There are nearly 250 yearlings catalogued to the Texas Summer Yearling and Horses of Racing Age Sale on Aug. 30 at Lone Star Park, it was announced Wednesday. The auction is a joint production of the Texas Thoroughbred Association and Lone Star Park. It will begin at 10 a.m. Central. 

The TTA also announced plans for a Texas Thoroughbred Sales Derby in 2023, likely with two divisions at Sam Houston. 

The yearling catalog is the largest for the state since 2016. 

"We’ve seen some solid growth over the past few years, despite the challenges of the health pandemic, and now we’ve really hit a milestone this year," Tim Boyce, the sales director, said in a press release. "We have several new consignors for this sale, and the sire power is stronger than I can ever remember seeing here.”  

The catalogue includes a trio of 2-year-olds as part of the racing age portion. 

"Texas racing and breeding have been on the upswing thanks to the Horse Industry Escrow Account authorized by the Texas legislature, which has helped boost purses and breeding incentives,” Mary Ruyle, executive director of the TTA, said in a press release. “That in turn has increased interest in our sales and allowed us to develop a consignor rebate program. We are also pleased to introduce the Texas Thoroughbred Sales Derby to be run in 2023 to complement the very popular Texas Thoroughbred Sales Futurity.”  

The details of the Texas Thoroughbred Sales Derby are still being finalized, but plans are for two divisions with an estimated purse of $75,000 each at  Sam Houston. The Texas Thoroughbred Futurity currently offers two divisions with a purse of $100,000 each at Lone Star. The races cater to sales graduates. 

The catalog can be found at www.ttasales.com.