Spring Farm looks forward to 2023 CTHS Premier Yearling Sale
Spring Farm team returns from sales ring - 2022 CTHS Premier Yearling Sale
Just before he is about to head out to collect the second cut of hay on his Spring Farm in Granton, ON, Dr. John Brown welcomes the opportunity to talk about his yearling consignment for the 2023 Canadian Premier Yearling Sale, presented by the CTHS Ontario. This year’s auction, held at the Woodbine sale pavilion, is on Wednesday, August 30 beginning at 12 p.m.
Dr. Brown has been breeding and selling horses and standing stallions in Ontario for over 50 years and he is back this year looking forward to presenting a dozen yearlings including nine by his own stallion Big Screen, who is among the leading active sires in Ontario.
Brought to Ontario for the 2015 breeding season, Big Screen is a graded stakes-placed son of Speightstown. He was second in the 2014 Poker Stakes (G3) on turf at Belmont Park. Prior to that effort, he won the 2013 Who’s To Pay Stakes at the same track and placed third in that year’s Poker Stakes. Racing for Dogwood Stable and trainer Thomas Albertrani, Big Screen earned $363,837 from a record of 4-7-1 in 21 starts.
This crop of yearlings by Big Screen is the stallion’s eighth crop. From his first six crops to race of some 87 foals and 63 starters, Big Screen has sired at least 27 winners including 12 already in 2023. He has four stakes horses including stakes winners Sav, Full Screen and Told It All.
Dr. Brown is excited about a handsome bay colt, hip number 66, from the Bold Executive mare Executive Affair. “It’s hard not to be pretty keen on the colt out of Executive Affair, she’s simply a top end mare.” Executive Affair produced multiple stakes winner Cooler Mike, who earned over $600,000 and also Sav, a stakes winner of over $404,000 from Big Screen’s first crop. Last August, Dr. Brown sold a filly from Executive Affair, by Jimmy Creed, for $72,000. That filly, You Be the Judge, finished a strong third in her career debut on July 8.
Dr. Brown, who admits he gets more attached to his horses he raises than he should, says hip number 129 could be one of the stars of the sale. A grey son of Big Screen from the Langfuhr mare Lyndenshire, Dr. Brown calls him “physically outstanding”. The colt is a full brother to Full Screen, who won the Elgin and Lake Ontario Stakes last year and recently was sold to the high-profile team of Gary Barber, Pantofel and Wachtel Stable and trainer Mark Casse. On July 20 in a tough turf allowance race at Saratoga, Full Screen finished a fast closing fifth with a career best 85 Beyer Speed Figure.
“This yearling has got a great temperament,” said Dr. Brown. “He’s muscular and a good size. Just a really nice yearling.” Big Screen has fit right into the Ontario program, says Dr. Brown. “He’s been very consistent, and his foals take after him a lot. They run on grass or dirt like he did, and they have speed. He’s just the right kind of horse for here and we are very happy with him.”
The other Big Screen yearlings in the consignment include a filly from the mare Algoma (hip no. 6), a colt out of Bop to the Top (29), a filly from Dreaming of Candy (61), colts out of Lady Elena (117) and Miss Brown Sugar (143) and fillies from Lady of Moray (119) and My Sweet Emily (160).
Dr. Brown’s three yearlings in his consignment who are not by Big Screen including a Dialed In yearling colt from his Medaglia D’Oro mare Make It Snappy, whose own dam is Grade 1 winner Flashing. He also offers a filly he is excited about by Mucho Man Man - “she’s going to be big” - who is from the Giant Causeway mare Giant Cause. “She has the same pedigree cross as Mucho Gusto, who won the Pegasus World Cup (G1).”
Early in the sale, hip no. 2, is Spring Farm‘s Tapiture filly from Zealous Wildcat. Dr. Brown says the increase in business at last years CTHS Ontario sale was good news for breeders, in particular smaller breeders. The average yearling price was up 28 percent and the media up a whopping 95 percent.
“The sale improved a lot last year and I hope that it at least holds steady this year and keeps the breeders going. We’ve got 12 yearlings to sell, and we like all of them.”