The opening session of the 2018 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale took place Tuesday night (Oct. 2) at the Fasig-Tipton Sales Pavilion in Lexington, Kentucky, and it was Treasure Trove that garnered the highest bid of the day at $360,000. The opening day average was up 10.6 per cent over last year, with the gross up 21.4 per cent.

Selling as Hip 82, Treasure Trove was purchased by John Cancelliere of Bloomfield, NJ from the Preferred Equine consignment. The son of Somebeachsomewhere-Worldly Treasure is a full-brother to Captaintreacherous (1:47.1 - $3,153,541).

As the USTA explains, five yearlings sold for at least $300,000, which sparked a 10.6 per cent increase in average price compared to last year’s record-setting event. An additional 12 horses sold for at least $200,000 and a total of 64 of the 102 horses sold reached six figures.

Last year’s opening session saw 93 horses sell for a total of $10.63 million, which produced an average of $114,344. The 2017 sale set records for gross, at $36.41 million, and average, at $58,537. This year, the opening night’s 102 horses brought $12.90 million for an average of $126,471.

The Determination Stable of Montreal, Que. Made a splash early in the session, as it collared Hip 6, the bay filly Whose Blues (Cantab Hall – Bright Baby Blues – Andover Hall), for $300,000. The winning bid was tied for the third highest price of the Tuesday session (along with two other $300,000 yearlings). Whose Blues is the first foal out of the stakes-winning Bright Baby Blue, whose second dam was a Dan Patch Award winner.

Horseman Clark Beelby of Campbellville, Ont. was another Canadian that made a noticeable splash during the first session, as he acquired a pair of yearlings that went for six figures.

The first of the yearlings that Beelby bought was Hip 18, the bay filly Courtesy Notice (Father Patrick – Demoiselle Hanover – Muscle Hill), who attracted a winning bid of $220,000. She is the first foal out of Demoiselle Hanover. Demoiselle Hanover is out of D Train, who, among others, produced the great Donato Hanover 3,1:50.1 ($3,058,058).

Beelby’s next purchase came soon after, as he acquired Hip 21, the bay filly Raffi Blue Chip (Muscle Mass – Dunk The Donato – Donato Hanover), for $135,000. The Muscle Mass filly out of Dunk The Donato is a full sister to sophomore trotting lass Plunge Blue Chip, the multiple world record holder that has won 15 of her 21 career starts and lowered a pair of global speed marks this past summer.

Session Two will take place Wednesday evening with Hip #s 109-276 scheduled to sell. The session will get underway at 7 p.m.

The sale will wrap up on Sunday with the final session beginning at 12 noon featuring Hips 599 - 824.

Click here for complete sale results.

A comprehensive recap of the first session appears below.

Full brother to Captaintreacherous tops first session of Lexington Selected Yearling Sale

The Lexington Selected Yearling Sale got off to a strong start Tuesday night (Oct. 2) at the Fasig-Tipton Sales Pavilion, as five yearlings sold for at least $300,000 to spark a 10.6 per cent increase in average price compared to last year’s record-setting event. An additional 12 horses sold for at least $200,000 and a total of 64 of the 102 horses sold reached six figures.

Last year’s opening night saw 93 horses sell for $10.63 million, an average of $114,344. The 2017 sale set records for gross, at $36.41 million, and average, at $58,537. This year, the opening night’s 102 horses brought $12.90 million for an average of $126,471.

The sales topper Tuesday was Treasure Trove, a full brother to two-time U.S. Pacer of the Year Captaintreacherous. The colt, by Somebeachsomewhere out of Worldly Treasure, sold for $360,000 to John Cancelliere. Treasure Trove, who went through the ring as Hip No. 82, was bred by White Birch Farm and consigned by Preferred Equine Marketing as agent.

“That’s not intentional,” Cancelliere said with a laugh, referring to buying the top-priced yearling. “But he’s a beautiful colt and we’re pleased we got him. He’s a beautiful animal, an absolutely beautiful animal. He really is. When they look that good and carry themselves that well, he was going to bring a good price tag. You knew that going in. We stretched a little more than we wanted to. We went for it.”

Cancelliere also bought pacer Like Lightning Lou, who is a full brother to his two-year-old Love Me Some Lou, for $150,000. Like Lightning Lou is by Sweet Lou out of Shark Lightning.

