A pair of Betting Line colts led a marathon third session of the Standardbred Horse Sales Company's 81st annual Harrisburg Yearling Sale, held on Wednesday (Nov. 6) at the Pennsylvania State Farm Show Complex.
The session brought the yearling portion of the sale to its conclusion, where a total of 833 horses sold for a record average of $48,903. The previous best average was set last year, at $42,675 for 830 horses. This year’s average represented a 14.5 per cent increase.
In addition, this year’s gross of $40.73 million was nearly 15 per cent better than last year’s $35.42 million. The only other time the gross exceeded $40 million came in 2007, when 1,048 horses sold for $42.78 million.
“It was a great sale,” Standardbred Horse Sale President and CEO Pete Spears said. “I think the sale was strong throughout, all the way to the end. There was a great reception for the top sires and many, many top-selling horses. We’re very happy.”
Keystone Catalyst, a son of Betting Line and Keystone Caitlyn, attracted a top bid of $120,000, one of five yearlings to command a six-figure price tag. Myron Bell purchased the half-brother to Ontario Sires Stakes preliminary winners Keystone Camaro and Keystone Concrete from Vieux Carre Farms.
Ontarian Casie Coleman accounted for the second highest purchase price in the session, taking Twin B Edge, a son of Betting Line and Twin B Exquisite, from Twinbrook Farms for $110,000.
The highest-selling trotter of the session, Swingforthefences, attracted a $100,000 bid from Ontarian Melvin Hartman. The son of Swan For All and Sunday Yankee is eligible to both the Indiana and New Jersey programs, and is a half-brother to stakes winners Sunday Yankee and Miss Sue V.
Lucky Elite took top billing among Ontario-sired horses, being purchased by Québec native Michel Lachance for $75,000 from Walnridge Farm. The son of Sunshine Beach is the first foal of Twin B Elite, who banked over $400,000 and won an Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots event in her three-year-old season.
A total of 117 Ontario-sired yearlings passed through the sales ring, and their total sale price of $2,603,000 yielded an average of $22,248. Among 14 Ontario-based sires represented, Big Jim's two yearlings averaged $35,000, while Sportswriter (19, $19,737 average), Bettors Delight (18, $28,722 average) and Sunshine Beach (14, $20,286) accounted for the most yearlings in the session.
The provincial average was just over that over the overall average price, with 365 horses selling for a total of $8,084,000 for an average of $22,148.
A two-day mixed sale concludes the week-long schedule, with sessions on Thursday (Nov. 7) and Friday (Nov. 8) beginning at 10 a.m. (EST).
(with files from the USTA)
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