Texas breds

GRAND PRAIRIE, TX - With a winning virtual bid of $95,000 a Louisiana-bred colt by Red River Farms sire Aurelius Maximus topped the Texas Thoroughbred Association's (TTA) single-session Summer Yearling Sale at Lone Star Park's Mary Ruyle Thoroughbred Pavilion on Tuesday, Aug. 26. During the sale, which included Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana-bred yearlings, 181 grossed $2,892,600 for an average of $15,981, a median of $7,500 and 53 were listed as not sold. With a larger catalogue this year, the gross increased from a year ago when 143 yearlings sold...

GRAND PRAIRIE, TX - The annual single session Texas Yearling Sale put on by the Texas Thoroughbred Association (TTA) and hosted by Dallas-area Lone Star Park is set for 10 a.m. CT on Tuesday, Aug. 26. The TTA catalogue has blossomed from 207 head in 2024 to 261 this year. The offerings include 63 from Texas, 115 from Louisiana, 30 from Arkansas and 11 from Oklahoma. An additional 22 horses have been entered for the mixed session for a total of 283. By the numbers, the 2024 edition, which showcased...

The Texas Thoroughbred Association (TTA) has named Tracy Sheffield as the new executive director effective Jan. 1, replacing Mary Ruyle, who will stay on through July to help with the transition, according to a TTA press release on Thursday. The holder of an Animal Science degree from Oregon State University, Sheffield is the founder and managing partner of T&L Veterinary Business Consulting. She has been a TTA member for more than 20 years and is active with the organization's Paddock Foundation, which helps find second careers for retired racehorses. Sheffield...

The Lone Star Park Sales Pavilion in Grand Prairie will once again host the Texas Thoroughbred Association's (TTA) single-session Texas Yearling Sale Monday beginning at 10 a.m. CT. The TTA catalogue includes 207 head from Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma, plus a special dispersal of 10 horses consigned by CS Sales, agent for Three Feathers Farm. By the numbers, the 2023 edition, which showcased one of the largest catalogs in sale history with 271 yearlings, reported 175 sold for $3,240,000. The average was $18,542 and the median was $11,000, while...

The Texas Thoroughbred Association and Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie have scheduled the 2022 Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale for Wednesday, Apr. 6. The breeze show will be held at the Dallas-area racetrack Monday, Apr. 4. "Based on what we saw with the Texas Summer Yearling Sale, I think there's a lot of anticipation for the upcoming Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale in April," TTA Sales Director Foster Bridewell said. "I think we're uniquely positioned in the 2-year-old sales landscape to provide a quality sale for our owners, trainers,...

Grade III winner and promising young sire Cinco Charlie (Indian Charlie--Ten Halos, by Marquetry) has been purchased by Bob & Tyree Wolesensky's Leadem Farm and will relocate there for the 2022 breeding season after spending his first five seasons at Spendthrift Farm. Jay Goodwin orchestrated the deal. "Texas racing is thriving and the breeding business is coming back," said Goodwin. "Bob and Tyree approached me about finding a stallion that would fit Texas and I don't think we could have found a better one. Cinco Charlie was a brilliantly fast...

The Texas Thoroughbred Association (TTA) has released a video honoring its 2020 Texas Champion racehorses as well as its human award winners. Under normal circumstances, an in-person awards ceremony would be held, but the continuing COVID-19 pandemic forced officials to cancel those plans. "While we are disappointed in not having an awards ceremony this year, we are proud of the accomplishments of Texas-breds and Texas horsemen last year, and we are pleased to honor them with this video," said Mary Ruyle, executive director of the TTA. "Congratulations go out to...

A record number of 175 juveniles have been entered for the Texas Thoroughbred Association's Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale at Lone Star Park Apr. 3. The under tack show will be held Apr. 1, at 10 a.m. at the track. This year's head count is up nearly 35 percent from last year's 135 (including supplements) and more than double the number in the 2016 sale, which was the first held jointly by the TTA and Lone Star. "We expected to have more entries after the passage of beneficial legislation in...