HENNESSY COLT IS $485,000 SALE TOPPER AT EQUINE SALE

        Ed Allred purchased a full brother to leading freshman stallion Check Him Out for a sale-topping price of $485,000 on the final session of the two-day Los Alamitos Equine Sale on Sunday.

Los Alamitos Equine Sale $485,000 sale topper Masters Call

        Sired by leading Thoroughbred stallion Hennessy and out of the First Down Dash mare Check Her Twice, the sorrel colt, named Masters Call, was consigned by Roger Daly, agent for D. Wayne Lukas & Zory Kuzyk. Hennessy is the sire 2001 Eclipse winner Johannesburg, while Check Her Twice won the 1992 Golden State Futurity and California Sires' Cup Futurity and was second in the 1993 All American Derby. Check Him Out, a multiple Grade 1 stakes winner of $418,528, is the sire of Governor's Cup Futurity winner Checknbac, Ruidoso Futurity winner Saint Shackleton and two-time Grade 1 futurity runner-up Check This Runner.

      Masters Call, a February sorrel colt, is the most expensive Quarter Horse yearling purchased at a public auction in California 2001. A group headed by Kim Kessinger, who campaigned 2002 Co-World Champion Whosleavingwho, was the underbidder on Masters Call at $475,000.

     Masters Call was just one of the highlights of the 2nd annual Los Alamitos Equine Sale, which is a joint venture between Allred and Frank "Scoop" Vessels and is managed by the Pacific Coast Quarter Horse Racing Association. A total of 13 horses sold for $100,000 or higher, while the sale average for yearlings of $23,974 represented an increase of 20% from figures posted in 2005. The median price for yearlings of $9,250 was up 2.77% from last year.

     The second-highest seller was the First Down Dash colt Catchmeonthebackside, a half-brother to three-time champion aged gelding Catchmeinyourdreams. Glenn Collins of College Station, Texas, who was accompanied by his wife Kathleen, signed the $300,000 ticket for Catchmeonthebackside. 

Scoop & Bonnie Vessels with Glenn and Kathleen Collins and Hip #403 Catchmeonthebackside

      Collins, a former economics professor at Texas A & M, has been busy buying yearlings at different auctions this year. While Catchmeonthebackside represented his only purchase at the Los Alamitos Equine Sale, Collins said he has purchased three Corona Cartels, two Mr Jess Perrys, a Separatist colt, a Holland Ease filly, a Chicks A Blazin filly and a Royal Shake Em filly at other sales this year.

     "We came here to buy a good First Down Dash colt and we believe Catchmeonthebackside is the best," Collins said.

        First Icy Morn, a colt by First Down Dash out of the Thoroughbred mare Icy Morn, was the third-highest seller at $210,000. Purchased by the partnership of Smith, Cozby, Weston, Allred and Vessels, First Icy Morn is a full-brother to Ed Burke Million Futurity finalist First Down Morn.

       "We wanted to leave here with this horse," said Billy Smith, who is part of the partnership that campaigns Ed Burke Million Futurity winner FDD Dynasty. "I'd rather spend a lot of one horse than a little bit on a lot of different horses."

     Jerry Cozby of Horseshoe Bay, Texas has been involved in Quarter Horse racing for over 40 years.

    "I've campaigned horses at Los Alamitos before but I've never really had a good one run here," Cozby said. "I'm hoping (First Icy Morn) is the one. He is classy and I like his mother Icy Morn a lot. She was a great runner and very good dam, and of course I love his sire First Down Dash."

      Cozby, Smith and Vessels also purchased the third highest seller at the Los Alamitos Equine Sale last year when buying No Mas Corona for $160,000.

     Vessels repurchased No Longer A Secret, the half-brother to All American Futurity winner No Secrets Here, for $120,000.

     "He has small chips and that held him back," Vessels said. "I'll pull them out and we'll put a group together to campaign him next year, just like we did with FDD Dynasty.        

EQUINE SALE BY THE NUMBERS

For complete sale results please visit http://www.losalamitosequinesale.com/saleresults.cfm

        A total of 262 yearlings were sold for a gross of $6,281,100, 39.75% higher than the gross of $4,494,400 for the 225 yearlings sold last year. Of the 315 yearlings offered only 53 were repurchased this year. In contrast, there were 55 repurchases from the 280 yearlings offered in 2005.

     "This was an outstanding sale," Vessels said. "We attracted many new people from all over the country and that was great to see. Some of the top breeders in the country were here, people like Allred, Burns Ranch, Spencer Childers, John Andreini, Double Bar S Ranch, Lazy E Ranch and many more. We also want to thank all of the consignors for doing a great job getting the horses ready and we especially want to thank our Hispanic friends for attending the sale.

