Midnight Casanova, son of Pleasantly Perfect, topped the Pegasus Thoroughbreds sale of 2-year-olds in training Feb. 7, bringing $125,000. Dr. Mark Dedomenico and Canadian horseman Glen Todd held the second edition of the auction at Dedomenico’s Pegasus Thoroughbred Training and Rehabilitation Center in Redmond, Wash.
Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer purchased Midnight Casanova. The dark bay or brown colt is the second foal out of the winning Stormin Fever mare Casanova Story, who finished second in the 2007 Dashing Beauty Stakes at Del Mar.
Midnight Casanova and all the other horses in the auction were offered in the name of Pegasus Thoroughbred Training Center, agent. Mike Puhich, the trainer and director of horse operations for Pegasus, bought the colt, as agent, for $47,000 at the 2011 Keeneland September yearling sale. Will Farish’s Lane’s End, agent, consigned Midnight Casanova to the auction as part of the dispersal of the estate of Edward P. Evans. The colt was bred in Virginia by Evans.
Strange Luck and Blonde Fog brought the Pegasus sale’s second- and third-highest prices of $97,000 and $95,000, respectively. Todd purchased Strange Luck, a Songandaprayer – Glitter Star filly. Trainer Eoin Harty acquired Blonde Fog, a Divine Park – Betty’s Solutions filly.
The auction’s final results included a gross of $876,000 for the 17 horses that were sold, according to a sale press release. The average price was $51,529. Compared to the figures for 2011’s inaugural auction, the number sold remained the same while the gross rose 38.4%. The average also increased 38.4%.
The buy-back rate was 34.6%, with nine of the 26 horses offered failing to find new homes. Last year, the buy-back rate was 10.5%.
Puhich said he was disappointed with the lack of Washington horsemen present, especially since a new $20,000 Pegasus Thoroughbreds sale bonus was offered. The bonus will be awarded to the first horse offered at the 2012 auction that wins an unrestricted stakes worth $20,000 or more at Emerald Downs in Washington or Hastings Racecourse in Canada.
Dedomenico expressed a commitment to offering horses for sale in the Pacific Northwest in the future, according to the press release.
“We’re going to hang in there and continue to support racing, especially at Emerald Downs and Hastings Racecourse,” he said. “We’re all in it together. We all love horse racing.”