Also, Preferred Equine set a new sale benchmark for consignor earnings with more than $11.5 million in sales through the first four days.

story by Dave Briggs, quotes by James Platz

Through the first four sessions, the Lexington Selected Yearling Sale is in striking distance of setting a new record for average with one final session on tap tonight (Oct. 4) at the Fasig-Tipton sales pavilion.

Through four days, 771 yearlings have grossed $61,041,000 to average $79,171 per horse sold. The average is down 3.6 per cent from the record average through the first four sessions of $80,795 set in 2022. This year’s cumulative gross is also the second best total through the first four days, behind only the $63,458,000 set at this point in 2023. It’s important to note that 44 fewer horses have been sold this year by this point compared to the first four sessions in 2023.

However, Thursday’s (Oct. 3) session alone was a record-breaker. The session saw 208 yearlings go through the sales ring to gross $5,869,000 for an average of $28,216 per horse. The median was $22,000 and one horse sold for $100,000 or more. The gross was an all-time record for a fourth session. The average was the second-best ever behind the $30,159 reached in 2022.

“[Thursday] was exceptionally strong, in my opinion, especially year-over-year after last year,” said sale co-manager David Reid. “[Wednesday] was a little flat over last year, but maybe there’s some reason that the horses flip-flopped last year to this year, but [Thursday] was very energetic.

“The auctioneers did a great job, there was a great pace in there today. We had several new faces around here today and you could see it on the sheets for the buyers. That’s always refreshing. Rhythm is an important part of the auction and I thought the boys did a great job today and the bidders did a great job coming back. It was a great session today.”

It was also a great session for Reid’s Preferred Equine. The sales agency established a new Lexington sale record for consignor gross sales and there’s still one more session to go. So far, Preferred has grossed $11,546,000 for 136 yearlings sold to average $84,897 through the first four sessions. Preferred previously set the consignor gross record in 2022 with total sales of $11,261,000 for 145 sold.

“That’s something to be really proud of,” Reid said. “We couldn’t do it without the horses. As I said all week long, it’s really a tribute to the breeders, especially for Preferred because we have the most diverse consignment from a representation point of view of any consignment.

“I just think it’s great to lead by example, but to see all the farms buying into the prepping and the matings and the mares and thinks like that… it takes a lot of effort on a lot of levels, to get the kind of success that you’re seeing and I’m just happy that it’s happening for them.

“It’s an important stepping stone for the industry, just being able to churn the money – from the purse money and back into the yearling sales. Come this fall, there will be a lot of trade on the mares and matings, so it’s an important week for the industry and we’ve fulfilled what we were expecting so far and to close it up tomorrow night.”

Preferred also led all consignors in gross sales for Thursday’s session alone with $1,306,000 earned for 37 yearlings.

Kentuckiana Farms also had a great fourth session with sales of $928,000 for 34 sold. Through four sessions, Kentuckiana ($8,831,000) has a slight edge over Hunterton ($8,384,000) in gross sales.

By average, Hanover Shoe Farms still leads despite selling only on the first two days. Hanover averaged $216,308 per yearling. All American Harnessbreds is second with an average of $170,000 for six sold. Cameo Hills is third with an average of $127,429 for 28 sold.

THE GOOSE PRINCESS TOPS DAY 4

Topping the fourth session was the lone six-figure purchase, Hip #759 The Goose Princess, a Muscle Mass filly out of Golden Goose purchased by Determination for $120,000 out of the Preferred consignment.

Spring Haven Farm sold one of the two yearlings that sold for $90,000 on Thursday when Hip #632 Over Bet, a Bettors Delight colt out of Sadayo Hanover was purchased by trainer Tony Beaton.

“We’ve had a very good sale,” said Spring Haven’s Senena Esty. “We’ve gotten dinged a bit for the dual-eligibility situation. Most of ours are raised in Ohio. We have our own farm, so we take a little bit of a hit there. That’s one area where we’ve been trying to really watch to see if it’s worth sending some of your mares down. The costs are a lot different in Ohio and, again, we own our own farm. So, is it an advantage to have your horse… pay the extra board, pay everything, not have your costs?”

