Lousiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association

3/18/08 -

John Franks memorial
two-year-old
in training sale
Administered by Stemmans, Inc.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
at 10 a.m.
Evangeline Downs Paddock

Preview GallopShow
Saturday, March 29, 2008 at 12 p.m.
Evangeline Downs Paddock Opelousas, LA
Two-Year-Olds running through the sale ring are eligible for either the Colt/Gelding or Filly division of the John Franks Memorial Sale Stakes. Each purse, $100,000 guarantee!
For more information, call 1-800-544-6773.

Catalog information available at
www.evangelinedowns.com

3/18/08 - (New Orleans, La.) – The Board of the Directors of the Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association has announced the dates and location for the 2008 Breeders Sales Company of Louisiana, Inc. annual horse sale. The sale is set for September 29-30 and will once again take place at the Ike Hamilton Equine Exposition Center in West Monroe, Louisiana. The 40-acre site is fully climate controlled with 510 stalls all under one roof. The sale will once again be webcast live on the LTBA website at www.louisianabred.com.

Of special interest, beginning this year the sale will be for yearlings only. No mixed session will be held. The entry fee will remain the same ($300) with the minimum commission being increased to $250.

Due to space limitations, the sale will be limited to 450 yearlings which will be accepted on a first come, first served basis. The deadline for entries is July 7, 2008 with consignors’ contracts being mailed June 15.

Interest in accredited Louisiana bred horses is at an all time high. Louisiana racetracks annually generate over $40 million in additional purses with over $12 million reserved for Louisiana-breds and $7.2 million in Breeders Awards. Four Louisiana-bred "Championship" days for nearly $3.5 million are held annually at four different Louisiana racetracks and three restricted state-bred races are offered every day at all four Louisiana tracks. Owner bonuses (purse supplements) in Louisiana offer the most comprehensive incentive awards program in the entire country. The total owner and breeder award payout in 2006 was $20 million with more than $22.6 million being paid out in 2007.

Also new for 2008, in the two sales stakes, the A.L. Erwin Memorial Stakes and the Elge Rasberry Memorial Stakes, purses for horses that were sold in the Breeders Sales Company of Louisiana sale as a yearling will double to $150,000 from the previous amount of $75,000. Non sale horses are eligible to compete for a $50,000 purse in these races.

All accredited Louisiana bred yearlings sold in this sale are eligible for the Bayou State Bonus. This is a $100,000 bonus paid to the owner of any yearling colt or gelding sold in this sale that wins the Louisiana Champions Day Juvenile, the Crescent City Derby and the A.L. "Red" Erwin or the owner of any filly sold in this sale that wins the Louisiana Champions Day Lassie, the Crescent City Oaks and the Elge Rasberry.

About Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association Incentive Program

Three races per day are offered for accredited Louisiana breds at each track each day in Louisiana. Twenty-two percent Breeders' Awards are paid to accredited Louisiana breds finishing first, second or third in any race in Louisiana. Twenty-two percent Breeders' Awards are paid to accredited Louisiana breds finishing first, second or third in any stakes race outside of Louisiana. World Wide Breeders Awards are paid to accredited Louisiana breds finishing first, second or third in any race outside of Louisiana.

3/3/08 - 191 Two-Year-Olds offered in the John Franks Memorial Sale at Evangeline Downs

Opelousas, Louisiana – A total of 191 two-year-olds are being offered in the 6th annual John Franks Memorial Two-Year-Old in Training Sale at Evangeline Downs Racetrack and Casino on Sunday, March 30, beginning at 10:00 am Central time. In addition, there will be a Preview Gallop Show on Saturday, March 29, which will begin at Noon Central time. Both the Sale and the Preview Gallop Show are free and open to the public.

Named for the late Louisiana Oil Baron and Eclipse Award winning Owner/Breeder, the sale offers a pair of $100,000 races restricted to two-year-olds who pass through the sales ring. Last year’s races were won by Swifty Victress & Delta Vixen. Swifty Victress, a Louisiana bred daughter of Macho Uno, defeated the $135,000 Sales topper Iknowulthinkimsexy and ended the season with more than $150,000 in earnings, an almost forty-fold return on her $4,200 purchase price for owner A. Philip Henderson. Delta Vixen, also a Louisiana bred, is a son of A. P. Delta who was purchased by agent Keith Desormeaux on behalf of owner Peter Cantrell for $9,000 and provided that pair with their second victory in as many years in this event as they won the 2006 filly division with the Stormy Atlantic filly Miss Atlantic City.

