The Breeders Sales Co. of Louisiana has cataloged 431 horses for its mixed sale, set for Oct. 15-16 at the Ike Hamilton Equine Exposition Center in West Monroe, La.
According to the schedule, 274 yearlings will be offered the first day, and 157 broodmares, stallions, horses of racing age, and weanlings will be offered the second day. Held the past several years at Harrah’s Louisiana Downs in Bossier City, the sale is shifting about 80 miles away to the Ike Hamilton Expo Center, a new climate-controlled, self-contained facility with 500 stalls.
First-crop sires with yearlings to be offered include Alke, Cuvee, Doctor Mike, Promissory, Scrimshaw, Sikorsky, and Whiff of Indy. Leading sires of Louisiana-breds, including Leestown, Zarbyev, Finest Hour, Gold Tribute, Ide, and Storm Day, will also be represented by yearlings in the sale, officials said in an Aug. 29 release.
Last year, a Salt Lakefilly and a Grand Slamcolt each sold for $100,000, marking the first time a Louisiana-bred yearling has sold for a six-figure price at a Louisiana sale. Overall, 259 of 323 horses offered at last year’s sale sold for a gross of $2,080,150. Average was $8,031 and median $3,500.
All accredited Louisiana-bred yearlings sold in the sale are eligible for the “Bayou State Bonus”--$100,000 to any yearling colt or gelding that wins the Louisiana Champions Day Juvenile, the Crescent City Derby, and the A.L. “Red” Erwin Stakes, or any filly that wins the Louisiana Champions Day Lassie, the Crescent City Oaks, and the Elge Rasberry Stakes.
In 2006, more than $20 million was paid in owner and breeder awards in Louisiana. The state now has four championship-day programs each year, one at each track: Delta Downs Racetrack and Casino, Evangeline Downs Racetrack and Casino, Fair Grounds, and Louisiana Downs.