Harness: Creature Of Habit goes for $350,000 at Lexington Selected Mixed Sale

Standardbred sale action for 2020 in Lexington, Kentucky, concluded with Saturday night's Lexington Selected Mixed Sale.

HIP 993 Marseille, a 4-year-old son of Muscle Hill who was last year's Beal Memorial champion, was hammered down for $397,000, but the reserve was not achieved, so the top seller ended up being HIP 981 Creature Of Habit, a 3-year-old Donato Hanover half-sister to $1.26 million earner Habitat and to this year's William Wellwood Memorial winner On A Streak. Selling from the Diamond Creek Farm (agent) consignment, Creature Of Habit went to Cane Run Farm and Bluestone Farm for $350,000.

Another anticipated seller was 3-year-old Uncle Peter colt It's Academic, who won a division of the Bluegrass at The Red Mile last week in 1:50 3/5, and he was purchased by Equine Management for $220,000. Selling as HIP 989, It's Academic was consigned by agent Preferred Equine, Inc.

Some stallion shares also proved to be hot commodities, with Indiana-based breeder Ola Yoder shelling out $110,000 and $125,000 to take two shares of Captaintreacherous (HIPs 949 and 950). A share of Chapter Seven also entered six figures, with Carl Oscar Wihborg of Sweden purchasing HIP 951 for $130,000.

In all, 77 offerings brought a gross of $3,072,000 and an average of $39,896. The last time a mixed sale was held in Lexington in 2018, the gross was $3,926,000 for 104 offerings and the average was $41,766.