Salley Pike

Veteran horseman Al Pike, who had been battling cancer, passed away Saturday at the age of 70, according to a release from the Texas Thoroughbred Association. Pike, along with his wife of nearly 45 years, Salley, and their son, Colt, operated Pike Racing. Pike is also survived by daughter Chelsey Pike Hooton. Pike got his start in the horse industry in the 1970s as a Quarter Horse trainer in Texas before he and his wife transitioned to Thoroughbreds, eventually focusing on pinhooking. Pike Racing sold the $1.1-million sale-topper at the...

GRAND PRAIRIE, TX - A colt by Practical Joke brought $110,000 to top Monday's single-session Texas Thoroughbred Association (TTA) Summer Yearling Sale at Lone Star Park. By the numbers, a total of 175 yearlings sold for $3,240,000. The figures represented a decrease from 2022 when 161 sold for a record $3,416,000 in gross receipts. This term, the average was $18,542, while the median was $11,000 and 77 horses reported not sold. Foster Bridewell, Director of Horse Sales for the TTA, said of the auction, "Three of our top five offerings were...

As of July 1, two highly respected entities in Thoroughbred training and racing are joining forces as Pike Racing will be relocating to Highlander Training Center in Sulphur Springs, Texas, the facility said in a release yesterday. Pike Racing, owned by Al and Salley Pike, has become a fixture at the two-year-olds in training sales, and their graduates have experienced success in the sales ring and at the racetrack. A native Texan from Palestine, Al Pike said he has been eager "to come back to Texas" for years. "Salley and...