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West End Girl Tops Inaugural Tattersalls Online Ascot Sale

The Alan and Mike Spence-owned West End Girl topped the inaugural Tattersalls Ascot Online Sale when selling to Badgers Bloodstock who saw off interest from a number of bidders to secure the filly for £420,000 (US$527,184).

The daughter of Golden Horn, who is out of a half-sister to Reckless Abandon, won the Group 3 Sweet Solera Stakes at two and was placed third on her latest start in the listed Oaks Trial at Lingfield on June 5. The Mark Johnston-trained 3-year-old is declared to run in the Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes on Tuesday at the Royal Meeting.

Lot 4, Igotatext, consigned by Archie Watson, made the perfect start to his career when making a winning debut at Lingfield just ten days ago. He caught the imagination of the Cool Silk Partnership who secured him for £165,000 (US$207,183). The son of Group 2 Gimcrack winner Ajaya now looks set to take his chance in the Group 2 Coventry Stakes on Saturday for new connections who are no stranger to Royal Ascot success.

Commenting on the first sale of its nature in the U.K. and Ireland Matthew Prior, head of Tattersalls Ascot Sales, said;

“A big team effort has gone into getting the inaugural Tattersalls Ascot Online Sale off the ground and we are very pleased with the results. There were a few technical glitches along the way which were quickly resolved and we will learn from today's sale, but overall it was a genuinely encouraging start for Tattersalls Online. We had wholehearted, enthusiastic support from the vendors as well as bidders from throughout the world, and we would like to extend our thanks and gratitude to all who supported and participated in this new venture. In particular we wish all the connections the very best of luck with their purchases this week if taking up their engagements at Royal Ascot.”

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BloodstockAuction.Com To Host Online New York-Bred Sale

Bloodstockauction.com has announced that it will conduct an online auction dedicated to New York-breds next week.

The catalog will be released and open for bidding at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, June 18, with the final countdown commencing at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday, June 23.

Bloodstockauction.com was founded in Sydney, Australia and commenced their first auction in late 2014, and since then has conducted more than 250 successful online Thoroughbred auctions. The high demand for its services in Australia and New Zealand has resulted in auctions being held there on a weekly basis, with over 100 hips offered each and every week.

Online auction platforms operate 24/7 and expose the horse to a much wider audience. They are not affected by external events, and they are much more cost-effective compared to traditional live auctions. There is no requirement to ship horses, which reduces the risk of injury to the horse. Horses are only transported once they are sold.

Online auctions are open for bidding for five full days, which means that there is plenty of time for buyers to organize inspections and complete vet checks prior to placing their bids.

Bloodstockauction.com has listed more than 17,000 Thoroughbreds, and with a clearance rate of over 73 percent, this is a testament to the support their auctions attract from their loyal members.

Their success online has even attracted leading stud farms, Arrowfield Stud and other large commercial studs, who have recently held their own dedicated yearling, weanling, and broodmare sales through Bloodstockauction.com.

Bloodstockauction.com has now launched its services in the U.S., with auctions being conducted on a monthly basis to start. Their catalogs are released and open for bidding with an auction held every month.

To enter a horse for the New York-Bred Sale, click here.

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Indiana Announces Revamped 2020 Indiana Thoroughbred Breeder Program

Changes to the 2020 Indiana Thoroughbred racing program have been approved as Indiana's racetracks prepare to commence racing in mid-June after the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the start of the racing season. The Indiana Horse Racing Commission approved the recommended program in a virtual meeting last week.

Due to casino closures and the potential for reduced revenues once reopened, funding available for the program decreased significantly, with the new projected revenue being around $8.2 million. However, even with the decreased numbers, the Indiana Thoroughbred racing program offered for 2020 remains strong.

“Going into this year's racing program, we were excited to offer a program with many enhancements; however, due to the unique situation we are now in, many of those elements had to be put on hold until the 2021 program,” says Jessica Barnes, director of racing and breed development for the Indiana Horse Racing Commission. “I'm thankful the tracks, horsemen's groups and commission were able to all come together to offer the best program we could during these unprecedented times.”

Indiana Grand Racing & Casino was originally scheduled to open April 14, but the track and the backside were closed due to the statewide COVID-19 pandemic quarantine on March 16. With approval from the governor's office, the Indiana Horse Racing Commission (IHRC) recently released a phased approach to begin horse racing in Indiana, with the backside of the tracks now open. The plan calls for racing to commence at the two pari-mutuel tracks the week of June 16 without spectators. If there is no change to Governor Holcomb's “Back on Track Indiana” plan, spectators will be able to return to the tracks on July 4.

The new race schedule will see a reduced number of races, totaling 206 restricted Thoroughbred races. While the lucrative restricted Indiana-bred stakes schedule remains intact, there have been purse reductions enacted across the board. The six Indiana Signature Stakes (which includes the two newest races that were approved in February), and typically pay out $150,000, have been reduced to $100,000, while the other 22 restricted Indiana-bred and Indiana-sired stakes will be contested at $75,000. In total, the restricted stakes will pay more than $2 million in 2020.

One noticeable change between the initial 2020 program and the one recently approved is within the Indiana Breeders Awards. The award percentage, designed to reward breeders for foaling in Indiana, will remain at 2019 levels.

“I'd like to thank the track for the assistance they've offered the program,” says Blaine Davidson, member of the Indiana Thoroughbred Breed Development Advisory Committee. “We're very, very fortunate to even be able to race this year, and I'm very pleased with what I've seen. I know it's not what everyone expected, but we're making it work.”

While the commission has approved the revised plan, Barnes is quick to point out that things are able to change as the casinos open up and patrons return to the track for on-track wagering.

“If we get a month or two into the reopening, and projections are better than what we have forecasted, we have the flexibility to go back to the commission with a revised proposal,” explains Barnes. “This is a fluid situation, and our program has the ability to adjust in a manner that will best benefit our breeders, owners and trainers.”

More information can be found on the program's website (http://in.gov/hrc/tb/).

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Classic-Placed Commissioner Sold To Stand In Saudi Arabia

Commissioner, a Grade 2 winner who was narrowly defeated in the 2014 Belmont Stakes, has been sold to Prince Saud bin Salman bin Abdulaziz al Saud and will be relocated to Saudi Arabia, BloodHorse reports.

The 9-year-old son of A.P. Indy previously stood at WinStar Farm in Versailles, Ky., where he was advertised for a fee of $7,500. His first foals are 3-year-olds of 2020, led by Grade 3 winner Island Commish and Grade 2-placed Powerfulattraction.

Commissioner won five of 15 starts during his on-track career as a homebred for WinStar, earning $962,237. He entered the mix among the nation's top 3-year-olds in 2014 with a third-place effort in the G3 Sunland Derby. Two starts later, he finished second in the G2 Peter Pan Stakes, then ran a heartbreaking head behind Tonalist in the Belmont Stakes after leading at every point of call prior to the finish.

The colt came back at four to win the G3 Skip Away Stakes and Pimlico Special Stakes. He ended his career with a win in the G2 Hawthorne Gold Cup Handicap.

Andrew Cary of Cary Bloodstock brokered the deal.