The Washington Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association will offer its 45th annual summer yearling sale Sept. 6 at the Morris J. Alhadeff Sales Pavilion located at Emerald Downs in Auburn, Wash. The sale comes on the heels of some good news for the Thoroughbred industry in the Pacific Northwest.
With attendance at Emerald Downs up more than 11% from 2010 and the meet’s handle also on the positive side, horsemen and racing fans in Washington State are thinking positive thoughts.
“I don’t have my head in the sand but I feel really good about what we are doing, and I don’t have anything to say that’s not positive,” stated Emerald Downs president Ron Crockett in a recent article in the Seattle Times: “Emerald Downs Bucks National Racing Trends.”
WTBOA president Dana Halvorson is also more assured and feels the local Thoroughbred industry is primed for a possible rebound, as long as the economy remains relatively stable.
And Emerald Downs is not the only Pacific Northwest track seeing a positive trend, as the Vancouver, British Columbia-based Hastings Racecourse is also experiencing upward attendance and handle figures as, just like at Emerald Downs, a younger crowd finds “...it’s becoming cool to go to the track.”
The sale will commence at 2 p.m. PDT and will offer more than 120 yearlings. A brief sampling of those cataloged in the summer yearling portion of the venue include: A full brother to 2010 Washington Horse of the Year Noosa Beach, a winner of more than $500,000; a half brother to Washington champions and graded stakes winners Atta Boy Roy and The Great Face; and a half sister to 2010 Washington champion Slew the Man and $300,000 stakes winner Indian Weaver.
The strong catalog also features offspring of top local sires such as Matty G, Parker's Storm Cat, and Harbor the Gold, and nationally significant sires Benchmark, Birdstone , Candy Ride , Dehere, Macho Uno , Posse, Salt Lake, More Than Ready , Thunder Gulch, Tribal Rule, and Wando.
Following the summer yearling session is the mixed sale session of yearlings, broodmares and horses of racing age, which will also include the 15-horse paddock session dispersal from York Equine II.