The effect of racino infused purses in Louisiana is evident not only by the large increase in horses entered for the sale, but by the quality that is being offered. Charlotte Stemmans Clavier, President of Stemmans, Inc., Administrator for the Sale, states “We have two-year-olds from outstanding and commercial sires such as Dixieland Band and More Than Ready, who each command a stud fee of more than $50,000. Other blueblood stallions from Kentucky include Stormy Atlantic, Sky Mesa, and Pleasant Tap who stand for $45,000, $30,000, and $25,000, respectively. More notable sires from Kentucky represented in the sale include Holy Bull, Point Given, Stephen Got Even, and Honour and Glory. Both Holy Bull and Point Given earned Eclipse awards as Horse-of-the-Year during their racing careers and as a sire Holy Bull has also produced a Grade I winner in each of the last four years.

Youngsters by the popular Florida stallions Peace Rules (12.5k), Milwaukee Brew ($10k), and Roar of the Tiger ($6k) a son of legendary sire Storm Cat, are also entered in the sale. Top local sires Wire Me Collect, Leestown,(who has sire a total of 12 youngsters being offered in the sale), Gold Tribute, Abajo, Erlton, and Storm Day are also well represented. Clavier also said “Racing continues on an upward trend in Louisiana in terms of both quality and overall purse structure, Evangeline Downs alone allocated purses of more than $200,000 per race program in both 2006 & 2007 and the breeders and consignors have responded to the growing needs of the horsemen by bringing this high quality group of youngsters together for what we feel is the best two-year-old sale in Louisiana.”

The 2007 sale, the third held at the new facility, saw a total of 211 two-year-olds pass thru the sales ring with 192 sold at an average of more than $9,150.00. The Sales topper was the Count the Time filly Iknowuthinkimsexy at $135,000. After wowing horsemen with a brilliant 21 3/5 quarter-mile workout at Preview Gallop Show the day before, bidding was fevered on the chestnut filly and easily eclipsed the previous year’s sales-topper of $105,000. Iknowuthinkimsexy was purchased by agent James Hudson on behalf of Heligbrodt Stables of Texas. With the growing popularity and length of the Two-year-old Sale, Stemmans Inc. has pushed up the start of the sale two hours to 10:00 am and has also decided not to hold the Paddock mixed sale (held immediately following the two-year-old sale in prior years). Clavier stated “Our focus in firmly on making this the best sale possible and by focusing all of our time and resources on just one sale we feel we can achieve that goal.”

For questions or catalogs: Call 1-800-544-6773

2/9/08 - Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association
Announces Dates and Location of 2008 Yearling Sale

The annual Breeders Sales Company of Louisiana Inc. Yearling Sale sponsored by the Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association will be held September 29 & 30. Due to the number of horses consigned at recent sales, the LTBA has decided to forego the mixed session which traditionally followed the yearling sale. The sale will be limited to 450 yearlings which will be accepted on a first come, first serve basis. Additionally, the minimum sales commission has been increased to $250 per entry. With the number and quality of entries improving annually, the LTBA expects to present the best catalog yet for the 2008 sale.

The sale is returning to the Ike Hamilton Equine Exposition Center located in West Monroe, Louisiana. The 2007 Breeders Sale moved from Louisiana Downs to the “The Ike.” The 40-acre site is a fully climate controlled event-arena, with 510 stalls all under one roof and includes office space with internet service and a pre-sale ring. The facility drew rave reviews from horsemen who appreciated the fact that the event was contained under one roof.

Beginning in 2008, the two sales stakes, the A.L. “Red” Erwin and the Elge Rasberry have introduced significant purse increases for sales graduates. Purses for sale graduates will be $150,000, double the previous amount of $75,000. Non-sales graduates will still be eligible for a purse of $50,000.

All accredited Louisiana bred yearlings sold through this sale are eligible for the Bayou State Bonus. This is a $100,000 bonus to any yearling colt or gelding that wins the Louisiana Champions Day Juvenile, the Crescent City Derby and the A.L. “Red” Erwin or any filly that wins the Louisiana Champions Day Lassie, the Crescent City Oaks and the Elge Rasberry.

The sale will once again be web-cast on the LTBA website at www.louisianabred.com.

10/16/07 - Louisiana Thoroughbred Sales Topper Was $90,000 For Repent Colt

(West Monroe, La.) - The sales topper for the Breeders Sales Company of Louisiana yearling and mixed sales was $90,000 for a bay colt by Repent, out of Pyrite Missy. The yearling portion of the sale grossed $1,275,300 with an average price of $8,559 paid for 149 yearlings.

