Mia Corona (SH photo July 10) sold for $530,000 to top the second day of the Ruidoso Select Quarter Horse Yearling Sale. The First Down Dash daughter was consigned by her breeder Julianna Hawn-Holt and purchased by Gary McKinney of Midland, TX.
Results from the second day of the sale reflected impressive gains from the first night, Friday, August 29. The average price on Saturday, August 30, excluding RNAs, was up 14.3 percent over the second day of the 2007 sale. The average price of $50,325 rose from $44,037 in 2007, and the 152 yearlings that passed through the ring on the second day brought $7.4 million, up 21.9 percent, from $6.1 million on 142 head sold in 2007.
The top end of the market was particularly strong with the number of yearlings bringing bids of $100,000 or higher up by 14.3 percent; the number that brought bids of $50,000 or more increased by 36.8 percent.
Mia Corona is out of Corona Chick, former champion 2 and 3-year-old, as well as 1997 Broodmare of the Year. All American Futurity winner Corona Cash and Texas Classic Futurity winner Valiant Hero, are full siblings to Mia Corona; Los Alamitos Futurity winner and leading sire Corona Cartel is Mia Corona’s half-brother.
“She looks and acts more like her mother than any of the other babies that we have raised out of her,” said Hawn-Holt’s breeding manager Benny Greathouse of Mia Corona, who like all of her siblings is a single issue, carried to term by Corona Chick
Hawn-Holt, who does not use the embryo transfer process in her breeding program, has topped or been among the leading consignors to the Ruidoso Yearling Sale for the past decade. Mia Corona’s full brother, Mighty Corona, owned by Hawn-Holt, is a finalist in Monday’s $1.9 million All American Futurity. Holt and her husband Peter own the San Antonio Spurs basketball team.
Kas I Know, consigned by Ed Calvert, was the second high seller on Saturday night at $265,000, on a bid from agroup of five partners, including Calvert. The son of Corona Cartel is out of champion 3-year-old filly Cash For Kas, winnerof the 2004 Champion Of Champions.