“We desperately wanted him,” said Cancelliere, whose brother Tom trains their stable’s horses. “It worked out well on both occasions. We’re pleased.”

Tall Dark Stranger, a pacing colt by Bettors Delight out of Dan Patch Award winner Precocious Beauty, sold for $330,000 to Nancy Johansson as agent for Marvin Katz, Caviart Farms, Crawford Farms and Howard Taylor.

Precocious Beauty’s first foal, Beautyonthebeach, won the Kentucky Sire Stakes final for two-year-old filly pacers on Sept. 16. The family also includes Dan Patch Award winner Sportswriter. Tall Dark Stranger was bred by Jim Avritt Sr. and consigned by Hunterton Sales Agency as agent.

“I liked his pedigree and the individual,” Johansson said. “My dad (Jimmy Takter) really liked him, too. Now that he’s stepping into his new phase in life as a consultant when he retires, he’s been looking at yearlings with both Per (Engblom) and I. He loved, loved, loved this colt as well.

“It’s a great family. It’s a modern family. There is a lot of ‘now’ stuff happening in that family, which is nice. And Bettors Delight is solid. They show up and do their work.”

Johansson also bought pacing colt Remember The Beach (Somebeachsomewhere-Allamerican Memoir) for $140,000 as agent for 3 Brothers Stable and pacing filly Treacherous Act (Captaintreacherous-Act Now) for $100,000 as agent for Caviart Farms.

“I thought I did really well,” Johansson said. “I was happy with all three purchases. I think all three could have brought more money than they did. The ‘Somebeach’ colt is an absolutely gorgeous colt. The mare has already produced a world champion (Beach Memories) and he just had great charisma. I like that he has good size to him. I think pacing colts need to have some size because they race so tough nowadays. I felt he was the complete package.

“The filly, Act Now was a tough race mare. Combine that with Captaintreacherous and I don’t think you can go wrong, especially with that price tag. She will be a great addition to Caviart Farms’ broodmare band.”

The fifth horse into the ring, filly trotter Whose Blues, sold for $300,000 to Serge Godin’s Determination Stable. Whose Blues, by Cantab Hall, is the first foal out of stakes-winning mare Bright Baby Blues and her second dam, Bar Slide, was a Dan Patch Award winner. The family includes Sliding Home, a stakes winner in the U.S. as well as a winner in Europe. Whose Blues was bred by Bluestone Farms and Fredericka Caldwell and consigned by Cane Run Farm as agent.

Das Deo, a pacing colt by Captaintreacherous out of Lisjune, sold for $300,000 to Dana Parham. He is a half-brother to Dan Patch Award winner I Luv The Nitelife and the family also includes Dan Patch Award winner Lis Mara. Das Deo was bred by Deo Volente Farms and Louis ‘Andy’ Willinger and consigned by Preferred Equine Marketing as agent.

Force N Fury, a pacing colt by Captaintreacherous out of My Little Dragon, sold for $300,000 to Tony Alagna as agent for Brad Grant, Marvin Katz and Al Libfeld.

Force N Fury is a three-quarter brother to O’Brien Award-winner Stay Hungry, whose wins this year include the Cane Pace and Messenger Stakes. Force N Fury was bred by White Birch Farm and consigned by Preferred Equine Marketing as agent.

Burke Racing Stable was the night’s top buyer, as it purchased seven horses for a total of $935,000.

Trotting fillies led the night’s average, as 24 sold for an average of $141,542. Pacing colts followed, with 27 for $137,481, and then trotting colts, with 31 for $124,065. Twenty pacing fillies sold for an average of $97,250.

Muscle Hill and Father Patrick led the trotting sires in gross, with 25 Muscle Hill yearlings totaling $3.16 million ($126,680 average) and 13 Father Patrick yearlings totaling $1.69 million ($130,077).

Captaintreacherous and Somebeachsomewhere topped the pacing sires in gross, with 19 Captaintreacherous yearlings totalling $2.29 million ($120,632) and 13 Somebeachsomewhere yearlings totalling $1.88 million ($144,615).

The five-day yearling sale will continue through Saturday, with each session beginning at 7 p.m. at the Fasig-Tipton Sales Pavilion. For complete results, click click here.

(USTA)