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Friday, October 10, 2014

Part II Of How The Pacing Stallions Fared At The Lexington Selected Sale


TThis is part two of a look at how the pacing stallions made out at the Lexington Selected Sale.

American Ideal, the sire of this year’s on again off again bargain speedball He’s Watching, saw his average drop about $5,000 while selling seven more yearlings than last year. Twenty averaged $41,700. Only one topped $100,000, although nine, or 45%, brought at least $50,000. In The Arsenal, a fast but difficult freshman who took a split of the Bluegrass paying $52.00, then beat Artspeak and Cartoon Daddy in the ISS, exhibited the sort of brilliant early speed this stallion is known for. American Ideal was fourth on the NYSS two-year-old list and second for the three-year-olds. His stud fee jumped 25% to $10,000 in 2014.

This year’s yearlings from Bettor’s Delight are headed to the Ontario Sire Stakes; last year’s crop was New York eligible. Still, the average was almost the same for 23 sold at Lexington this year as it was for 28 sold there in 2013--$41,304 this year. None topped $100,000 and nine, or 39%, sold for more than $50,000.

BD’s offspring earned more than $2.3 million in the NYSS in 2014, making him the leader among two and three-year-olds. NYSS champ All Bets Off, who also won the Milstein and the Rooney, is fourth in his division in earnings. He beat McWicked at Yonkers last week. Bettor B Steppin and Bettor N Better are a couple of his better freshman fillies.

Bettor’s Delight is just as comfortable on the GC as he is in a SS program. He leads this year’s NA sire’s all-age money list with more than $12 million earned. He’s a beast.

Well Said generated numbers that were very similar to those of last year: 23 averaged $43,261. Three, or 13%, brought at least $100,000, while eight, or 35%, sold for $50,000 or more. Six of the 23 failed to top $15,000.

At $15,000 Well Said is an expensive stallion. He’s top five among two and three-year-olds, but he desperately needs a star. Sometimes Said has mixed it up with the top colts but he’s met with little success in those races. Uffizi Hanover, last year’s BC winner, is his female counterpart. While she won the Fan Hanover, her overall season has been a disappointment. Well Said does have a number of good two-year-olds. The colt Lost For Words won splits of the Bluegrass and ISS in Lexington; Lyons Levi Lewis won the Champlain; Shakai Hanover won a split of the Eternal Camnation.

Shadow Play came in at about the same average as last year--$36,778—but nine were sold this year as opposed to five in 2013. After having his run of the OSS freshman division in 2013, Shadow Play was elbowed out of the spotlight by his contemporary SBSW this year. None brought $100,000; three sold for at least $50,000; three came in under $15,000.

The top seller was a half-sister to Gallant Yankee. Jack Darling gave $92,000 for her—more than any of her paternal sisters have ever sold for. And a half-brother to Bigtime Hero sold for $85,000.

Roll With Joe, division champ at three and the winner of the Pace and the Messenger, sells his first crop this year. The full-brother to Bettor’s Delight sold 17 for an average of $35,235. Two colts sold for at least $100,000 and one other brought at least $50,000. The top seller was a colt out of a full-sister to Worldly Beauty, who brought $115,000. An underwhelming performance at Lexington Selected by RWJ. Thirty-seven sell at Harrisburg.

Only one Yankee Cruiser sold at Lexington in 2013, a brother to Marty Party and Doc’s Yankee who brought $65,000—a hefty sum for this stallion. This year seven sold for an average of almost $32,000. Two of them commanded at least $50,000 while three of the seven failed to make the $15,000 cut.

Yankee Cruiser, who started his stallion career in Ohio, stood in Pennsylvania last year for $6,000. He was relocated back to Ohio in 2014 at a reduced fee of $4,500. Between the rejuvenated Sweet Lou and the undefeated Yankee Bounty, Cruiser has gotten plenty of positive press. He was in over his head in PA but may be a better fit in the new and improved Buckeye State.

Big Jim, a two-year-old division winner in the US and Canada, sells his first crop this year. He started off standing for $5,000 in Ontario and dropped that to $4,000 in 2014. Only five passed hands at this auction and they averaged $29,000. A colt that brought $60,000 on the last day of the sale was the only noteworthy purchase.

Always B Miki, a son of Always A Virgin, stole the show at the Red Mile GC meet with wins in the Bluegrass and Tattersalls Pace. And his paternal sister, Nat A Virgin, won a split of the Garnsey. The Indiana stallion Always A Virgin, one of the last sons of Western Hanover to enter the breeding ranks, is the toast of the sport. He stood for $4,000 in 2014, up from $3,500 the previous year.

Only one by Always A Virgin sold at Lexington—a colt who brought $17,000 on the last day. There are none for sale at Harrisburg. Unless he’s relocated to a high profile state like Pennsylvania or New York it’s hard to see how the ten-year-old transitions to something other than a regional stallion. Just about all of them are either sold in the Midwest or bred by folks from that area, and they don’t stake them in the outside world. Also, Rockin Image, another up and coming Indiana stallion,  sold one filly in Lexington and has nothing available at Harrisburg.

Western Terror sold more yearlings than any other stallion at the Lexington Selected Sale, and as usual, he was a disaster. There were 41 sold at an average of $15,146. This was down from the $19,605 average 38 of them sold for in 2013. Only one of the 41 brought more than $50,000: Casie Coleman gave $77,000 for a filly--$45,000 more than any of the others sold for. She also paid $60,000 for a Yankee Cruiser colt. Western Terror stands in Pennsylvania for the princely sum of $7,500.

The $2 million earning Western Ideal stallion Vintage Master, who has been relocated from Ontario to New Jersey, saw a half dozen from his first crop sell. They averaged almost $16,000.

(Next: the trotters.)

Joe FitzGerald

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