The California Cup yearling sale will get an added boost this year from a dispersal of California breeding stock owned by Martin and Pam Wygod. Perennially at or near the top of the California breeders’ list, the Wygods are offering a slate of broodmares and weanlings to kick things off, and many of their yearlings will be offered as part of the 241 yearlings in the rest of the sale.
Barretts will conduct both sales at the Hinds Pavilion at Fairplex in Pomona, Calif. The Wygod dispersal will begin at 3 p.m. (PDT) Oct. 12, followed by the 6 p.m. first session of the yearling sale. The rest of the yearlings will be offered beginning at 11 a.m. Oct. 13.
Earlier this year, the Wygods decided to consolidate their breeding activities in Kentucky. They are closing their River Edge Farm near Buellton, Calif., and have relocated the stallions Bertrando, Benchmark, Tribal Rule, and Dixie Chatter to Donald Cohn’s Ballena Vista Farm near Ramona, Calif.
“The dispersal is a great opportunity to purchase mares, foals, and yearlings that are a product of such a magnificent breeding program,” said Bill Baker, Barretts’ vice president and controller. “The breeding stock dispersal was placed in conjunction with the California Cup yearling sale to have a synergistic effect on both venues.”
Mares and their 2010 foals make up the sale’s first 92 hip numbers. Some mares are being sold with their current foal at their side. Many members of the same family are available. For example, stakes-winning and stakes-producing Blonde Fever (Flying Paster—Double Entry, by Raja Baba) will be offered, as well as her 2010 Tribal Rule colt, her stakes-winning daughter Blonde Bounty, Blonde Bounty’s 2010 Bertrando filly, and two other daughters of Blonde Fever.
Other mares include Pretty Amazing, a full sister to Idiot Proof, who won the 2007 Ancient Title Stakes (gr. I) and finished second in that year’s Breeders’ Cup Sprint (gr. I); Exotic Wishes, by A.P. Indy—Exotic Wood, by Rahy; and Whimsical Goddess (by Mountain Cat), a half-sister to 2001 Champagne Stakes (gr. I) winner Officer.
Many of the youngsters in the yearling portion of the sale are California-breds, including several by the state’s leading sire, Unusual Heat. Kentucky stallion Giant's Causeway has one in the sale, as do such other Bluegrass State-based stallions as Elusive Quality , Stormy Atlantic , Tapit , and After Market.
“The yearlings in the sale, as compared to last, are deeper in quality as well as depth of quality,” said Baker, who added that he is cautiously optimistic about the auction. “Overall, this is the best group of yearlings that Barretts will have ever sold.”