Esty said she was looking forward to tonight’s (Oct. 4) final session featuring mostly Midwest horses.

“We’re very strong with Indiana, especially our Swan For Alls, so please come and see us,” Esty said. “If you want a Swan For All, you’ve got to come here.

“We have a really nice Catch The Fire… we have several good Ontario-bred McWickeds to offer. We have a good Rockin Image, an Indiana bred, so we’re excited. We’re very strong in Indiana and Ontario.”

BONI: SALE SEEMS IMMUNE FROM MOST ECONOMIC CONDITIONS

Freshly-minted Hall of Famer Bob Boni of Northwood Bloodstock said the Lexington sale seems to be immune from most economic conditions and that speaks to the strength of the catalog.

“It’s a good horse sale, it’s really always a good horse sale,” Boni said. “The only thing that affects our market, to me, is some out-of-the-business — and not economic — disaster, be it 9/11 or COVID, the stock market crash of ’08. Even then, I don’t think it affected [the Lexington sale] as much as Harrisburg. In a funny way, it seems like it’s sort of insulated from what else goes on in the world. It doesn’t seem to affect the guys from buying a good horse that can afford to buy a good horse. The bidding is stronger every year. The good horses always sell well.”

Boni said Northwood “didn’t have a lot of power” this year in Lexington, but he was pleased to have sold Hip #70 Bay On The Beach, an Always B Miki colt out of Beach Gal for $250,000 on Day 1 to Michael Gagnon.

“That colt is beautiful, as nice a pacing colt as I’ve had in a very, very long time,” Boni said. “There was a lot of interest in him.”

Spring Station’s Josh Green and Sasha Moczulski said they were happy with their second year selling horses in Lexington.

“All things considered, for this being our second year, I think we’ve done really well,” Moczulski said. “This is a great sale to sell our yearlings at and to have as many as we did sell the first night and as many throughout the sale, that was a great feat.

“We started out with 12 last year and we had 33 this year. Our sale will increase next year, so, all things considered, I’m really happy with the way things are going.”

Green said, “Very pleased. It’s been a good week. We made a lot of contacts. The biggest thing I’m excited for is all of the quality trainers that have purchased our horses and help support the mares that we have. We always evaluate at the end of the season about where we feel we need to upgrade. I do feel that in the pipeline each year we should keep having just a better quality consignment.”

Through the first four sessions, the team of Andrew Harris and Bill Pollock still lead the buyers’ standings with $5,115,000 spent, total, to take home 15 yearlings — all purchased in the first two sessions. Nancy Takter is second with total purchases of $2,597,000 for 23 yearlings, followed by Tony Alagna ($2,254,000 for 27 yearlings) and Ake Svanstedt ($2,127,000 for 12).

STILL NO CHANGE IN TOP SIRES

There is still no major change in the sire leaderboard through four days. It is as follows:

• Walner — $8,936,000 for 51 sold ($175,216 average).

• Chapter Seven — $7,581,000 for 50 sold ($151,620).

• Muscle Hill — $4,349,000 for 35 sold ($124,257).

• Gimpanzee — $4,089,000 for 42 sold ($97,357).

• Captaintreacherous — $3,867,000 for 42 sold ($97,071).

• Tactical Landing — $3,248,000 for 37 sold ($87,784).

• Perfect Sting — $3,159,000 for 46 sold ($68,674).

Tonight’s (Oct. 4) final session begins at 7 p.m. at Fasig-Tipton.

“We’re really looking forward to [Friday] night,” Reid said. “You have a bit of a sprinkle of Indiana eligibles and then you have some good individuals where maybe the pedigrees have gotten a little older from other jurisdictions, so we’re really coming into [Friday] night thinking there’s no reason it won’t be a good session. We have the individuals to back it up and that’s the important thing to drive this market.

“We’re stronger this year from Downbytheseaside in my point of view. The other sires out there have had respectable years, in my opinion. The trotting side, you’re going to throw in the Ready For Monis, there’s a fair amount of them tomorrow. Then, we’ve got some In Ranges and I think both of them are going to be received well and that’s on top of the sires that have been leading the way out there.”