The sale was held for the first time at the Ike Hamilton Expo Center in West Monroe, Louisiana. For compete results go to /www.louisianabred.com/sales/.

About Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association Incentive Program
Three races per day are offered for accredited Louisiana breds at each track each day in Louisiana. Twenty-two percent Breeders' Awards are paid to accredited Louisiana breds finishing first, second or third in any race in Louisiana. Twenty-two percent Breeders' Awards are paid to accredited Louisiana breds finishing first, second or third in any stakes race outside of Louisiana. World Wide Breeders Awards are paid to accredited Louisiana breds finishing first, second or third in any race outside of Louisiana.

2007 Breeders Sales Company Of Louisiana, Inc. Annual Sale Will Be Webcast

10/11/07 -Louisiana Thoroughbred Sale Attracting Potential Buyers From Outside of the State

(New Orleans, La.) - The Breeders Sales Company of Louisiana, Inc. is reporting interest in their October 15-16 sale from several buyers from outside of Louisiana. The New Orleans office has shipped sales catalogues to Texas, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Florida, Kentucky, North Carolina, Arkansas, Tennessee, Georgia and Virginia. This is in addition to a high-demand for the catalogue from in-state prospects.

"Our phones have not stopped ringing," said Tom Early, secretary and treasurer for the Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association. "This indicates to us that the word is out about Louisiana-bred race horses and the incentive programs that are making them a good investment."

The upcoming thoroughbred horse sale set by the Breeders Sales Company of Louisiana, Inc. has cataloged 431 horses for its Annual Yearling Sale followed by a Mixed Session Sale, set for October 15-16 at the Ike Hamilton Equine Exposition Center in West Monroe, Louisiana.

The Ike Hamilton Equine Exposition Center is a 40-acre site that has a fully climate controlled event-arena, with 510 stalls all under one roof. The ultra-modern facility includes office space with Internet service and a pre-sale ring to accommodate the sale and the staff. Hotels and restaurants are located nearby making the center location accommodating to horsemen traveling for the sale.

A total of 274 yearlings will be offered the first day, and 157 broodmares, horses of racing age, and weanlings will be offered the second day.

To access an online catalog, click here: www.louisianabred.com/sales/index.shtml

About Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association Incentive Program
Three races per day are offered for accredited Louisiana breds at each track each day in Louisiana. Twenty-two percent Breeders' Awards are paid to accredited Louisiana breds finishing first, second or third in any race in Louisiana. Twenty-two percent Breeders' Awards are paid to accredited Louisiana breds finishing first, second or third in any stakes race outside of Louisiana. World Wide Breeders Awards are paid to accredited Louisiana breds finishing first, second or third in any race outside of Louisiana.

10/9/07 - There’s Money To Be Made With An Accredited Louisiana Bred Thoroughbred Race Horse

(New Orleans, La.) – The top 15 leading accredited Louisiana-bred money winners have earned in excess of $12 million. Three of the top 15 started in 2007 with one, Costa Rising, breaking the one mile track record at Evangeline Downs finishing 12 lengths ahead of the field.

“Our program is getting stronger every year,” said Warren Harang, president of the Board of Directors for the Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association. “Our product has improved along with the incentive program and purse structure for accredited Louisiana-bred horses.”

The upcoming thoroughbred horse sale set by the Breeders Sales Company of Louisiana, Inc. has cataloged 431 horses for its Annual Yearling Sale followed by a Mixed Session. The annual sale will take place October 15-16 at the Ike Hamilton Exposition Center in West Monroe, Louisiana.

A total of 274 yearlings will be offered the first day, and 157 broodmares, horses of racing age, and weanlings will be offered the second day.

“People can make a good living in our industry now,” said Harang. “The costs related to breeding, training and the care of horses is reasonable in Louisiana. Combine that with four racetracks, year-round racing and top service providers and you can see why we are becoming such a successful business.”

“An added bonus for purchasing an accredited Louisiana bred yearling in this sale is eligibility for the Bayou State Bonus,” said Harang. This is a $100,000 bonus paid to the owner of any yearling colt or gelding sold in this sale that wins the Louisiana Champions Day Juvenile, the Crescent City Derby and the A.L. "Red" Erwin or the owner of any filly sold in this sale that wins the Louisiana Champions Day Lassie, the Crescent City Oaks and the Elge Rasberry.

About Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association Incentive Program
Three races per day are offered for accredited Louisiana breds at each track each day in Louisiana. Twenty-two percent Breeders' Awards are paid to accredited Louisiana breds finishing first, second or third in any race in Louisiana. Twenty-two percent Breeders' Awards are paid to accredited Louisiana breds finishing first, second or third in any stakes race outside of Louisiana. World Wide Breeders Awards are paid to accredited Louisiana breds finishing first, second or third in any race outside of Louisiana.

10/8/07 - Stakes Winning Breeders Sales Company of Louisiana Graduates Prove to Be Good Investments

(New Orleans, La.) – The investment potential of Louisiana-bred thoroughbreds has seen a dramatic increase with the Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association incentive program. When coupled with Louisiana racetracks that generate annually over $40 million in additional purses with over $12 million reserved for Louisiana-breds and $7.2 million in Breeders Awards, the rate of return for owners and breeders has created a viable investment market for new and established breeders and owners.

“New owners and breeders are a welcome addition to the horsemen who have spent decades nurturing the industry even during lean times,” said Tom Early, secretary and treasurer for the Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association. “The incentive program and racetrack purse money has re-energized our industry.”

The top ten Breeders Sales Company of Louisiana, Inc. stakes winning graduates earned over $3.5 million in their racing careers with five of the top ten becoming Louisiana Champions. The total purchase price for all top ten graduates was $165,500. The number one graduate, Witt Ante, was purchased for $8,500 and earned over $600,000 in his racing career.

“Our established breeders are good guides for anyone who is interested in getting involved with the race horse business,” said Early. “Our sale is the best way to find some of the top horses that Louisiana breeders are producing.”

9/28/07 - Yearlings Sired by Stallions on Top 100 Worldwide General List in Breeders Sales Company of Louisiana Sale
(New Orleans, La.) – Breeders Sales Company of Louisiana, Inc. will offer a total of 431 horses at its Annual Yearling Sale followed by a Mixed Session, a review of the yearlings shows top breeding in several prospects. The sale is set for October 15-16 at the Ike Hamilton Equine Exposition Center in West Monroe, Louisiana.

Louisiana racetracks annually generate over $40 million in additional purses with over $12 million reserved for Louisiana-breds and $7.2 million in Breeders Awards. Four Louisiana-bred "Championship" days for nearly $3.5 million are held annually at four different Louisiana racetracks and three restricted state-bred races are offered every day at all four Louisiana tracks. Owner bonuses (purse supplements) in Louisiana offer the most comprehensive incentive awards program in the entire country. The total owner and breeder award payout in 2006 was $20 million.
Top 100 Sires on the Worldwide General List include top 20 ranked sires Broken Vow and Mutakiddim. Other top 100 sires are Honor and Glory, Quiet American, Tiger Ridge, Stormin Fever, Deputy Commander, Devil His Due and Leestown who is also a Louisiana-based stallion. Van Nistelrooy has one offspring in the sale and is ranked number two on the Second Crop Sire List.
Top-ten ranked Louisiana stallions in the state with offspring in the sale are Afternoon Deelites, Leestown, Count the Time, Sefapiano, Rodeo, Zarbyev, Gold Tribute and Ide.
A total of 274 yearlings will be offered the first day, and 157 broodmares, horses of racing age, and weanlings will be offered the second day.

All accredited Louisiana bred yearlings sold in this sale are eligible for the Bayou State Bonus. This is a $100,000 bonus paid to the owner of any yearling colt or gelding sold in this sale that wins the Louisiana Champions Day Juvenile, the Crescent City Derby and the A.L. "Red" Erwin or the owner of any filly sole in this sale that wins the Louisiana Champions Day Lassie, the Crescent City Oaks and the Elge Rasberry.

8/25/07 - The Breeders Sales Co. of Louisiana Inc. has cataloged 431 horses for its Louisiana annual mixed sale, set for October 15-16 at the Ike Hamilton Equine Exposition Center in West Monroe, Louisiana.

(New Orleans, La.) - The Breeders Sales Company of Louisiana, Inc. has cataloged 431 horses for its Louisiana annual mixed sale, set for October 15-16 at the Ike Hamilton Equine Exposition Center in West Monroe, Louisiana.

A total of 274 yearlings will be offered the first day, and 157 broodmares, stallions, horses of racing age, and weanlings will be offered the second day.

