(Edited press release)
After wowing potential buyers with a :21.66 two-furlong breeze at the Gallop Preview show March 17, Iknowuthinkimsexy, a Louisiana-bred daughter of Count the Time, became the $135,000 sale topper at the John Franks Memorial 2-year-old in training and paddock sale at Evangeline Downs the next day.
Consigned by Mesa Verde Bloodstock, Brett Brinkman, agent, the bay filly is out of the winning Prospector’s Gamble mare Drop Dead Gorgeous, who is also the dam of four winning foals.
Agent James Hudson signed the ticket for Bill and Corinne Heiligbrodt's Heiligbrodt Stables. The $135,000 bid Iknowuthinkimsexy fetched was the highest in the five-year history of the John Franks Memorial sale.
Brandon Marks, agent, was the winning bidder on Forest Tree, the top selling male at the sale. The bay colt is a Kentucky-bred son of Forestryout of the unraced Seattle Slew mare Queen Mama. With his impressive pedigree and racy appearance, the final price of $60,000 was perhaps the biggest surprise of the sale.
Dancing Alberta, a daughter of Albert the Great, started the sale off on a good note as she was the third highest-priced individual of the day at $45,000. After breezing an eighth of a mile in :11.10, the fastest of the day in the preview show, the accredited Louisiana-bred out of the Danzig mare Dancing Style was purchased by veteran Quarter Horse owner M.C. Morris. Tammy Hassenpflug, agent, signed the ticket.
The 192 head sold grossed $1,757,000 and averaged $9,151.00. In 2006, the 125 2-year-olds that sold grossed $1,635,000, an average of more than $12,877. In addition, the Paddock mixed sale featured 28 horses sold for $55,800, an average of $1,992.86, numbers nearly identical to last year’s total of $56,900 for 30 horses, an average of $1,896.67.
“We sold 50% more 2-year-olds this year (192 compared to 125) than at last year’s sale, so it was not unexpected that our averages would drop some," said Charlotte Stemmans Clavier, administrator for the sale. "However, we are proud of how smoothly the whole operation went and already have a few ideas in the mix on how to make next year’s sale even better.”