Yearling Consignors by Grade 1 Winners Offered

By Eric Mitchell

As we roll toward the start of Thoroughbred yearling sale season, BloodHorse MarketWatch reviewed consignors that brokered horses that went on to successfully compete at the top of the game.

Seventeen consignors that offered yearlings at a North American auction from 2012-14 have had two or more grade 1 winners pass through their barns. The average price of the yearlings they sold ranged from $31,549 to $342,100.

The Cleary family's Clearsky Farm in Central Kentucky rises to the top among these elite sellers when they are ranked by percentage of grade 1 winners from number offered. Clearsky sold three (8.1%) grade 1 winners out of 37 yearlings offered. Among these yearlings were a total of four graded stakes winners, or 10.8% of yearlings offered.

The best news for Clearsky is that they are also the breeder of all three grade 1 winners sold. New Year's Day, winner of the 2013 Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1), sold for $425,000 to agent Ben Glass at the 2012 Keeneland September sale; three-time grade 1 sprinter Lord Nelson   was purchased by Peachtree Stable's John Fort for $340,000 at the 2013 Keeneland September sale; and 2016 Eclipse champion 3-year-old Arrogate was a $560,000 Juddmonte Farms purchase at the 2014 Keeneland September sale.

Arrogate's year-to-date earnings of $17,084,600 pushed the average earnings among all Clearsky runners sold as yearlings during the three-year window to a stratospheric $694,238.

Hinkle Farms is ranked next by percentage of grade 1 winners from horses offered, represented by two grade 1 winners from 29 offered for an average of 6.9%. Hinkle is also the breeder or co-breeder of its grade 1 winners Divisidero and Weep No More.

Divisidero sold to Margaux Farm for $250,000 at the 2013 Keeneland September sale, while Weep No More sold to Michonne Farm for $90,000 at the 2014 Keeneland September sale.

Hinkle Farms is the sole breeder of Divisidero, who distinguished himself this year by winning his second consecutive edition of the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic Stakes (G1) at Churchill Downs. Weep No More, winner of the 2016 Central Bank Ashland Stakes (G1) at Keeneland, was bred by Hinkle Farms partnership with Robert Kessinger. 

Taylor Made Sales Agency, with 1,268 yearlings offered during the three-year period, had the highest number of both grade 1 winners and graded stakes winners offered at six and 28, respectively.

Tied in second by number of grade 1 winners offered with five each are Warrendale Sales (1.9% offered), Denali Stud (1.0% offered), and Gainesway (0.9% offered). 

Following Clearsky and Hinkle Farms, Brookdale Sales and Cara Bloodstock had the next-highest percentages of graded stakes winners. Brookdale had 4.5% (nine graded stakes winners from 198 offered) and Cara Bloodstock was at 4.3% (six graded stakes winners from 139 offered).

Source: Mitchell, Eric. "Yearling Consignors by Grade 1 Winners Offered." The BloodHorse Daily. The BloodHorse, 9 July 2017. Web. 10 July 2017.