WTBA Summer Sale

[Bill from WA]

Catalog now on line.

http://www.washingtonthoroughbred.com/S ... mmer07.htm

Some nicely bred individuals including a Siphon filly out of a half sister to The Tin Man.

Bill

[tbrace]

How is the market up there this year? Attendance at Emerald down slightly, but hopefully the market is strong.

[Bill from WA]

I'm hoping things will pick up. There have been some down times recently. A lot of very good runners have come out of this sale.

Bill

[geowarrior]

Any other fillies besides the Siphon filly that you like, Bill?

[Bill from WA]

Hi geowarior

There are several fillies that caught my eye. One was hip#53, by Honour and Glory x Cielo's Miss by Conquistador Cielo. This is the dam's second foal, the 1st is a 2yo of 2007. Dam is a half sister to a stakes winner and hails from the immediate family of G1 winning millionaire, Proper Reality. A colt I like quite a bit (pedigree) is hip #210. He is by Bertrando x Taiayellowribbon by Sharper One, which makes this colt a half sibling to G3 winner and Washington Champion Taiaslew. The pedigree is interesting in that the dam traces tail female to the conduit mare Black Velvet (3o), and this is duplicated by Bertrando's paternal grandsire Relaunch (Black Velvet, 3o). I am in the process of working up conduit mare evaluations of the entire catalog.

Bill

[CA Michael]

Bill,

I hear that Dr. Dedomenico's new farm is a showplace. Can you fill me in on it--is it a training farm, breeding farm, stallions, etc?

[Bill from WA]

Hi Michael

It is a training and rehabilitation center. An absolute showplace located at the foot of the Cascades. Here is a fairly recent article.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/otherspor ... sus29.html

Bill

[CA Michael]

WOW! $25 million for a private horse facility in Washington State! Dedomenico should be held up as an icon for the TB industry. With as many fat cats as we have in California, none of them have stepped up to the plate like him.

When I was at the Emerald Downs yearling sale last year the Tolletts told me that an Indian tribe owns the land under the track, and that horsemen were hopeful they would take over racetrack operations. Any developments along these lines?

[Bill from WA]

The land is owned by the Muckleshoot Tribe. Negotiations are ongoing. The tribe has been very supportive in augmenting purses, and so far it has been a good collaboration, even though the tribal casino is only a long stone's throw from the track.
The Dedomenico's have long been avid supporters of racing up here. Mark's father, Paskey, was a boon to local racing, and a wonderful guy.
Paskey owned Mission Macaroni Company (Rice-A-Roni) which he moved from San Francisco to Seattle. Quaker Oats bought the company out in 1986.

Bill

[CA Michael]

Too bad Dr. Dedomenico doesn't return to California. San Francisco needs a treat!

[geowarrior]

Washington needs him more, and needs more treats horse-racing wide.

Bill interesting that you have picked a filly by Honour and Glory, a sire who is consistently labeled as an overpriced failure by the American Thoroughbred Review.

Are you going to be publishing your mare conduit profile info for the sale anywhere? I'm hoping to attend this year - my first sale - so exciting!

[Bill from WA]

Hi geowarrior

I happen to disagree with the folks at American Thoroughbred Review (which I often do), but everyone has, and is entitled to, an opinion.
Honour And Glory was the leading Freshman sire in his debut year, is the sire of Champion Caressing, and a total of 17 Graded Stakes winners, 35 stakes winners, and 73 stakes horses. His runners have earned over 30 million dollars. In addition to Caressing, he has UAE Derby winner, Blues And Royals, and Hutchinson Stakes winner Keyed Entry. At $12,500 I can hardly call him an overpriced failure, at least in my view. I also feel that he will prove to be a good broodmare sire, being from the same family as Fappiano tracing to the conduit mare Plucky Liege.
I am preparing the WTBA conduit mare profiles for a client, and they will not be published.
I'm sure you will have a great time at the sale.

Bill

[CA Michael]

Bill, I agree with you on both counts. H & G is especially good value now that he's been sold. That little "American Review" outfit is indeed entitled to its opinion, however silly it is. There are plenty of self-appointed gurus in our industry and that is certainly one of them.

[tbrace]

Couldn't agree more, Micheal, on the ATB Review. Buy a computer, read a book, or probably a magazine article, and hey, we are in business.

Hate to be so caustic, but these folks lead some astray, I am afraid.

[magic code]

Personally I think the catalog is pretty sad. Not very many local stallions represented and the produce records of lots of the mares leave a lot to be desired.