A colt by Canada's perennial leading sire Bold Executive topped the first session of the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society's Canadian-bred yearling sale Sept. 5 at the Woodbine sales pavilion. The most expensive filly also was by the stallion.
The auction had a new format for 2011 with the introductory first select session that offered 70 yearlings to be followed by another select session Sept. 6 with more than 140 offerings. The open yearling session with more than 200 yearlings cataloged will be held Sept. 10.
In very cool and windy conditions, the sales pavilion was a crowded house and prospective buyers seemed to be lured to the athletic-looking youngsters. The Ontario sires were also a hot commodity and it was 27-year-old Bold Executive who stole the show.
A racy dark bay colt by the sire topped the session at Can$100,000 ($101,168 in U.S. funds), going to Danny Dion's Bear Stables. The colt, out of the stakes-winning Alwuhush mare Honolulu Gold, is a half brother to Classic Case, a stakes winner and earner of more than $200,000.
Consigned by Richard Hogan, agent, the colt was bred by Hogan and Winston Penny.
“It was a fair price,” Hogan said. “I really liked him. It's the last foal of the mare; we just retired her.”
The top-priced filly of the evening was a Can$70,000 ($70,818) daughter of Bold Executive out of the unraced Fusaichi Pegasus mare Fiery Pegasus, which is a half sister to grade II winners Caller One and Prospect Bay. Sold by Paradox Farm, agent, the dark bay filly was purchased by David McCracken.
Dion, the “Bear,” bought four horses of the 70 offered for Can$302,000 ($305,529). He purchased the nights’ second-highest-priced yearling, a strapping, almost black son of Ontario sire Where's the Ring out of Gypsy Genna (by Varick) for Can$95,000 ($96,110). The colt was bred by Paul Buttigieg, who races the youngster's full brother Gypsy Ring, a graded stakes-placed winner of more than $300,000.
Another Can$70,000 yearling was a colt by Broken Vow – Jetinto Houston (by Houston). He was consigned by Ballycroy Training Centre and sold to trainer Lorna Perkins, agent for Un Stable.
Frank Stronach, master of Adena Springs, attended the Woodbine sale for the first time in about two decades. Stronach purchased two yearlings, both colts by his own stallion Silent Name , for Can$50,000 ($50,584) and Can$37,000 ($37,432).
The auction’s first session did not have a comparable session last year. Forty-eight yearlings were sold for Can$1,322,000 ($1,337,450). The average price was $27,542 ($27,864) and the median price was $23,000 ($23,269).
The CTHS noted that during last year's entire selected session, which was held on one day rather than two, 128 yearlings were sold for Can$3,686,700. The average was Can$28,802 and the median was Can$20,000.
