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2001 NCHA
Futurity Sales |
By Glory
Ann Kurtz
Prior to the Western Bloodstock
Preferred Broodmare/Stallion
sale, held Dec. 13 during the
NCHA Cutting Futurity, long-time
leading breeder Dan Lufkin of
the Oxbow Ranch, stood before
the crowd, giving a "state of
the economy" speech, but assured
the crowd that horses were still
a good investment.
"The cheapest horses we ever
bought were the most expensive
when we bought them," said
Lufkin.
Either that speech was the
greatest speech ever given, or
it was not needed at all,
because over the next week of
sales, horses sold at a rate
that even surprised the sale
managers. Records were smashed,
with the average of $19,344 on
all horses selling, eclipsing
any average attained by the
sales held during the Futurity
during the previous five years.
Meradas Little Sue, a World
Champion Cutting mare, commanded
an $875,000 price, the most ever
paid for a mare at auction. This
easily surpassed the $695,000
paid for Little Tenina, a figure
that broke all records at the
2000 sales. The average of the
top sale, the Western Bloodstock
Preferred Breeders
Broodmare/Stallion Sale shocked
even the consignors, averaging
$87,714 on the 42 head that
changed hands. This topped the
same sale in 2001 by $23,611 in
the average. Last year the same
sale averaged $64,103 on 60 head
selling.
This year, for the first time
the Western Bloodstock Preferred
Sale was broken down into three
sales - the Broodmare/Stallion
session, the Show Horse Session,
which averaged a whopping
$61,710 on 30 head sold, and the
Yearling session, which averaged
$28,987 on 109 top yearlings. If
one were to add up all three of
those sales, the total would
include 181 horses grossing
$8,694,850 for a $48,038
average.
In fact, all divisions of sale
horses were up this year,
including yearlings, broodmares
and show horses, except for
2-year-olds, which were down
slightly.
It
seemed like the color of the
year was "pink," with red roans
raising interest and bringing
top dollars. This was more than
likely precipitated by the
popularity of the roan horse
Peptoboonsmal this year, with 25
percent of the NCHA Futurity
finals being sired by the Peppy
San Badger stallion.
Peptoboonsmal sired 18 head that
averaged $31,681 during the
sales.
But Peptoboonsmal wasn't the
only one siring red roan horses,
as there were also some sired by
Grays Starlight, Smart Little
Lena and High Brow Cat.
The leading sire of sale horses
was Grays Starlight, with 23
head averaging $52,139, followed
by Smart Little Lena, with 56
head averaging $50,400.
Western Bloodstock was hired by
the National Cutting Horse
Association to handle all sales
on the grounds of the NCHA
Futurity, and this year held
nine separate sales. Phil Rapp
and Dale Segraves continued
having their sales in the
convention center in downtown
Fort Worth, with the Downtown
Preferred Performance Sale
averaging $26,791 on the 56 head
that changed hands. They also
managed the Downtown Festival
Sale, the Downtown Premier
Breeders Sale, and the Downtown
Select 2-Year-Old Sale.
The NCHA Select 2-Year-Old Sale,
managed by the NCHA, featured 77
screened horses, nominated to
the 2003 NCHA Futurity, with 56
changing hands for a $20,739
average, down slightly from last
year when 62 averaged $21,457.
The 50 head that did not make
the screening also sold, with 35
averaging $6,010.
But probably the most exciting
news that seeped out during the
sales, was the fact that several
of the high-selling horses were
going to new buyers in the
industry, including Meradas
Little Sue, which sold to Frank
Vandersloot and his partner
Mitch Jacobs of the Fort Ranch
in Promotory, Utah. They also
purchased another horse for
$100,000. The Fort Ranch has
raised and sold well-bred horses
for years, but when asked about
their purchase, they said they
were "upgrading."
Another new buyer was Karen
Claycomb and her husband, Lloyd,
Crawford, Neb., who purchased
six head for $631,000, including
Linda Mussallem's great cutting
mare Remedy For Sweets for
$300,000. It was interesting to
note that on the list of leading
buyers, one had to go down to
eighth place to find a Texas
buyer.
Money-earning cutting horses
Cutting horses with an earnings
record were in high demand
during this year's futurity
sales. When all was said and
done, 119 head of cutting horses
with earnings grossed $4,957,000
for a $41,655 average, easily
passing the 2000 figures when
189 head grossed $5,450,700 for
a $28,840 average.
However, this year there was a
new wrinkle in the sales of
money-earning cutting horses and
broodmares. One of our
restrictions for being a
"money-earning cutting horse" is
that a mare cannot be carrying a
foal.
This year, there were several
high-selling mares with large
cutting earnings, that were not
in foal - but sold with a host
mare carrying an embryo that had
been flushed from her uterus,
after she had been bred.
Technically, they were not bred
mares and could go on and be
shown, but come next spring,
they would have colts on the
ground.
Of course, those great mares
would never see the nursery, nor
for that matter smell or feed
their new babies, as the carrier
mares would raise the foal.
Therefore, we considered those
mares "cutting horses," as they
were not physically carrying a
colt.
However, since the buyer would
also receive the carrier mare,
along with the embryo, and would
have a colt out of that mare the
following spring, those mares
are also listed in the
"broodmare" category. These
mares are footnoted, however, so
should you wish to subtract them
out of a category, it will be
easy to do.
Leading the money-earning
cutting horse list is Meradas
Little Sue, with $734,122 in
lifetime earnings, which sold
with an embryo by Smart Lil
Ricochet. Following her is
Bowmans Fancy, a mare with
$287,243 in lifetime earnings,
that sold with two embryos by SR
Instant Choice.
The highest-selling
money-earning gelding sold was
Sis Boom Bob, a 1996 gelding by
Bob Acre Doc out of Carlita Lena
with $6,132 in earnings, that
brought a $40,000 bid at the
Downtown Festival Sale.