First-crop sires with yearlings to be offered include Alke, Cuvee, Doctor Mike, Promissory, Scrimshaw, Sikorsky, and Whiff of Indy. Leading sires of Louisiana-breds, including Leestown, Zarbyev, Finest Hour, Gold Tribute, Ide, and Storm Day, will also be represented by yearlings in the sale.

Last year, a Salt Lake filly and a Grand Slam colt each sold for $100,000, marking the first time a Louisiana-bred yearling has sold for a six-figure price at a Louisiana sale. Overall, 259 of 323 horses offered at last year’s sale sold for total receipts of $2,080,150, an average price of $8,031 and median of $3,500.

Louisiana racetracks generate annually over $40 million in additional purses over $12 million reserved for Louisiana-breds and $7.2 million in Breeders Awards. Four Louisiana-bred “Championship” days for nearly $3.5 million held annually at four different Louisiana racetracks and three restricted state-bred races are offered every day at all four Louisiana tracks. Owner bonuses (purse supplements) in Louisiana offer the most comprehensive incentive awards program in the entire country. The total owner and breeder award payout in 2006 was $20 million.

All accredited Louisiana bred yearlings sold in this sale are eligible for the Bayou State Bonus. This is a $100,000 bonus to any yearling colt or gelding that wins the Louisiana Champions Day Juvenile, the Crescent City Derby and the A.L. “Red” Erwin or any filly that wins the Louisiana Champions Day Lassie, the Crescent City Oaks and the Elge Rasberry.

Louisiana's racing and breeding industry plays an important role in the state's economic well-being and contributes a significant source of state revenue. The combined impact of both racing and breeding and their related industries generate nearly $930 million annually and employs nearly 9,000 people.

Held the past several years at Louisiana Downs in Bossier City, Louisiana, the sale is shifting about 80 miles away to the Ike Hamilton Expo Center, a new climate-controlled, self-contained facility with 500 stalls.

7/28/07 - LA BRED $330,000 Pleasant Tap Colt tops Fasig-Tipton Texas yearling auction. LA BREDS commandeered the top three prices.

The Fasig-Tipton Texas yearling auction ended its two-day run Tuesday at Lone Star Park with increases in its gross revenue, average price, and median price even though it sold fewer horses than a year ago. Contributing to the upswings were a Pleasant Tap colt that brought $330,000, the highest price ever for a yearling sold by Fasig-Tipton in Texas, and buyer enthusiasm generated by slots-enhanced purses in nearby Louisiana.

"It was a good sale," said Boyd Browning, Fasig-Tipton's chief operating officer and executive vice president. "The three top-priced horses were all Louisiana-breds, so clearly this has evolved and has continued to evolve into a regional marketplace, not just a Texas sale. There is an extremely strong purse structure in Louisiana, and a good thing to have today is a Louisiana bred."

Another factor in the auction's increases, according to Browning is that yearling-to-juvenile pinhookers, whose profits fell earlier this year, are searching harder for bargains.

"Pinhookers are looking at more and more sales," he explained, "and they are going back to some of their roots. They're shopping at a few more price levels and, as a result, we had good pinhooker participation from Ocala (Fla.) at this sale."

Florida pinhookers Robert and Mary Harris, as agents, purchased the $330,000 Pleasant Tap colt. The previous Fasig-Tipton Texas yearling sale record was the $150,000 brought by Driving Hennesy, a colt by Hennessy, in 2000.

"We just really liked him," Robert Harris said. "He has the whole package. He's a big, strong colt with a lot of muscle. He has a real good way of moving and walking, and his sire has done well as a stallion. It's not that he wasn't expensive, but even with the Keeneland September sale coming up, we didn’t know how many more shots we would get to buy a horse of his quality at that price."

Harris added that the dark bay or brown colt reminded him and his wife of this year's Santa Anita Derby (gr. I) winner Tiago, a Pleasant Tap colt that the Harrises prepared for racing. They also worked with Tiago's half-brother, 2005 Kentucky Derby (gr. I) winner Giacamo, when he was a young horse.

The sturdy colt is out of the 16-year-old Distinctive Pro mare Tensie's Pro, who captured the 1994 Sagamore Hill Stakes at Saratoga and finished second or third in four other added-money events that year. He is a half-brother to five winners, including E Z's Gentleman, who broke his maiden at six furlongs on Aug. 19. E Z's Gentleman defeated Colonel John by a half-length at Del Mar. Other members of the $330,000 yearling's family include grade I winners Miss Oceana and Film Maker and French group I winner Kitwood.

