The 56th annual Washington Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association Summer Yearling and Mixed Sale was held under sunny skies on Tuesday, Aug. 22 at the WTBOA Sales Pavilion located at Emerald Downs in Auburn, Wash.
After seven outs, 75 yearlings went through the sales ring. Topping this year's sale was Hip 71, a handsome colt by first-year stallion Barkley, a son of Munnings who won the 2018 Grade 3 Longacres Mile and five other Emerald Downs stakes before retiring to Nina and Ron Hagen's El Dorado Farms in Enumclaw.
The Hagens bred the sale-topper, who was one of a trio of yearlings purchased by the San Francisco-based SmilingTigerStallion.com. The other two yearlings, both $32,000 purchases, were Hip 3, a Smiling Tiger filly out of stakes winner Rewritten (she was the highest-priced filly) consigned by Robin Mason, Critter Creek Farm, agent; and Hip 48, an Outwork half-brother to three-time stakes winner Slack Tide and recent Del Mar maiden special weight winner Impeachalot. A son of Sir Prancealot (Ire), Impeachalot was the 2022 WTBOA sale topper and races for Philip Lebherz and Richard Meister. Both colts were bred and consigned by Terry and Mary Lou Griffin's Griffin Place and are out of their stakes-placed mare Impeached.
The second highest-priced yearling came from the Griffin Place consignment, Hip 75, a son of G1 Blue Grass Stakes winner Brody's Cause, the first foal out of Washington champion racemare No Talking Back, whose first three dams were also Washington champions. Popular Emerald Downs trainer Bonnie Jenne signed the ticket for $52,000.
Hip 57, a colt from the final crop of California-based Vronsky out of three-time Washington champion Lady Rosberg, consigned by Griffin Place as agent for Darlyne Krieg, brought a bid of $38,000 from California trainer Andy Mathis.
Also bringing bids of $25,000 or more were: Hip 1, a Take Charge Indy colt that California trainer Mark Glatt purchased for $32,000 from the Griffin Place consignment; Hip 54, a colt from the first crop of G1 Pacific Classic winner Higher Power out of Connie Belshay's stakes winner Kiss Me that was hammered down to buyer Where We At for $27,000; and Hip 31, an Om half-brother to Washington titleholders Miss Prospector and Brilliant Bird bred by Bret and Julie Christopherson (Bar C Racing Stables, agent) and purchased by John and Janene Maryanski and Gerry and Gail Schneider for $25,000.
The 58 yearlings sold for a $730,200 total, a $12,863 average (down 27.2 percent from 2022) and a $6,500 median (down 45.8 percent). RNAs dropped to seven from nine when 76 yearlings sold in 2022.
The one mixed session 2-year-old sold for $5,000 and the 15 mares going through the sales ring brought a $16,850 total and $1,123 average. Hip 214, Grazen Valor, a $47,346 winning full sister to Grade 2 stakes winner and California horse of the year Lieutenant Dan, brought a $7,500 bid from Carl Seymour of Coulee Dam. After producing her first foal, a filly by Code of Honor, this past spring, the 6-year-old mare wasn't covered.
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