Louisiana-bred Colt by Aurelius Maximus Tops Texas Summer Yearling Sale

The Texas Summer Yearling Sale was held Tuesday at Lone Star Park with the largest catalog of horses since the Texas Thoroughbred Association took over operation of the auction in 2016. This year’s yearling session had 234 head go through the ring with 182 selling for a total of $2,918,100. The average came in at $16,034 and the median was $7,500, which both declined from last year’s smaller catalog of 187. Last year’s total sales were $2,685,200 with an average of $18,910 and median of $13,000.

“We expected the average and median to slip with a bigger catalog this year, so overall we are pleased with the results,” said Foster Bridewell, sales director. “We also had two six-figure horses last year to help boost the numbers as well. We had a big crowd on hand today and the middle and higher end market were strong, and our total sales were up.”

The high seller was hip 130, a Louisiana-bred colt by young stallion Aurelius Maximus that went for $95,000. The April 17 foal sold to Terry Stephens from the consignment of Scott Mallory, agent.

Aurelius Maximus, the leading second-crop sire in the Southwest region, is represented by one of the top horses to come out of the Texas Summer Yearling Sale in recent years in Secret Faith. That 3-year-old Louisiana-bred filly, who sold two years ago for $75,000 to Jayde Gelner from the Red River Farms consignment, is now a seven-time stakes winner with earnings approaching $500,000.

The sale-topping colt this year is out of the stakes-placed Too Much Bling mare Too Much to Bear, who has produced two winners including $99,790-earner Mo Bling.

The high-selling filly was hip 188, an Arkansas-bred filly by Grade 1 winner Yaupon. She is the first foal out of Cara’s Dreamer, a multiple stakes-placed mare by The Factor who earned $259,820. The filly sold to OCL (Abul-Keer Okab) for $87,000 from the consignment of Colin Brennan Bloodstock at Highlander Training Center, agent.

Following the yearling session, a short mixed session was held, topped by the Texas-bred gelding Shanghai Bobby, a 7-year-old with earnings of more than $325,000, selling for $10,000.

Click here for hip-by-hip results, or get PDF yearling results or PDF mixed results.