Tommy Eastham and Mark Toothaker's Legacy Bloodstock consigned the sale-topping colt. Randel Stutes and Glen Gilbert are his breeders.

“He was good horse; he did everything we asked him to do," Eastham said. "He was a real solid horse for us. He was popular coming into the sale. He had a lot balance and a lot of class. He just stood out. Being a Louisiana-bred sure made him more attractive, but the physical and his class are what got that price. Louisiana-breds are very popular now with the program they have going on (in the state)."

Two other horses sold Tuesday for six-figure amounts and were the auction's second- and third-highest-priced yearlings. An Even the Score -- Willailla colt went to California storage mogul B. Wayne Hughes for $145,000. Inside Move, agent, consigned the yearling. An Indian Charlie -- Ballagren colt brought $130,000 from Richard and Karen Papiese. Elysian Bloodstock, agent for Green Jean Farm, was the yearling's consignor.

The sale's most expensive filly, a $77,000 daughter of Rainmaker out of the Tabasco Cat mare Namora, was sold by JLC Horses to Leprechaun Racing, agent, on Monday.

2/26/07 - The Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association recently announced that the annual Breeders Sales Company of Louisiana Inc. Yearling Sale followed by a mixed session will move from its previous Louisiana Downs, Bossier City location to the Ike Hamilton Equine Exposition Center located in West Monroe, La. This move comes as a result of circumstances and expense associated with limited space and stall availability and other matters.

The Ike Hamilton Equine Exposition Center first opened in August of 2001. The 40-acre site is a fully climate controlled event-arena, with 510 stalls all under one roof and includes office space with internet service and a pre-sale ring.

“The West Monroe location is an ultra-modern facility under one roof that everyone will appreciate. I think it will be a great sale and I look forward to the Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association coming in for the sale,” said manager of the Ike Hamilton Center, Ramona Martin. “The facility is safe for the horses, and the center is very convenient to get to, with great hotels and restaurants nearby.”

In 2006, the Breeders Sales Company of Louisiana yearling sale set record highs when a filly by Salt Lake and a colt by Grand Slam each sold for $100,000 -- the first time in the history of the sale that a horse has sold for a six-figure amount. A total of 186 horses sold for $1,880,900 for a 51% increase from 2005 when 163 horses sold for $1,242,250. The average per horse topped out at $10,112, a 32 % increase when compared to $7,652 in ‘05.

The Breeders Sales Company of Louisiana also announced as an added incentive for buyers at the sale, hotel rooms for everyone purchasing a yearling for a price of $10,000 or more will be paid for by the sales company.

Louisiana Sale Has Record Price, Upswing in Figures
Date Posted: October 3, 2006
Last Updated: October 3, 2006
COURTESY OF THE BLOOD HORSE
CLICK HERE TO SEE ALL RESULTS
The Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association's annual yearling sale had not only its first six-figure horse Oct. 2, but a colt and filly that sold for $100,000 each. They helped the auction show increases in gross, average, and median.

A filly by Salt Lake and a colt by Grand Slam brought $100,000 apiece from Clifford Grum, who was represented in the bidding by trainer Cecil Borel.

During the day, 186 horses were sold for $1,880,900, a whopping 51% increase in gross from the previous year when 163 yearlings brought $1,247,250. Another 45 hips Oct. 2 were listed as not sold.

This year's average was $10,112 and the median was $5,000, up 32% and 11%, respectively, from the 2005 figures of $7,652 and $4,500.

"People are realizing racing is good in Louisiana," LTBA executive director Tom Early said. "There is good money here, with purses up at every track, which we all know is because of slots.

"A buyer can come here and buy a horse and expect a reasonable return on his money, which is what we've been working on for a long time."

Early said it was first time a Louisiana-bred yearling had ever brought six figures at a Louisiana sale.

Grum, of Diboll, Texas, paid the amount for two yearlings that sold just a few moments apart. First, he went to $100,000 for the Salt Lake filly, consigned by Brehon Farm as agent for the filly's breeder, Cynthia Hutton. The filly is out of the winning Taylor's Falls mare Kathie's Sister and is a half-sister to Kathie's Sibling (by Cutlass Fax), a stakes-placed earner of $161,710.

The Grand Slam colt is the first foal produced from the Kissin Kris mare Lady's Kiss. The colt's dam is a half-sister to three stakes winners, two of whom are now mares that have produced stakes winners by Kissin Kris. He was bred in Louisiana by Summer Hill Equine and sold by Brehon Farm as agent for Summer Hill Farm.