Consigned by Canyon Creek Ranch,
the gelding was purchased by
John Kratzer.
The highest-selling,
money-earning stallion was
Yellow Roan Of Texas, with
$72,248 in earnings. The
stallion, consigned by Western
States Ranch, sold to Ray and
Jane Jones for $100,000.
Broodmares
A total of 150 broodmares sold
for $5,474,950, averaging
$36,500, well above the $22,626
average on 170 head that sold in
2000. But one must keep in mind
that the broodmares listed in
these figures, included those
high-selling mares that were not
actually in foal themselves, but
had been bred and had a host
mare carrying the embryo.
However, in defense of the
statements about the high prices
paid for broodmares this year,
if those high-dollar mares were
subtracted from the totals and
the total was averaged by the
number sold, the average amount
would still top that of 2000 by
some $2,000.
The highest-selling broodmare,
actually carrying a foal, was CD
Chica San Badger, the 1983
daughter of Peppy San Badger,
bred to SR Instant Choice. The
dam of a leading cutting sire,
CD Olena, was consigned by Bar H
Ranche, Weatherford, Texas, and
purchased by William Gunlock for
$400,000.
Following her was Smart
Starlight, a 1993 daughter of
Smart Little Lena out of Bunnys
Starlight by Peppy San Badger,
bred to Royal Fletch. Consigned
to the Preferrred Breeders
Stallion/Broodmare sale by Bill
and Corinne Heiligbrodt,
Houston, Texas, the mare was
purchased for $162,000 by Elaine
Hall, Weatherford, Texas, the
owner of Peptoboonsmal.
Yearlings
A total of 398 yearlings sold in
six sales, grossing $5,438,000
for a $13,663 average. Yearlings
have not been this expensive
since 1999 when 612 head
averaged $14,058. The average
last year on 563 head was
$12,021.
The sale with the best average
on yearlings was the Western
Bloodstock Preferred Yearling
Sale, where 109 head averaged
$28,987. That was followed by
the Downtown Premier Breeders
Sale where 43 head averaged
$10,379.
While the popular younger
stallions were having much
success with the selling of
their offspring, it was the old
school that topped the yearling
charts.
The high-selling yearling was
Some Reminiscing, a sorrel
daughter of Smart Little Lena
out of some Kinda Playgirl by
Freckles Playboy. The full
sister to NCHA Futurity
Champion, Some Kinda Memories,
was consigned by Rick and Shelly
Mowery, Weatherford, Texas, and
purchased by Carol Ward of
Rancho Murieta, Calif., for
$214,000.
The second high-selling yearling
was Bowmans Little Star, another
Smart Little Lena daughter out
of Bowmans Fancy by Lenas Jewel
Bars, that was consigned by GCH
Land & Cattle Co., Weatherford,
Texas, and purchased by Jeffrey
Matthews, Warsaw, N.C., for
$200,000.
2-Year-Olds
The only division of horses down
from 2000 was the 2-year-olds,
with 176 averaging $14,472. In
2000, 189 averaged $15,030,
which was down from 1999 when
151 averaged $17,278 and 1998
when 144 averaged $18,965.
The Downtown Preferred
Performance Sale featured the
best average, with 47 head
averaging $20,938.
The NCHA Select Futurity Sale
featured 56 head averaging
$20,739. However, after that,
the averages dropped
drastically. The highest-selling
2-year-old was Mo Flo, a
daughter of Mr Peponita Flo out
of The Zacktress by Zack T Wood,
demonstrated by Lee Sellers.
Consigned by Tim Drummond,
Pawhuska, Okla., the filly was
purchased for $185,000 by the Mo
Flo Partners, with Kathy Daughn
signing the ticket.
MillionHeir sale horses
During the Futurity sales, three
yearlings eligible for Wes
Adams' high-dollar MillionHeir
event scheduled for 2003 were
sold, along with 10 mares in
foal to MillionHeir stallions.
The three yearlings grossed
$98,500 for a $32,833 average,
with the highest-selling
yearling being Sassy Little
Playgirl (P), a Paint
breeding-stock filly sired by
Playboysalittlesmart out of
Cross Over Maggie, selling for
$38,000. Consigned by Tom
Loffland, the filly sold to S.
E. Montgomery.
Seven of the 10 broodmares
changed hands, grossing $238,500
for a $34,071 average. All that
sold were in foal to Bodee
Boonsmal.
The highest-selling broodmare
was Nita Lil Lena, a 1987
daughter of Smart Little Lena
out of Nitas Quixote by Doc
Quixote, consigned by S. E.
Montgomery and purchased by
Karen Claycomb, Crawford, Neb.,
for $121,000.
Smart Little Lena Shares
Before the seven shares to Smart
Little Lena sold prior to the
Preferred Breeders
Broodmare/Stallion Session, a
letter from Tommy Manion, who
has been standing Smart Little
Lena, was read. He said that
last year, 90 mares conceived
out of the 99 bred. Fourteen of
those mares were over 20 and 10
of those conceived. He said
Smart Little Lena has strong
semen and is healthy.
He said that last year, Smart
Little Lena got sore in his
stifle and they had the stifle
injected, giving him a week off
of his breeding duties. Other
than that, the stallion has been
bred every week.
Manion said that they are still
collecting semen on a daily
basis, even though the breeding
season is over, and freezing it.
Currently they have 175 frozen
straws that will be used by the
shareholders once Smart Little
Lena can no longer breed. They
are freezing more now,
collecting him twice a week.
A breeding for 2002 sold for
$16,000, while seven shares,
which allowed the owners one
breeding per year, were sold
from $32,500 down to $28,000 per
share, averaging $30,071 per
share.
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