Lexington sale’s third session up year-over-year
On Wednesday, gross sales of $11.6 million and an average of $50,445 were up 7.9 per cent and 3.2 per cent, respectively, over 2024’s third day numbers. Through three days, the sale has grossed $52,519,000, down nearly 5 per cent from 2024.
story by Dave Briggs, quotes by James Platz
Following a second session that was down compared to 2024, the sales numbers rebounded, somewhat, during the third session of the Lexington Selected Yearling Sale held Wednesday afternoon (Oct. 1) at the Fasig-Tipton sales pavilion.
The gross, average, median and number of horses that sold for $100,000 or more were all up when compared to the third session in 2024.
On Wednesday, 229 yearlings grossed $11,552,000, total, for an average of $50,445 and a median of $40,000. Twenty-eight yearlings sold for six figures. The gross was up 7.9 per cent compared to the 2024 third-session gross of $10,705,000. The average was up 3.2 per cent over the $48,881 reached last year. The median was up 8.1 per cent over the $37,000 median in 2024 when 24 yearlings were sold for $100,000 or more.
However, this year’s gross is down 7.3 per cent compared to the $13,021,000 from the third session in 2023. The average is down 4.3 per cent compared to the ’23 average of $52,717, but the median was the same as two years ago when 29 yearlings sold for $100,000 or more.
Through all three sessions, this year’s auction has grossed $52,519,000, which is down 4.8 per cent from last year ($55,172,000) and off 10.2 per cent from the record sale of 2023 ($58,485,000). The average of $91,977 is down 6.1 per cent from the record of $97,996 set in 2024 and down 4.5 per cent from the three-day average of $96,351 two years ago. The cumulative median of $60,000 is down 3.2 per cent from 2024 ($62,000) and off 7.5 per cent from 2023 ($67,000). So far, 180 horses have sold for $100,000 or more, up from 178 in 2024, but down from 226 in 2023.
“We rebounded nicely this evening and had a great sale,” said co-sales manager Bruce Brinkerhoff. “Pound for pound it was the best night of the auction so far. We look forward to continuing tomorrow and finishing the week strong and we appreciate all the support from the consignors and all the people that participated in bidding and buying.”
Brinkerhoff’s co-manager David Reid said, “The quick way to change your slight downward trend is just to predict we’re going to be down and then we were up today. It was green arrows in gross, average, median, number over $100,000. It shows the meat of the market a little bit and it was straight, right across, balanced in pacers, trotters, fillies and colts today. They were all right around that $50,000 average, which, to me, bodes well because it just shows the strength of the middle market and I’m happy to see that. If there was some worry about where that middle was going to fall and to hold steady at that, year over year.
“The proven sires were strong and the freshman sires were strong. Captain Corey second crop was very good. Overall, I’m very happy with the results as of today.”
Hip #394 Shoreline Station, a Sweet Lou colt out of Seaside Park consigned by Spring Station Bloodstock LLC topped the session with a winning bid of $275,000 by trainer Linda Toscano. The dam is a sister to Captain Optimistic.
“[Shoreline Station is] just an outstanding individual, deep pedigree, current with the same family as Captain Optimistic doing so well,” said Spring Station farm manager Josh Green. “He’s a first foal out of a mare that people know as just a tough, tough filly that raced in Ohio that was better than maybe would have shown on paper. A beautiful colt – twitchy, athletic, just an outstanding individual and maybe one of the best that we’ve sold so far.
“He was my favorite colt in our consignment and we had a lot of people interested in him. I am just absolutely thrilled that Linda Toscano and her team believed in him. We’re actually going to retain a piece of him. She was nice enough to ask us to stay in for a piece with her partnership.”
The only other yearling that sold for $200,000 or more was Hip #395 Hold The Bun, a Captain Corey filly out of Bonnie Lou that sold for $200,000 to Knutsson Trotting Inc. out of the Cameo Hills consignment.
Through three days, Cameo Hills is fifth in gross among consigners with $4,035,000 in sales. With 35 sold, so far, the New York farm is averaging $115,286.
“We’ve had a terrific sale,” said Cameo Hills owner Steve Jones. “I thought coming down here that we probably would. We had nice pages and the right sires, nice individuals, and I would’ve been shocked if we didn’t have a good sale. Somebody asked me before the sale last year how we were going to do and I was probably a little more excited than I should’ve been before the sale and thankfully it worked out last year.
“We expected to have a good sale. The weather has been great and the horses were well-received and we’re very excited.
