Page 6 - August/September 2008 The Game

6 The Game, August/September 2008
A Healthy Consignment - BC Yearling Sale
Canada’s Thoroughbred Racing Newspaper
A healthy consignment of yearlings with
over 54 stallions and some two hundred mares represented will be offered and with an an- nounced purse increase at Hastings Racetrack, strong interest in a quality BC product should be anticipated. Catalogues have been distributed in Alberta and Washington, California, and Ontario in expectation and the hope of luring buyers to this excellent crop of yearlings.
With the racing program at Hastings getting stronger and the anticipated revenue as the slots come on line this summer the breeding industry has cause for optimism.
“We are excited about this sale,” says CTHS vice-president, Ralph Jesiak. “because we have some exciting new stallions and our horses are showing potential not only here but they’re winning in Alberta and in Toronto. This year we have 188 yearlings in the sale, one weanling, four two year olds, four mares and some stallion shares.
“I think breeders that are in the business now are going to stay and progress to a better crop next year. And with Hastings talking about im- proving purses (Hastings recently announced a purse increase) I think it’s just going to get better.
“I’ve seen a lot of the yearlings and they’re a
“Our [CTHS] board members, and some of them are new to the board, are enthusiastic. And they represent the whole Province, Kelowna,
Clinton, 100 Mile House, et-cetera. Many of them have moved to the interior because of the high cost of real estate here in the valley, but they are going to carry on in the business and that’ll help us.”
Auction Tips - Continued from Page 5
Langley, BC—This year’s CTHS-BC’s annual summer sale will once again be held at Thunder- bird Equestrian Centre in Langley September 9.
powerful crop. And we have some good buyers. We have people from Alberta coming to buy and hopefully buyers from Ontario because we pro- duce a quality product and this is perhaps the best crop we’ve ever had. I’m very optimistic of the crop we have this year. And with the mare in foal shipping program that has been in place for the last six years we have a good selection of year- lings from Kentucky bred mares to choose from.”
Paula Loescher started buying at auctions “three years ago because I had a good year and no two-year-olds coming on. In 2006 I bought ve yearlings, all started and three won. The next year, I bought three, all made it to the track, and two won. I bought Inner Kip at the mixed sale in December and he has a maiden special weight win at Fort Erie and
two thirds. The rst crop I bought includes Can’t Be Pete, now four (eight wins and a second last year and a win and two seconds so far this year) and Horizon Moon, a lly who broke her maiden by 16 lengths. My daughter Ruth was handling ‘Pete’ at the sale for breeder John Carey, and she liked him a lot.
“I look at a mare’s race and produce record both. I prefer a mare that’s won 10 or 12 races to one with a couple of wins and a stakes-placing. As for conformation, I’ve had a lot of crooked-legged Thoroughbreds that could really run. If the crookedness starts at the knee, you’re in trouble. If the leg starts turning out part-way down, it’s OK. If it’s a family I’ve dealt with in the past, it’s a plus. I know if there’s a tendency to have tendon problems, for instance.”
Tom Gostlin, Loescher’s partner, advises “picking up the feet to look at the underside of the hoof. You want to see
the hoof shaped naturally, not led down on one side or
the other to make the leg look straighter. I like a yearling
to show some nicks and cuts; it means he’s been raised the natural way -- out in a eld, rough-housing. Not kept inside, like some hot-house ower.”
Everyone goes to a sale hoping to pick out a future Man O’War for $5,000 or a Seattle Slew for $17,000. But not Neubauer, who declared, “I’ll just be happy to settle for the next Not Bourbon!”
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The BC sale has always had a festive atmosphere with a barbecue, beer tent and live music to entertain the buyers while they examine the yearlings.
“As in past years it’ll be well orga- nized,” says Jesiak. “We have a great venue to host the sale. Thunderbird [Equestrian Centre] is the greatest facil- ity in the west and they have been very accommodating to whatever we want.”
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The Game AUGUST 2008.indd
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7/29/08 4:05:04 AM
Fred Smith