Hip No. 44 Maverick, a full-brother to Greenshoe, rewrote the standardbred record books on day one at the 2019 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale.

With Greenshoe surpassing $1 million in earnings with a 1:49.4 mile at The Red Mile, Maverick — by Father Patrick out of the mare Designed To Be — left the sales ring for $1.1 million. Brad Grant and Tony Alagna purchased the colt consigned by Kentuckiana Farms and bred by Al Libfeld and Marvin Katz. Grant confirmed that the colt will race under a partnership.

“You look at the breeding, and you look at what Greenshoe has done; this colt was perfect,” Grant said. “He was as nice looking an athlete as you would want to see, and I think he’s worth every cent. We’ve talked to some people and we’re going to finalize (the ownership group) over the next day or so.”

The $1.1-million figure bests the previous sales record of $825,000 by the Cancelliere brothers for Detour Hanover, a full-brother to Donato Hanover who sold at the 2011 Harrisburg Yearling Sale.

A full brother to world champion Propulsion, Hip No. 105 Damien — by Muscle Hill out of the Andover Hall mare Danae — became the second million-dollar yearling in standardbred history when selling for $1 million. The Cane Run Farm-bred colt is also a full brother to Dream Together and a half brother to Dorsay. Daniel Reden, trainer of Propulsion, purchased the colt for owner Brixton Medical Ab.

Some Terror, Hip No. 114, became the highest-selling pacing standardbred towards the end of the session. The Somebeachsomewhere colt, out of the millionaire mare Economy Terror, sold for $800,000 to Brixton Medical Ab with Nancy Johansson planned to train. The Vieux Carre' Farms-bred colt is the second foal from Economy Terror and a full brother to Terror Atthe Beach, who has earned over $100,000.

Hip No. 65 Really Fast, a trotting by Muscle Hill out of the Taurus Dream mare and two-year-old trotting filly of the year in 2014 Stubborn Belle, sold for the fourth-highest price of the sale when going for $700,000 to Nancy Johansson as agent. The Al Libfeld-bred filly is the second foal from Stubborn Belle and a full sister to Ms Savannah Belle, who won the Kentucky Sires Stakes championship for freshman trotting fillies.

Hip No. 7 Ineffable, a trotting filly by Cantab Hall out of the Muscle Hill mare Jolene Jolene bred and raised by Hunterton Farms, sold for the fifth-highest price of the sale so far when going for $600,000 to Lina Alm, an agent for S R F Stable. The filly bred by Maumee River Stables, Black Creek Farm, Martin Schmucker and Steve Stewart is the second foal from Jolene Jolene—the first her three-quarter sister Crucial, who won an elimination of the Jim Doherty Memorial this year.

“Looking at her together with Mr. Agren, he’s kind of like me, if he likes a horse and gets a feeling for it, he goes all the way,” Alm said. “We didn’t expect her to be so expensive, that’s just the way things turned out. It’s the market. She went very far. That was not the number I had in mind. The family is fantastic if you look back through and Jolene Jolene has already showed she is a good broodmare.”

A total of 118 yearlings sold on the first day for a total of $18,206,000, averaging $154,288. Those numbers are up sharply from 2018 when 102 yearlings sold for $12,900,000 and averaged $126,471, providing a 41 percent increase in gross sales and 22 percent increase for the average price. Trotting colts sold at an average price of $217,667, far exceeding the trotting fillies which sold for an average of $166,296. Pacing colts and fillies averaged around $120,000 through the first session.

Muscle Hill had the highest average sale as a stallion in the opening session with 18 progeny going for an average $218,421. Father Patrick sold at the second highest with an average of $211,800 over 15 yearlings. Bar Hopping had the technical highest average when selling one foal for $350,000—Hip No. 35 My Abigail. Somebeachsomewhere topped the pacing sires with an average of $173,278 over 18 yearlings. Always B Miki, in his first crop, sold at an average of $111,667.

The smile from sale manager Randy Manges could be sensed through the phone when reached to discuss the sensational first day.

"Pretty excited," Manges told Trot Insider with a laugh after the Tuesday session. "It was great. Obviously there was high demand for top horses, and there were some top horses in this first session. Some amazing trotters and some very good pacers. Very unexpected but very pleasantly surprised.

"I thought we'd have a great session, and I think it's a great catalogue but you never can anticipate. There's never been a million-dollar Standardbred yearling in the business, so to get two in one night, that's pretty nice. And to sell a $800,000 pacing colt, that makes it even nicer.

"And I don't think any sale's ever had that number (five) of $500,000 yearlings."

While the sale was widely considered by many to have a strong offering, Manges noted that he was also pleasantly surprised by the reaction from the crowd when the hammer fell on the historic yearlings.

"I expected to have a huge sale but not anywhere this fantastic, this was great," continued Manges. "The crowd was great and the appreciation from the crowd after these horses sold was excellent. It was a feel-good moment."

Manges also received strong positive feedback from consignors and buyers, who he feels are "very happy with what they got from the sale. I'm hoping things continue.

"It's certainly not going to be the same [in the second session] but it should be a very good session. Really, all through the sale, the quality of horses we have left to sell through Saturday are really good. I think it's the deepest catalogue we've ever had."

Important Links:

• Sale Results
• Sire Averages
• Sale Averages

(with files from the USTA)