Anvil And Lace brings depth, quality, and dual eligibility to Lexington

Anvil And Lace brings depth, quality, and dual eligibility to Lexington

by Chris Lomon

For Beth Yontz, horses have always been a way of life. Raised in the horse business and exposed to numerous disciplines, her passion for standardbreds took hold in 2003 while working for Schare Adams at Saga Farm. After acquiring her first broodmare, Dancewiththebest, she had found her calling.

Six years later, Yontz was handed the reins of yearling manager at Walnut Hall Ltd., gaining invaluable experience raising and preparing young horses for the sales ring.

In 2015, Yontz and her husband, Doug, purchased 50 acres and established Anvil And Lace Farm in Kentucky. Together, they have built a reputation for developing quality standardbreds with an emphasis on soundness, conformation, and athletic ability. Beth is the breeder of Dancin Yankee, a multiple Ohio award winner and world-record holder who was inducted into the Ohio Horse Hall of Fame in 2020. Doug, a Certified Farrier with the American Farriers Association, operates Yontz Farrier Service and specializes in foal and yearling hoof care.

Over the years, Anvil And Lace graduates have consistently made their winning mark, from sale-topping yearlings to stakes winners, including Dancin Lou, winner of the 2019 Breeders Crown and 2020 William R. Haughton Memorial. In 2014, Anvil And Lace sold the highest-priced Sportswriter filly, Dancin In the Nude, and one year later, they sold the Ohio Selected Yearling Sale topper, Dancin Rebel. In 2016, Anvil And Lace sold the highest-priced Sportswriter colt, Dancin Doug.

This year, Anvil And Lace is a dual threat, with an array of dual-eligible yearlings available, complemented by a variety of must-see offerings for those attending the sale.

“I do [believe it will be a good sale],” Beth said. “There are some nice first-crop sires that will help, like Confederates and Cannibals, which we have available. I just left the Ohio sale, and I do see the trend of the highs being very high, the lows being very low, and the middle market being a little concerning. But overall, they cut the number of sales, so I think that will help, hopefully.

“For us, every year, it is the same thing, which is that we have a little bit of everything, and that makes it exciting because you get to see so many nice yearlings from Walner, Confederate, and Downbytheseaside. Then you add Cannibal, Huntsville, and Bettors Delight — who people will still want — into the mix. It’s hard to pick out a certain one that I am excited about. When you are fortunate enough to have a big consignment, with a little bit of everything, it makes it exciting. And then to have a lot of what we sell being dual-eligible, it helps most of what we have available for people to buy.”

Perhaps the most difficult aspect of this year’s sale — an admitted, so-called good problem to have — is selecting which pacers and trotters might be the ones to catch the eye of buyers.

“You hope some of the ones you have might not be fly-under-the-radar types because they have a lot of promise,” Beth said. “I have a couple of Downbytheseaside yearlings who are very exciting. Hip #677 Down Bellalane, is a very nice filly, first foal, and the second dam, Lady Cino, goes back to Lawless Shadow. The sky’s the limit with her. She is dual-eligible and a very classy filly. On the opposite side, she is out of a Big Jim mare, so the question is, ‘How will people view Big Jim as a broodmare sire?’ That said, she has the qualities to be everything and more. You ask 10 people and you will get 10 opinions, but we really like this filly.”

Beth is equally bullish on the Confederate offspring represented by Hip #147 Odds On Ascend, Hip #312 My Girl Eve, Hip #326 Going Topless, and Hip #348 Odds On Sushi.

“They are very nice, as a whole,” she said. “I am very pleased with how consistently nice these Confederate horses are.”

When it comes to the “wow factor” from Anvil And Lace, Beth notes the Walner offspring on her roster.

“If you don’t have that ‘wow’ reaction to the opening-night Walners, it would be quite surprising,” she said. “It’s a given.”

Beth points to Hip #303 Parachutes, a Tactical Landing colt, as a standout.

“I don’t know if I have ever seen one that can trot like him in the paddock,” she said. “He is pretty spectacular. People are a little questionable on the Sebastian K broodmare sire. Next Level Stuff, herself, was fantastic, but being a Sebastian K, are they going to be broodmare sires? When you bring this colt out, he’s unbelievable. When you look at him, he is something else.”

On the pacing side, Going Topless, Hip #326, is a head-turning filly.

“She is a Confederate filly and I am pretty certain she is the first Confederate ever born, out of the good mare Priceless, who made over $600,000,” Beth said. “So, she has an excellent pedigree. She is as classy a filly as I have ever had on the farm. When she was born, she acted like she was two weeks, when she was two weeks, she acted like she was a month – she has always been a step ahead. You bring her out and she poses. She has been an aim-to-please filly so far.”

The key to the sale, for Beth, goes back to dual eligibility.

“A lot of what we have falls into that category, which is very important considering how lucrative the programs are,” she said. “The Kentucky fair program — they are talking about adding a couple more fairs — will have a lot to offer people who race there. Anything Kentucky-eligible is worth taking a shot on because there are so many options out there.”