Optimistic owners and trainers flocked to the Blooded Horse Fall Sale in Delaware, Ohio, from November 14-17, to upgrade racehorses and breeding stock. Strong demand plus a quality 1,200 horse catalogue made it the best sale in 69 years.

Ohio-bred stakes winners topped the hot racehorse category. The bidding started at $100,000 for the striking black two-year-old pacing filly Loreenas Ruffian. Consigned by Hickory Lane Farm, agent, the daughter of McArdle was hammered down for $160,000 to Virgil Morgan Jr., on behalf of Ohio owners Carl Howard, Dick and Joyce McClelland and AWS Stable.

“The Ohio program is so good now, that we’ll solidify her there first, then branch out to Grand Circuit races,” Morgan said. “She’s already won against open company at Pocono, Tioga and Lexington.”

Ironically, Carl Howard was the consignor for the runner-up sale topper with Ohio’s 2016 three-year-old Sires Stakes champion Whataboy. The $274,096-winning son of Big Bad John was purchased by Carl Atley of Ohio. Atley was also the winning bidder on the Illinois Sires Stakes winner, Char N Marg, at $42,000. Consigned by Patrick Quaid, the three-year-old daughter of Sportsmaster had 13 wins at two and three, and earnings of $195,910.

Pennsylvania Sires Stakes winning three-year-old trotter Moneycounts De Vie attracted a lot of interest coming off a third-place finish in the Circuit City at Hoosier Park. The son of Andover Hall was purchased by Randall Duncan for $40,000 from the Dirk Simpson consignment.

Soaring yearling prices across the country inspired breeders to seek quality broodmares. Jonas Schlabach of Ohio eagerly plucked up the fancy Garland Lobell trotter Judge Judy with a Chapter Seven filly by her side for $48,000. Consigned by Wisconsin Standardbreds, the 18-year-old proven dam of multiple stakes winners was open.

The sale pavilion was buzzing with excitement over the 14 beautiful, young, blue blooded mares offered by Al and Michelle Crawford in the Winterwood Farm consignment. That group was led by a pair of lovely Somebeachsomewhere daughters both in foal to Roll With Joe. JK Isnt She Lovely was purchased by Rob and Tammy McNiven of Ontario for $37,000, and McVita Belle went to Alvin Yoder of Ohio for $35,000. Also in that group was the Broadway Hall daughter Tattoo You in foal to Credit Winner, picked up by Ray Campbell of Massachusetts for $33,000, and the barren, stakes-winning Lady Clarabella 2,1:54.2s ($15,057), acquired by Aaron Schmucker of Indiana for $29,000.

Black Type yearlings comprised the bulk of the opening session on Monday. Divisional honours went to one of the last of the Cambests, Watchmetwirk, that was purchased for $22,000 by Robert Halstead of Michigan from the Chapel Ridge Farm consignment. Allen Tomlinson, also from Michigan, signed the ticket at $22,000 for Nordic Super Star, a son of And Away We Go consigned by Ben Lee Troyer.

Visit bloodedhorse.com for complete results. The next Blooded Horse Sale is February 13-14. Entries close January 16.

(With files from Blooded Horse Sale)