Big Crowd for Bonsal Horse Auction

The quarter horse racing industry descended on the tiny town of Bonsal in northern San Diego County Tuesday for one of its biggest events, the annual auction of yearlings, broodmares and race horses at the Vessels Stallion Farm in the exclusive San Luis Rey Downs resort.

An estimated 1,200 ranchers, horsemen and guests attended Monday’s barbecue and golf tournament, part of the three-day buildup that allowed them to view the 153 horses on sale, some of which went for as much as $80,000. Bidders from around the Western Hemisphere also participated via satellite.

Frank “Scoop” Vessels III, grandson of Los Alamitos Race Course founder Frank Vessels, conducted the sale in conjunction with trainer Blane Schvaneveldt, the all-time leading trainer at Los Alamitos with 38 meet titles.

Vessels halted the family breeding business at Los Alamitos in the early 1980s and moved it to San Luis Rey Downs in 1985. The first sale was four years ago.

Painstaking breeding approaches have made the sale unique, according to racing experts.

“The bloodlines on their horses are some of the most sought-after in the world,” said Walt Wiggins Jr., who runs the horse auction at Heritage Place in Oklahoma City. “Vessels has been very, very dominant in the breeding industry.”

A key to the success in breeding, spokeswoman Debbie McCain said, is the quality of the ranch’s broodmares, some dating to the old Cypress spread next to Los Alamitos. Additionally, she said, champion horses are brought back to the ranch for standing service.

“The Vessels have been in the breeding business for 50 years,” she said. “First Down Dash, who was syndicated in 1994 for $7 million, has babies out there that have won in excess of $13 million.”

The 1995 champion 3-year-old colt, Meter Me Gone, was half-brother to the 1992 champion, 2-year-old Dash Thru Traffic. Dash Thru Traffic, which stands at stud at the ranch, has more than $1 million in earnings.

“There are a lot of breeders out there in this business that have been in it as long as the Vessels have, but they didn’t have the far-sighted goals of breeding that went into the original set of horses,” Wiggins said. “Vessels can trace the strength of its program back to one or two individual horses. That speaks very highly of their original program.”

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Henry Garcia became the 10th jockey to post 1,000 victories Saturday when his mount, Addax, won the $10,000 Daryl Essex Overnight Handicap for 2-year-olds.

Garcia has 56 stakes victories, including the $280,000 Pacific Coast Quarter Horse Racing Assn. Breeders Futurity in 1994 and the $298,356 Golden State Futurity in 1991.

Garcia, who was born in Portugal, also rode champions Heza Fast Man and Griswold.

“He does real well in big races,” trainer Paul Jones said. “He always seems to get a little more out of horses than other riders.”

Garcia ranked 14th nationally among jockeys in 1995, posting earnings of nearly $600,000. He finished in the money 39% of the time, while taking only 309 mounts.

“He’s good getting away from the gate and when the money is down, he’s all business,” Jones said. “He doesn’t mess around.”

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Garcia thinks his chances of winning the track’s top jockey award are good. He, Joe Badilla Jr., Billy Lewis and Kip Didericksen, the current leader, have been battling for the top spot weekly since the meeting began.

“As long as I don’t get hurt, I’m pretty confident about my chances,” Garcia said. “Of course I’d like to win the riding title, but there’s so much time left on the meet that I think it is too early to get excited about the standings.”

Garcia, the top jockey at the track a year ago, earned more than $1 million in 1995 while finishing in the money on half of his 765 mounts.

“I’ll be strong toward the end of the meet,” he said. “I’ve been 15 races behind in the standings and came back to win before, so I’m pretty confident right now.”

Trainer Jones uses Garcia and Badilla on a regular basis.

“Both are real aggressive riders,” Jones said. “They try hard to win every time, whether the horse goes off at 30-1 or even money.”

Notes

Danny Garrett won his 100th race Saturday, the first time that has been accomplished by an Arabian-breed trainer at Los Alamitos. . . The Handbook for Thoroughbred Owners of California is available for $10. The 91-page booklet discusses the basics about owning a horse in the state. To order, call (800) 994-9909. . . The legendary quarter horse Dash For Cash, which was destroyed May 20 after it contracted an equine neurological disease, will be memorialized Aug. 19 in ceremonies at the American Quarter Horse Heritage Center and Museum in Amarillo, Texas. Dash For Cash, which lived to be 23, won 21 of 25 races from 1975 to 1977. But his greatest legacy may be in standing. His foals have earned nearly $37 million, making him the all-time sire of money-winners for the breed. . . The American Quarter Horse Assn. is offering $1,000 scholarships for students who are interested in pursuing careers in the industry. The deadline to apply is Aug. 17. For information, call (806) 376-4888, ext. 362.