One of the most anticipated weeks of the year is now but a month away, and a positive change is in store for those who take part in what’s come to be known as “The Lexington Experience.”

Management of the Lexington Selected Yearling Sale announced that, while dates for the upcoming sale are the same as previously scheduled from Tuesday, Oct. 5 through Saturday, Oct. 9, starting times for the auction will be different than in years past.

The Tuesday, Oct. 5 opening session, along with the Friday and Saturday sessions, will begin as usual at 7 p.m. (EDT). But on both Wednesday, Oct. 6 and Thursday, Oct. 7, the sale is set to kick off with an earlier, afternoon start time of 3 p.m. (EDT).

Complete information can be found in the sale catalog, now posted at lexingtonselected.com and on the Equineline sales catalog app.

Why the change? According to sale managers Randy Manges and David Reid, it’s simply to due to popular demand.

“Both Wednesday and Thursday are non-racing days at the Red Mile, so buyers have ample time to come out and inspect horses prior to those sessions,” Manges said.

Reid added the earlier midweek start allows customers to make other plans for those evenings. “With the sale ending earlier on those days, customers can dine out with colleagues, take in the amenities Lexington offers, or simply relax and prepare for the next day,” he said.

The week of high-stakes commerce — with the spacious, open-air Fasig-Tipton Newtown Paddocks providing the backdrop — starts with a gala pre-sale cocktail reception and hors d'oeuvres at 5 p.m. Tuesday.

Another reception is planned for Wednesday at 2 p.m. that will accompany a benefit stallion season auction at the beginning of that afternoon’s session. The seasons, to raise money for the Breeders Crown Charity Challenge, include 2022 breedings to eight stallions “that are, without question, the hottest market sires in the business,” according to Reid.

With 876 head cataloged, action will be brisk during the week, as the sale — which graduated this year’s Hambletonian winner Captain Corey and his Hambo Day stakes-winning cohorts Manchego, King Of The North and Venerate — features a bountiful selection of yearlings by every top proven and first-crop sire.

Last year, the final night of the sale set a final session record average, and Reid said the company is continuing to use that night to showcase yearlings for regional programs. “We have 23 Ohio-eligible Downbytheseasides in the book, and everyone knows those are going to be hot commodities.”

(Lexington Selected Yearling Sale)