Harness: Best yearling sale purchases
I caught up with a number of owners and trainers at the 2019 Standardbred Horse Sale at Harrisburg to ask them one question:
What was your best-ever yearling purchase?
Trainer Linda Toscano
Maybe Walner. You would think it would be an easy question but it is not. From a purely financial point of view, we only paid $90,000 for him and he was probably the best horse I’ve ever been around in my life.
Trainer Brian Brown
Honestly, I think it was Won The West. I have two because Downbytheseaside turned out to be a hell of a horse, but Won The West is one that pretty much changed my life and led me to all of these other horses, especially Downbytheseaside. I paid $35,000 and he made almost $4 million.
Owner Myron Bell
I’d be foolish not to say Captaintreacherous. I really bought him back in 1965 when I saw a relative of his race named Romeo Hanover and fell in love with him. His sister Ramona Hanover became the dam of Ramona Lee Hanover. Almahurst Stud bred her to Niahlator and she had World Order, who was bought by White Birch Farm and bred to Artsplace. They had a great filly Worldly Beauty and her sister Worldly Treasure, who was the dam of Captaintreacherous.
Trainer Tom & Owner John Cancelliere
Lasting Love. “We paid $10,000 and she made $120,000. By percentage she was the best,” said Tom. Nobody wanted her but me,” said John.
Trainer Mark Ford
Whosurboy was a $25,000 or $30,000 yearling the night of the Diamond Session here. He was the cheapest ever sold at that session and made $1.8 million. I didn’t really buy him but we raced him his whole life. I’ve never really had any great yearling buys. All of the ones we’ve had that made a lot of money we gave too much for them.
Trainer Dr. Ian Moore
Shadow Play for $16,000. He made over $1.5 million. I was just talking to someone two weeks ago at the London Sale. It seems to be the same groups of owners buying all of the expensive horses; the people with money. The same groups are in the winner’s circles for stakes races all of the time because they spent the money on the confirmations and the pedigrees. There are not many Shadow Play-type stories like there used to be. State Treasurer is another one. We paid $6,500 and he made over $2 million. It is pretty rare that you get a world champion for cheap nowadays.
Trainer Brett Pelling
Rocknroll Hanover for $185,000. I just loved him at the farm. With his family, he should’ve been anything, but we got him cheap. If I hadn’t seen him earlier and knew what he was all about, I probably would’ve passed on him because he was in and out of the stall so many times (at the Harrisburg Sale) the poor bugger was exhausted.
Trainer Jim Campbell
Broadway Hall for $30,000. He sold in Lexington. We thought we’d be paying over $100,000. It was a long time ago.
Trainer Chris Ryder
Sealed N Delivered for $18,000. I called the owner beforehand and told him it was probably a $10,000 yearling, I was green as they come. I signed for him at $18,000 and was nervous that it was too much money. I called him up and thought I might be stuck for $8,000 because it was too much money, but he said that was great.