CTHS Ontario yearling sale wraps with gains

Wednesday’s open session of the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society’s premier yearling sale posted sizable gains in gross, average, and median. That session followed a similarly upbeat open session on Tuesday, and the sale’s cumulative results indicated that the Ontario breeding sector is on the rebound following several fallow years.

The CTHS reported 59 yearlings sold on Wednesday for total receipts of about $425,350 ($461,000 Canadian), with an open session average price of about $7,200 ($7,814 Canadian) and a median of about $4,150 ($4,500 Canadian). The open-session gross increased 36 percent compared with the 2013 session, while the average rose 73 percent and the median spiked 50 percent. With a smaller catalog in this year’s open session, the 2014 buyback was also much improved, finishing at 14 percent compared with 36 percent last year.

The open session topper was a daughter of Ontario sire Sligo Bay, purchased for about $52,600 ($57,000 Canadian) by Morgan Racing. Consigned by Woodlands, agent, the gray or roan filly was bred in Ontario by Frank Mermenstein and Elliot Kohn and is out of the winning With Approval mare Kiamika. She is from the female family of English St. Leger winner Toulon and several other European group stakes winners.

Tuesday’s select session of the CTHS premier sale posted gains of 48 percent in gross, 51 percent in average, and 56 percent in median compared with the select session in 2013. A Philanthropist full brother to Canadian champion Pender Harbour brought about $297,000 ($325,000 Canadian) as the most expensive yearling of the sale, purchased by John Leblanc, as agent for a syndicate.

For hip-by-hip results, click here.