The benefit of a government that partners with the horse racing industry was illustrated this past weekend in Prince Edward Island, where the 2012 Atlantic Classic Yearling Sale was well received by both buyers and consignors.

While other yearling sales in Canada had sharp decreases, Friday's Atlantic Classsic Yearling Sale boasted a substantial increase over the 2011 edition. Topped by a $20,500 purchase of Articulator yearling Woodmere Artisan by Diane Fillmore of Nova Scotia, the 2012 Atlantic Classic easily surpassed the 2011 average of $3,700.

"We were extremely pleased with the sale results. The sale average was over $5,300 - an increase of 35 per cent over the previous year," said Wayne Pike of the Sale Committee. "To say we are excited would be a huge understatement. When status quo or even a small decrease would have been understandable given the economy and the uncertainty, such a massive gain speaks volumes on the state of the industry on this side of the country.

"Let's hope this is an encouragement for the standardbred horse industry right across Canada."

To view the full list of sale results from the 2012 Atlantic Classic Yearling Sale, click the following link or view the embedded PDF below. 2012 Atlantic Classic Yearling Sale Results