     "Our broodmares struggled a lit bit but we're going to stay at it. I think the people that ended up purchasing broodmares will find that they got great value for their money," Vessels added. "I know that sometimes it's difficult for people that are looking at yearlings to think about buying broodmares, but it does make sense to take a closer look at them because there are some outstanding values there."   

        Seventy-two mares were purchased for $675,100 for an average price of $9,376. The figure was 1.47% lower than last year's mare average of $9,516. Eleven mixed-breed horses and horses of racing age sold for a combined $175,600 for an average price of $15,964 and an increase of 28%. Total figures show that 345 head were sold for a gross figure of $7,131,800, up 31.83%. Including repurchases, the grand total of gross sales was $8,532,900, 18.79% higher than last year.

HAWKINSON FILLY IS HIGH SELLER ON OPENING DAY OF EQUINE SALE

         George and Judy Weldon of Vernal, Utah signed the ticket of $150,000 on a brown filly by champion aged stallion Hawkinson, making her the high seller on opening day of the Los Alamitos Equine Sale on Saturday. Listed in the catalog under the name of Shes Fabulous (Hip #127), the April filly is a half-sister to five stakes winners, including El Primero Del Ano Derby winner A Dash Of Beduino, as well as last year's leading freshman sire Walk Thru Fire.

        Shes Fabulous was one four yearlings that sold for over $100,000 on opening day.  A total of 16 horses sold for over $40,000 and by the end of the session 129 yearlings had sold for a gross amount of $2,407,600. Thirty-eight broodmares sold for $329,100, while seven horses of mixed stock sold for $8,661.

      Allred Brothers of Mesa, Arizona consigned Shes Fabulous. She is out of the stakes place mare Sweet Beduino, who is also the dam of Prescott Downs Futurity winner This Jet Is Royal and Phoenix Futurity winner One Sweet Dash. Shes Fabulous' second dam is Sweet Game, who produced Kaweah Bar Handicap winner Sweeten The Pot.

      "The main thing that attracted us to this filly is the Allred Brothers," said George Weldon, who owns a construction business based in Vernal. "I've been a huge fan of them for many years. I'm also a big fan of Hawkinson.

      "I saw Shes Fabulous and I knew I had to go for her," Weldon added. "And I prepared myself to pay this kind of a price. This is the most that we've ever paid for a futurity prospect. She's has wonderful breeding and I really believe she will help our program a whole bunch."

      Weldon, who has owned horses since 1982, said Shes Fabulous would be introduced to the saddle in Utah before going to the barn of Paul Jones.

       "I asked Paul to take her after we get her ready," Weldon said. 

       Shes Fabulous is eligible to the MBNA America Racing Challenge, the PCQHRA Breeders Futurity, the All American Futurity and the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity.

***

       Chris and Sue Galpin's Butte Crest Ranch of Medford Oregon purchased a full sister to champion millionaire Corona Kool for $145,000 to make her the second high seller on opening day. Listed in the catalog by the name of Another Corona (Hip #95), this First Down Dash filly out of Sizzlin Lil is also a half sister to the legendary Corona Chick.

Another Corona

        "Butte Crest Ranch is trying to build a good broodmare band and this purchase is step in the right direction to making that happen," said trainer Jimmy Glenn Jr., who did the bidding on behalf of his client at the sale. "The Galpins want to have a world class operation. They were the under bidder on Coco Corona (First Down Dash x Corona Chick), so we've tried to acquire these type of horses before.

         "We didn't believe we could buy (Another Corona)," Glenn Jr. said. "I had (Chris Galpin) on the phone and I told him Another Corona looked good in the sale ring. Right then, he said 'let's go for it.' I almost lost the phone connection with him as we were bidding for her - the reception just kept going in and out - so I couldn't understand everything that he was saying. All I could hear him say was 'go, go, go.'

         "We'll break her at my place in Oregon before we bring her back her for all the big races. She'll be back here by February of 2007."

          Glenn has been training for Butte Crest Ranch for the past three years. He currently cares for 11 of their horses here at Los Alamitos. Chris Galpin is one of the largest land developers in the Northwest according to Glenn.

          "Last year was terrible and I would've fired me," Glenn Jr. said."This year we've won (12 Quarter Horse races) for them here and we think Armyguy (First Down Dash gelding out of Militia) has a good shot in the Los Alamitos Super Derby trials.

         "Eventually they want to breed their own mares to the top, top stallions. It's exciting to have this filly with us now," Glenn Jr. concluded. "The Galpins are wonderful people and the best owners in the world. Chris had owned Thoroughbreds for 20 years but he's really fallen in love with Quarter Horses. He really enjoys them and he's great for the business."

      For more information, please call 714-236-1755 or visit www.losalamitosequinesale.com.

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