Page 166 - November 2016

. . . the Yearling Select Auction . . . is the main pulse of the Mexican equine market in Quarter Horse yearlings.
Luis Prieto Zamudio
Mexico
Part 1: Status & Prospects of Quarter Horse Racing in Mexico
by Luis Prieto Zamudio, translation by Eduardo Silveyra
The replacement of traditional “lanes” for two horses (parejeras) by the installation of at least 6 doors, has given more incentive to race “unofficial” futurities, derbies and open races with higher payouts to benefit the horse industry.
The currenT boom.
In Mexico, the breeding of racehorses has shown an important dynamism in recent years, with a desire that it should be maintained. According to data reported by the Mexican Association of Breeders and Horsemen of Quarter Horses (AMCCCCM), orga- nizer of the Select Yearling Auction, a total of 303 horses passed through the ring in 2013. It was 314 in 2014, a figure that in 2015 increased to 398 yearlings, with a slight decrease to 392 in 2016. This increased supply corresponded to an average price increase from $92,250 pesos ($7,096 US) in 2015 to $137,391 pesos ($ 7,516 US) in 2016. This indicates that the highest bid has been reciprocated with an improvement in the price, for the benefit of the breeders.
This is guaranteed by a major effort of breeders made years ago to invest in expanding the breeding stock, incorporating or acquiring new mares and stallions of better genetic quality, coupled with the implementation of breeding systems that can offer the market more competitive athletes. Moreover, every year we add new breeders that, although are novices and instead of buying prefer to produce their own stock, have not affected sales prices given the strength of demand. It has also been influenced by the penetra- tion and acceptance of reproductive technologies, such as artificial insemination and embryo transplantation.
Consequently, the Select Yearling Auction attracts
an increasing number of breeders and buyers. With a high level of repurchase (52% in 2015 and 57% in 2016), it is the main pulse of the Mexican equine market in Quarter Horse yearlings.
The interest to participate in this auction, as a seller or buyer, is the ability to participate in futuri- ties and derbies restricted to individuals auctioned. These races are endowed with attractive prizes that are financed through nomination fees paid when enrolling the colt at the auction, and later with fees
to stay eligible. These are the Futurities Mexico, Stallions, Auction Selecta, and Mexican Bred Juvenile Challenge, the latter established in 2014 with the support of the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA). All have their respective Derbies.
Such events are set in the Hipodromo de las Americas, located in Mexico City, which raises com- plex issues of logistics that worsen, as it is the only official race course in the extensive Mexican territory of nearly 2 million square kilometers.
The potential for regional auctions is deemed
to be highly important. We have as an example in
the National Association of Quarter Horse Breeders (ANCCCM) that, through its location in the Northeast in Hermosillo, Sonora, began with the 2013 Select Yearling Auction from breeders principally from the states of Chihuahua, Sonora, Sinaloa, and Baja California. The numbers of specimens in the ring
164 SPEEDHORSE, November 2016
AROUND THE GLOBE
Luis Prieto Zamudo