Idyllic Tops January Mixed Sale
The first standardbred sale of the 2013 season, the Meadowlands January Select Mixed Sale, took place Monday at the Meadowlands race paddock with five horses changing hands for six-digit price tags.
Idyllic, who sold as Hip 109, was the sale topper at $140,000. The four-year-old daughter of American Ideal-Magical Dreamer, who owns a career record of 13-for-25 and a bankroll in excess of $1.3 million, was purchased by Wade Morris of Lima, Ohio. Idyllic, who was voted Canada’s Two-Year-Old Pacing Filly of the Year in 2010, celebrated the biggest victories of her career in her freshman season when she captured the $688,000 Shes A Great Lady Stake and the $501,000 Three Diamonds.
Modern Family (1:53.3 - $67,649), who sold as Hip 171, was purchased by Darryl Bier of Smyrna, DE for $110,000 while Mr Dennis (1:51.1 - $55,120), who sold as Hip 174, sold for the same price to Nick Surick of Freehold, NJ.
Time To Roll (1:50 - $561,090) changed hands for $105,000. Selling as Hip 186, the four-year-old son of Rocknroll Hanover-Kikikatie was purchased by David Clinand of Mt. Sterling, IL. He was the runner-up in the 2012 Pepsi North America Cup.
Selling for $100,000 was Hip 220, Whackamole Hanover (1:49 - $360,326). The six-year-old son of Cams Card Shark-Western Duel was acquired by agent Tony Alagna of Steger, IL.
Buyers shelled out $4,522,600 over the course of the day on the 206 horses that went through the ring, and that produced an average sale price of $21,954.
For sale results, click the following link: 2013 Meadowlands January Select Mixed Sale Results.
The relatively low sale
The relatively low sale prices for Idyllic and Martiniontherocks at the sale illustrates the problems Standardbred breeders and their clients, those who are selling quality bloodstock after their racing careers are over, face today.
If Thoroughbred mares with the same credentials were being offered at a major sale, the likelihood is that they would bring somewhere in the neighborhood of a million dollars and perhaps even more.
From my perspective a great part of the reason that breeders find themselves in this pickle is because of the outmoded purse structure found at most harness tracks today. Often mid to low priced claimers have the opportunity to race for as much, if not more money than they are worth. Whereas the person who has spent a great deal of money for a well bred yearling and has sometimes spent even more training and staking them finds the opportunity to race them in other than stakes events very limited and the opportunity to race them for significant money virtually non existent. Why would they want to continue doing this when they can get instant gratification and satisfaction by claiming or buying a ready made racehorse?
Granted they are still some "sportsman" types out there who relish a challenge and are motivated to secure the very best. Buying quality yearlings is still the best way to achieve this. Sadly, the number of sportsmen types keeps diminishing.
Is it any wonder that the demand for racehorses is still very strong, whereas the prices for even the best bred yearlings with the exception of a chosen few continues to plumet.
The time is coming - sooner rather than later, when those who are looking and willing to pay well for racehorses will find that the well has dried up. The vast majority or breeders are bleeding money with no forseable expectations that things will get better.
Its time that the horsemen, the horsemens associations and the racetracks realize that every claimer and overnight horse out there was once a yearling. If a way out of this dilemma is not found soon we will run into a very serious shortage of horses at our stables and in our races.