip #27 clocked the fastest time of :20 4/5. Jim Chapman's Breaking Point Farm consigned the colt, a son of Malibu Moon —Fashion Cat, by Forest Wildcat.
Potential buyers who attended the preview included such trainers as Todd Pletcher, John Sadler, and Doug O'Neill's brother Dennis, as well as several groups from Japan. Japanese purchases at past March sales include group I winner Testa Matta, whose trainer, Akira Murayama, attended this year's preview.
"We have been very pleased with the turnout," said Lloyd. "We've had more people asking for credit and taking an interest in the sale."
The sale, which has a catalog of 138 2-year-olds, will begin at 3 p.m. PST March 4 at the Hinds Pavilion at Fairplex.
Complete results of the official training preview are now on-line at www.barretts.com/TrainingPreviews/preview/pr1mar13.htm.