All eyes on Brachetto ahead of Downs’ yearling sale

While Brachetto is at Woodbine attempting to become the first Manitoba-bred horse to win the King’s Plate on Saturday, a yearling colt out of his winning half-sister Aramon will be busy preparing to strut his stuff in the annual Manitoba CTHS Yearling Sale on Thursday.

And whether his famous relative wins or loses the 167th running of the $1-million event, he is sure to attract much attention.

Owned and bred by Manitoba veterinarian Dr. Ross McKague and wife Brenda, Brachetto became one of three Manitoba-breds to win a graded stakes when he claimed the Marine Stakes (G3) at Woodbine on June 27. The others were million-dollar earner and 2018 Canadian Champion Older Mare Escape Clause, bred by Cam Ziprick and Arnason Farms, and Misty Drone, bred by Phil Kives, who won the 1986 Comely Stakes at Aqueduct in New York.

Named Catawba, Brachetto’s relative is Hip no.7 in the yearling sale, and joins 47 others that will be offered at 3:30 on Thursday at the sales pavilion in the Assiniboia Downs backstretch. There will be others attracting attention too, including Hip #12, a half-brother to Escape Clause by Speculating; Hip #18, who is out of multiple champion mare Hidden Grace, and also sired by Speculating; and Hip #34, a gelding named No Bro by top Manitoba sire Nonios out of local overnight stakes winner Purrsistent.

Catawba is by Vosburgh Stakes (G2) winner Following Sea, who finished third in the 2021 Breeders’ Cup Sprint, so his pedigree features a perfect blend of stamina from his dam and speed from his sire. His second dam Colorino is a four-time winner of over $200,000 and has produced an amazing nine winners including local stakes winners Marselan and Viognier, along with the Brachetto.

“Isn’t he gorgeous?” said McKague. “He’s a big horse and he’s a developing horse, with a really nice temperament. And he’s only ever been in the barn for the last two months of his life. Last winter he was raised out in the big acre pens they’ve got for the yearling colts. Free choice second-cut alfalfa. It was 40 below and they were out there all winter. Brachetto was here until he was almost two years old, in my backyard.”

McKague says the outdoor upbringing is the point.

“We kill horses with kindness. You can’t stick a young horse in a barn, steamy, with other horses coughing. When they’re outside like that, there’s no self-respecting virus alive out there.”

Manitoba horses are raised tough, as are their breeders.

There are 48 yearlings this year compared to 40 last year and 28 the year before. Local breeders have been pouring money into new mares thanks to a new incentive program sponsored by CTHS Manitoba/Saskatchewan and the Manitoba Jockey Club. There were 11 dams with first foals in the 2025 sale and there are 13 more new dams in this year’s sale, resulting in 24 new or different bloodlines to keep the Manitoba-bred pedigrees lively here. There are 15 sires represented in this year’s sale led by Speculating (16 yearlings), Nonios (10), Ami’s Holiday (4) and Following Sea (3).

Other Manitoba sires in the sale include Kentucky Bear, sire of Manitoba-bred Horse of the Year No Show No Call; Seattle Serenade; a leading third crop sire in Canada who has relocated to Manitoba; and former leading Manitoba sire Vengeful Wildcat. Sires from outside Manitoba include Ontario-based Canadian champion three-year-old Amis Gizmo; multiple Grade 1 winner Gufo (now relocated to Kentucky); Alberta sire Tap Master, a son of leading sire Tapit; Oklahoma sires and Grade 3 winners Code West and Uncle Vinny; Kentucky sires Jimmy Creed, who has sired the winners of over $41 million; and 2022 Belmont Stakes (G1) winner Mo Donegal.

There’s something for everyone at this year’s sale, and as always, there will be a few bargains that go unnoticed.

The best bargain in the history of the sale was Canadian champion Escape Clause in 2015, who sold for $5,000 and earned over $1 million, but there have been many more. Fancy As ($670,092 in earnings) sold for $3,200 in 1999. Dawn Edition ($224,270) didn’t even reach her reserve of $1,000 in 1999. Mechanic Susie ($222,785) was purchased for $1,000 in 2021.

The McKagues will be in Woodbine on Saturday to watch Brachetto, but will be back in time for the sale.

“I wasn’t too excited before, but they’ve kind of used us as a big promo,” said McKague. “There are all these articles saying he’s got a big shot. I said you might as well add 20 pounds to the poor horse’s saddle. Somebody asked me how the horse was doing. I said, the horse is good.

“It’s me that’s going to have to take his GastroGard.”