All American preparing to sell its last group of yearlings
by Dave Briggs
Last year, All American Harnessbreds announced it was ending its commercial breeding operation on the standardbred side. This year, some of the farm’s final commercial horses will go through the ring.
“These are the weanlings we held over, the foals of ’24 that we held over,” said the farm’s general manager Rob Tribbett.
All American will sell 11 yearlings in Lexington and 20 more at the Standardbred Horse Sales Company auction in Harrisburg, PA in November, then officially close up shop by selling the last of its broodmares – the dozen or so that were barren last year — in the Harrisburg Mixed Sale.
“I’m really happy with the group [of yearlings] that we’re bringing [to Lexington],” Tribbett said. “It’s always a select group that we really pinpointed for this sale and we’re pretty excited to show them to everybody.
“I think we have a really interesting group of the stallions that people want. We have five by Downbytheseaside, we have some Walners. We have a really nice Cattlewash filly. She was something that I thought was such a nice individual that I was going to bring her to Lexington before Cattlewash even really did what he’s done in 2025. That’s Hip #258 and her name is Ranch Water. She’s a first foal filly and it’s a very, very nice filly. Obviously, with what Cattlewash has done with his first crop in Ontario it’s been pretty amazing.”
Tribbett also touted All American’s Downbytheseaside yearlings.
“With the Seasides, we’ve got a brother to Captain Albano and also a brother to Act Fast that we’re selling on the second day,” Tribbett said. “He’s another sire that we believed in and we bred to all the way through and just kind of expecting for what happened to happen. Now that he’s got some of these better mares, he’s really gone off the charts.”
Asked for his pick of the group, Tribbett said, “It’s a little obvious, but the one I really think is an outstanding horse is Hip #111 Captain Cavalier. He would be a Captaintreacherous brother to Nijinksy. He’s a June foal, but he doesn’t look it. He’s very racey and he’s a great mover in the paddock. Nijinsky was certainly one of our favorites, watching him at 3, so it’s exciting to have this colt here in Lexington on the first night.”
Tribbett, who spends more of his time in the thoroughbred industry, said recent thoroughbred sales are an important bellwether for the standardbred auctions.
“In both Saratoga and Keeneland, they were record-breaking sales and I think the two main things are the tax benefits of the bonus appreciation becoming permanent,” Tribbett said. “That certainly helped that cause and led to, in the thoroughbred world, a lot of new investors or returning investors because of those huge tax benefits for Americans.
“The other thing is that it just shows that people want to be involved in racing. It certainly allows them more fun than watching it in a 401K or an investment account. I think that’s something that the harness business has done a great job of, too, with some of our tracks really understanding that it’s about the event on days like Jug Day and Breeders Crown.
“I think that’s something that people really enjoy and, with the spread of the stallions, it also allows different people in different jurisdictions – if you have the best Ohio-bred or New York-bred, there’s still a ton of money and fun to be had. I think it’s something that people have really had fun with racing.”
Tribbett said the tax changes have been hugely positive for the sales.
“The bonus appreciation 100 per cent, it was included in the bill back in 2017 or 2018 that allowed you to depreciate your horse 100 per cent in the first year of purchase,” Tribbett said. “It was phased out and instead now the Big Beautiful Bill made it 100 per cent permanently and that will allow people the amount that they purchased these horses for will be something they can deduct from their income, which a lot of people are seeing as a way to reduce your taxes. It definitely was a driver in the thoroughbred world.”
