Holiday Spirit Rocks The Sale Barn

Holiday Spirit Rocks The Sale Barn

Auction – 3812: 

The last auction of 2008 suffered from the post-Christmas blues as people were not out buying horses in bulk.  In fact not many horses were entered at all and those that sold were quite average – price wise.  There were 11 horses that sold for over a million dollars which was good, but there was not one horse that sold for two million or over.  In fact, there was a tie for the sale topper, both selling for $1,486,196.00 which in it’s self is kind of amazing.  Of the 19 senior citizens that went under the hammer this week, five sold for more than a dollar and one of them, #69787 Burden Wish sold for $1,300,001.  Burden Wish was originally purchased by part of the Nextbonus conglomerate to fill a special race for the retiring Bob The Cob.  Having filed his obligations, Burden Wish found himself back in the sale’s ring but when the hammer fell; part of the same group that sold the horse led the horse away under the stable name of Empirez.

Auction Stats:

Horses Entered – 468 (last week – 493)

Horses Sold For More Than $1.00 – 155 (last week – 167)

Horses Not Sold or RNA (Reserve Not Attained) – 41 (last week -70)

Horses Sold For $1.00 – 112 (last week – 127)

Two Year-olds – Entered – 146 (last week 147)

Two Year-olds – Sold – 133 (last week – 121)

Two year-olds – Not Sold or RNA – 13 (last week – 26)

Total Sales – $23,293,349 (last week $20,507,008)

Average Sale Price – $87,241 (last week – $69,752)

Leading Buyer – Computer Stable – 129 (last week 144)

Sale Topper – # 80317 Pulpal Again $1,486,196.00 (tie)

                   – # 168852 Whosleavingwho $1,486,196.00 (tie)

The Top Five Millionaires (that were not, as far as I can tell, stable transfers):

A beautiful 3 YO chestnut filly by Awesome Again was one of two who sold for $1,486,196.  Pulpal Again # 80317 was consigned by Ceclaim12 and after some spirited bidding was led away by Binzaman02.  A three time winner, the well bred filly started for a low claiming tag of $3,500 and while she may hang around for awhile in the starter ranks she will probably be retired soon.  Pulpal Again is the first foal out of the 10 time winner and stakes placed mare Pulpal by Danzig.

Also selling for the same price was a dark gray colt by El Prado out of a Fusaichi Pegasus mare, Whosleavingwho # 168852.  Large for a 2YO, the colt is 0/5 lifetime but with his size probably just needs time to mature.  Axemjack86 consigned this nice colt and Xdecolex signed the ticket and I doubt that this colt will see the claiming ranks again soon.

Telltale Swan #129702 sold for $1,400,000.00 by Db to Amazon2.  A good looking light chestnut colt by Dance With Ravens out of Nureyev Native by Nureyev, the 4 YO has won six of his 21 starts.  His dam is a solid producer, with five foals to race.  Four of those are winners, two are graded winners and one is stakes placed.  Amazon2 is certain that the colt is a good investment.

Dixiedotco sold one of what he probably considers to be an underachiever from his Was02 barn to Pepe31.  Quoted For Truth # 162040 sold for $1,250,001.00 and would likely look good in anyone’s stable.  The 2 YO pretty red filly by Yes it’s True out of a Machiavellian mare, has won three of her eight starts.  Those three wins were all in a row before the streak ended last time out when she was bumped badly out of the gate and lost all chance.  She is the daughter of Mach One who was a seven time winner, including two stakes.  Mach One has had five foals to race, all winners including one stakes winner and one who is stakes placed.

New Jack Kid # 173267 is an unraced 2 YO dark bay filly by Century City out of the Lemon Drop kid mare Fly Drop’s Goldie.  A bit on the small side, she had plenty of presence and walked in the ring like she owned it.  Legends4 consigned New Jack Kid and Brit4 signed the ticket to lead her away.  Fly Drop’s Goldie was a six time winner and was stakes placed six times, also.  She is the dam of two foals, one to race and one winner.

The Auction Seen:

After airport closures last week from sleet and ice, this week the weather in Kentucky was comparatively balmy.  I arrived in good order, grabbed a Pepsi and made my way across the room towards my table in front of the fire place.  Stoners was at a reserved table visiting with Camilla and Frostytom.  I stopped to ask him if it was true what I had read that he didn’t want to come back to the message board, but he just shrugged and said it was probably better if he didn’t.  Lenny and Emit were waiting at my table and were deep in a discussion of harness racing along with Nextbonus who has an interest in that direction also.  They were all gentlemanly and stood when I arrived, even pulling out my chair.  I love it!  Bonus had to tell me all about Bobby who is the sole issue of his old horse Bob The Cob.  I wished him luck with the colt and hope that he is half as good as old Bob was.  Add stopped by with 27facts and one new player called Shortstick and later Loisblack and Jetty also came by to wish all of us at the table Happy Holidays. 

After the sale everyone still felt the holiday spirit and when Billgulch showed up with his latest in a long line of bands, well, before we knew it, the party was on.   Snowchief read The Night Before Christmas by Dr Dipper Lip while Ocelot and Graywolf were trying their best to get Lordpye to stay a bit longer.  That wife of his keeps him on a pretty short leash or so I have heard.  Rastaman, Peery and Hoggy grabbed the auctioneer’s microphone and led us through several choruses of Silent Night but I think we just sang the same verse over and over and it is for sure we were way out of sync with Billgulch’s band that had probably never played anything that slow, music-wise, in their career.  Fasteddie did have a really great voice but somehow he got teamed up with Smokers who was kind of raspy and the effect wasn’t quite like they had planned.  The evening just got better when Irish and Trotter came by along with party boys Given and Afc.   We all stayed much too late in the evening and I am glad someone had the presence of mind to call us all a cab.  What a fun impromptu party!  All in all it was a good way to end the year and I hope everyone has a wonderful New Year. 

Good Luck with all your auction purchases.