2017 Washington Thoroughbred Breeders & Owners Association summer yearling and mixed sale Aug. 22

51st summer auction of the most promising yearlings from the region.

Editor’s note: The following is a release from the Washington Thoroughbred Breeders & Owners Association.

A total of 132 yearlings are entered in the 2017 WTBOA Summer Yearling and Mixed Sale, the highest number cataloged in the annual summer event since 2009.

This year’s sale is comprised of 70 colts and 62 fillies, of which 76 are Washington-bred. The remaining yearlings originally hail from Kentucky (26), California (23, along with several others which are registered California-sired), British Columbia (five) and one each from Arizona and Florida.

The one-day venue also includes five broodmares, all bred to popular Pacific Northwest sires.

Sires of Yearlings

Topping the sires in number of yearlings cataloged is eight-time leading Oregon sire Harbor the Gold, with ten colts and seven fillies, including full siblings to Washington or Oregon champions Mach One Rules, O B Harbor, Trackattacker and Catalina Harbor.

2016 Washington leading freshman sire Atta Boy Roy is represented by a dozen offerings, seven colts and five fillies, including offspring of several multiple stakes producers.

Other stallions with three or more yearlings cataloged are: Nationhood (eight), Abraaj (seven), Champ Pegasus (seven), Smiling Tiger (seven), Coast Guard (four), Munnings (three) and Sixthirteen (three).

Among the national leading sires represented at the Washington venue are aforementioned Munnings (who has ten 2017 stakes winners). Also included are top drawer racehorses and sires Blame, Eskendereya, Girolamo, Include, Lookin At Lucky, Mineshaft, Trappe Shot and Twirling Candy, who are all going strong this year.

A note on Eskendereya. The Grade 1-winning son of Giant’s Causeway was shipped off to Japan for stud duty in the fall of 2015, which means this is his final crop of North American-bred yearlings. He currently has nine 2017 stakes winners, including impressive 2017 Metropolitan Handicap (G1) winner Mor Spirit.

Among Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) victor Blame’s five stakes winners is Senga, who won the Prix de Diane (G1) (French Oaks) earlier this spring.

Girolamo’s 2017 stakes winners feature Ruffian Stakes (G2) winner Highway Star.

Include has eight stakes winners this year, led by Grade 1 winner Samba Inc.

Champion Lookin At Lucky has 23 stakes horses adding to his already impressive tallies this year, including ten stakes winners, 16 of which have won or placed in graded stakes races. His son Lookin At Lee was the runner-up in this year’s Kentucky Derby.

2011 Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Animal Kingdom has already been represented by a Churchill Downs stakes winner in his first North American crop of juveniles.

Other promising young stallions include third crop sires Algorithms, Star Guitar and The Factor; and Data Link, Graydar, Paynter Smiling Tiger and Violence, whose first runners hit the racetrack this year.

Violence has gotten off to an impressive start as the Grade 1 juvenile winner already has sired nine impressive winners, including Kentucky Juvenile Stakes winner Buy Sell Hold.

The Consignors

Nina and Ron Hagen’s El Dorado Farms LLC’s has a 26-horse consignment, topping all vendors who will be stabled on the sales grounds.

Debbie and Rick Pabst’s Blue Ribbon Farm will be showing 19 yearlings and two broodmares to prospective bidders.

While not new to the sales grounds, Charlie Dunn’s Dunn Bar Ranch is going solo this year with a 14 horse consignment, of which 13 are yearlings.

Dana Halvorson’s Halvorson Bloodstock Services LLC has a strong 13-yearling consignment.

There are seven Harbor the Gold yearlings among the 12 in Pam and Neal Christopherson’s Bar C Racing Stables Inc.’s entry.

Another consignor with an even dozen yearlings is Idaho newcomer Paul Treasure, who will offer that number under his Treasure Ranch banner.

The other consignment to offer a double-digit number is Mary Lou and Terry Griffin’s Griffin Place LLC, who will showcase 11 yearlings.

Horses will be available for viewing on the WTBOA sales grounds, which is located at Emerald Downs racetrack in Auburn, on Sunday, August 20. The sale will begin at 2:00 pm on Tuesday, August 22.

Bid on a Trip to the 2017 Del Mar Breeders’ Cup World Championships

Getting this summer sale off in an upbeat fashion will be the Washington Thoroughbred Foundation’s auction of a trip for two to the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, which will be held this coming November at the beautiful and historic Del Mar Racetrack. The package, which will be offered prior to Hip 1, will include Breeders’ Cup tickets for two, an air transportation voucher, hotel accommodations, as well as a tour of Del Mar and other amenities. Proceeds will benefit the tax-exempt 501(c)(3) non-profit Foundation’s many programs. For more information go to thoroughbredfoundation.org.

Catalog Requests and Updates

For more information or to order a sales catalog, please call (253) 288-7878, e-mail maindesk@wtboa.com, or write WTBOA, 3220 Ron Crockett Dr. NW, Auburn, WA 98001. The catalog pages, which include weekly updates, are currently available on the WTBOA website at washingtonthoroughbred.com/sales/ or on your Ipad at equineline.com/SalesCatalogApp/