“I typically don’t have a very tough time selling any colts that I have, but that Venerable colt [Hip #50, Valorous, $575,000] that we sold the first night, I was very attached to that horse. I’ve said many times, that’s the best-looking horse I’ve ever raised, so I felt pretty sure about that. Apparently, the people down here felt the same way. He’s the highest-priced trotting colt sold the first night.
“We also sold a Chapter Seven colt the first night that Jeff Snyder bought that was also an unbelievable looking horse. [Hip #27, Tony Pro, $425,000].”
Speaking of consignors having a great sale, Steve and Cindy Stewart’s Hunterton Farm has topped $10 million in sales though three days ($10,770,000 to be exact) to lead all consignors. Hunterton has sold 84 yearlings, so far, and is averaging $128,214.
“And we’ve got 40 left,” said Cindy. I think 16 on the last day and 24 or 26 [Thursday].
“The one thing we don’t do is, say we’re going to do this or we’re going to do that,” Steve said. “The only comment I made earlier was that when you have half your consignment on the first two days, you’re going to get a pretty good shot of doing pretty well.”
Through three days, Preferred Equine is second in gross with $7,662,000, followed by Kentuckiana Farms ($6,187,000) and Crawford Farms ($4,267,000).
“I’m very happy with Preferred,” said Reid, putting on his sales agency hat. “The customers are happy. You’ll always have a hiccup, but on the other hand there were some good surprises as well. Some of the dual eligible horses made the difference today, but overall, from a Preferred point of view, we’re marching right along and we’re pretty content for sure.”
On the buyer side, Ake Svanstedt leads with $2.5 million spent, total, to purchase 14 yearlings.
“This is the place to go and find the right horses with the select breeding,” said Svanstedt’s wife, Sarah. “There’s so many nice horses to look at, both the fillies and the colts, and the nice families. The fillies, especially, seem to bring high numbers and obviously they have a second chance if they don’t hit on the racetrack, so it’s always fun and interesting. You want to try to find the golden egg. It’s a very joyful environment here.
On Tuesday, the Svanstedts topped the session by purchasing Hip #182 Jimdougie Armitage for $750,000. The colt is a son of the Svanstedts’ Hambletonian champion Captain Corey.
“We looked at him many times on the video and the horse, too,” Sarah said. “It’s the group from Corey that wanted to have the colt. With the pedigree, it’s very interesting and, obviously, he hasn’t had great mares from last year so this year he had a little bit better. It was an expensive one, but let’s hope and fingers crossed that it’s going to work out because I’m so happy that Corey bloomed out. I love him so much. He really put a stamp on his babies, too, so that’s nice to see.”
Sarah said she and Ake are not done buying, yet.
“We’re still looking and going to shop more,” she said. “You’re trying to have at least the number that you’d like to have and then most of the time it ends up more than that. It depends on owners that find something that wasn’t planned or new owners and maybe you saved some money somewhere so you’ll try to put more into the group. We try to buy at least 15 here every year.”
Andrew Harris, agent for Bill Pollock, has spent $2,285,000 to buy eight yearlings. He’s now second by gross. Marcus Melander has spent $1,860,000 to purchase 13 yearlings.
Andy Miller led buyers during Wednesday’s session, spending $595,000 to buy seven yearlings.
In the sire race, Walner still leads by a wide margin. Through three days, the leaderboard is:
• Walner — $10,495,000 for 80 sold ($131,188 average)
• Chapter Seven — $7,045,000, 62, $113,629
• Muscle Hill — $4,063,000, 34, $119,500
• Captain Corey — $3,343,000, 29, $115,276
• Bulldog Hanover — $3,217,000, 35, $91,914
• Captaintreacherous — $3,184,000, 32, $99,500
The fourth session of the sale begins today (Oct. 2) at 1 p.m.
“It should be consistent,” Reid said. “I don’t see any reason why it won’t be. There’s quality horses here tomorrow and that’s what is going to carry us forward. I don’t see a drop off in the catalog, so I expect the marketplace to be as strong as it was today or even last year. I’m looking forward to it and getting over today’s hump and we’ve got two more sessions… they’ll be a little shorter sessions.
“It’s been a great week. Beautiful weather and great energy in the crowd. There was a good pace and finished at 7:12 p.m. tonight, so I was happy to see that and be able to get people out of here at a regular time so they can go out and enjoy the Lexington experience and see the town.
“They’ve worked hard and it’s a long week so they deserve it. We’ll get through tomorrow, then Friday have a little racing action then come back here Friday night and then have a great weekend of racing to close it up.”
