With the Lexington Selected Yearling Sale set to start next week in Kentucky, I thought it might be suitable to look at some European yearling sales. And I sure hope the Lexington sale is better than the disastrous sale in Milan, Italy recently, but the economic unheaval in the United States can't be good for sellers.

The average sale price in Italy was off dramatically (28 per cent) and many breeders simply opted not to sell their yearlings because bids were so meager.

The top eight yearlings to be sold were colts and they were headed by Nerone Caf, a son of Viking Kronos, who sold for 48,000 Euros or $72,620. Viking Kronos was an early speed sensation himself on the track a decade ago and he's proving to sire early speed as well.

Three of the top eight colts were youngsters by Pine Chip. Other sires represented by top colts were Lemon Dra, Varenne, Lindy Lane, and Self Possessed.

The most expensive filly was a Varenne lass at 26,000 Euros ($39,358) followed by fillies by Credit Winner and Muscles Yankee, both prices at 25,000 Euros.

The eight Pine Chips sold for an average of 23,125 Euros while 13 by Varenne sold for an average of 20,461. Ten by the 23-year-old Super Bowl stallion Supergill averaged 14,200 Euros.

A sale of French trotters in Deauville showed a small increase recently as almost 200 yearlings went under the gavel for an average price of 17,240 Euros or a tad more than $26,000 Canadian.

Ten of the top 11 yearlings in price were colts, headed by Twist d'Ecajeul at 85,000 Euros or $128,652.

He's by Goetmals Wood, a 14-year-old stallion by And Arifant, a stallion from the Victory Song male line. Goetmals Wood is out of a mare by Kimberland (Nevele Pride) and was bred by Jean-Pierre Dubois.

The Dubois influence was seen throughout the sale as the next two most expensive yearlings were by his stallions Coktail Jet and Love You (a son of Coktail Jet).

Two yearlings by Offshore Dream, the winner of the Prix d'Amerique the past two years, sold for an average of 27,000 Euros ($40,875). It is not unusual for a stallion in France to breed mares while still training and racing.

An important yearling sale will be held in Sweden in conjunction with the Kriterium, the major race for Swedish-bred three-year-olds. It's sponsored by the Swedish Breeders Association and starts on Oct. 2 and goes for three sessions. This sale will keep some Swedish buyers away from Lexington and that can't help prices in Kentucky, but it will be interesting to see if the Swedish market is affected by the economic crisis playing out each day.

Dean Hoffman, one of North America's most prolific harness racing journalists and member of the U.S. Harness Racing Hall of Fame, offers SC website readers his weekly look at international standardbred racing through his eyes.