It was a record-setting opening session of the 2021 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale on Tuesday night (10/5) at Fasig-Tipton as the average of $161,261 bettered 2019's standard of $154,288, and the gross of $18,545,000 and also topped 2019's $18,206,000. "Great sale, best sale ever. I thought it'd be a good sale. I didn't think it would be this good,” beamed Randy Manges, co-sale manager. “The top was very, very strong. I thought it was a very good sale, just very strong. I'm really happy.” Trotting fillies occupied the top two spots on the highest-priced list, and trotters went first through sixth overall. At the peak of the mountain was HIP 62 Exile, a Walner filly bred and consigned by Diamond Creek Farm, who went to agent Nancy Takter for $800,000. Exile is a half-sister to Takter trainee Altar, who took a life’s mark of 1:50 3/5 on Sunday at The Red Mile despite sloppy track conditions. "I wish it was a lot less. I wish it was $80,000. I was expecting $800,000. That was kind of at my limit,” remarked Takter. “She's beautiful. She looks actually a lot like Altar, although she's a Walner instead of a Muscle Hill." Right behind Exile at $750,000 was HIP 113 Mandrill. Consigned by Concord Stud Farm as agent for breeder Order By Stable, Mandrill is a Chapter Seven filly out of Steamy Windows, making her a full sister to Gimpanzee and Iteration. Marcus Melander, who trained Gimpanzee and conditions Iteration now, purchased her as agent for Lennart Agren’s S R F Stable. "We've got both Gimpanzee and Iteration. This filly Lennart bought. He was very excited about her. She was a great-looking filly. I'm very happy to get her home,” said Melander. “We knew it was going to be expensive. We expected it to be very high. I don't know who bid against us or if it was several people. We were there at $400,000 and they bid $405,000, so I thought we might get her a little cheaper than we thought. She definitely was an expensive filly, but we think she's worth it. “She's probably a little bit bigger than Gimpanzee was as a yearling, but she's a gorgeous filly. It's always a risk buying these expensive horses, but she looks great. She's got a great pedigree and she looks good on the video. I'm very excited about it." HIP 54 Earthquake Bi checked in behind the fillies at $620,000. A Walner colt purchased by Ken Jacobs, Earthquake Bi sold from the consignment of Hunterton Sales Agency (agent). Out of the Muscle Hill mare Dream Child, Earthquake Bi is a brother to stakes winner You Ato Dream. Tony Alagna will be his trainer. "I really wanted this horse. I expected $450,000. I was going to go to $500,000, I said, ‘ahh, might as well go.’ I loved him,” relayed Jacobs. “He's the best-looking Walner down here that I saw, so that's really the reason." Detroit City, HIP 46, was one of two that sold for $500,000. Another purchase for S R F Stable, this time via agent Robert Lindstrom, Detroit City, a Muscle Hill colt, is out of former Hambletonian Oaks champion Danae and is a full brother to international star Propulsion. Detroit City was consigned by agent Cane Run Farm. "We understood that we were going to go over $400,000, but we stretched it a little bit. He's a stallion prospect. He has the looks,” Lindstrom said. “I think he has a better body, and he can be an earlier horse than some of his sisters and brothers. He has the body for it, anyway, and he has the pedigree, definitely.” The other $500,000 seller was HIP 105 Cyberspace, who was acquired by Buckstone LLC. Cyberspace, another Hunterton offering and another daughter of Walner, is out of former Breeders Crown winner Southwind Serena, making Cyberspace a sister to Mission Brief and Tactical Landing. "Howard Taylor, Taylor Made, Mike Butler, and Black Creek, we all decided we were going to buy her no matter what she cost,” stated Ernie Martinez, who signed the ticket. “They're going to be players down the road. We got them in on a great filly. When you take power like that and get them involved with horses that are at the pinnacle of the breed, it's exciting, it's fun, and it's profitable, so everybody wins." Captaintreacherous fillies that will have spots in the Alagna barn were the highest-priced pacers. HIP 20 Seashell, consigned by Brittany Farms, was a $450,000 purchase with Alagna signing the ticket as agent, and HIP 24 Bellisima Hanover, bred and consigned by Hanover Shoe Farms, went for $400,000 with Steven Head getting credit for her. Seashell is a full sister to Blue Diamond Eyes and Captain Kirk, while Bellisima Hanover is a full sister to Boudoir Hanover, who won a Bluegrass division at The Red Mile in 1:49 4/5 last Friday. “We got the first filly and really liked this one as well. We came here to buy her," Head said regarding Bellisima Hanover. Myron Bell added, "She's just as nice as her sister. This is a great maternal family." Head signed the ticket because he signed for Boudoir Hanover, as Bell wasn't at last year’s Standardbred Horse Sale. The partners figured it was good luck. Another pacer that sold strongly was HIP 42 Stop The Show, a daughter of Sweet Lou who was taken for $400,000 by Mickey Burke as agent for Brent Davis. Consigned by Cameo Hills Farm, Stop The Show is the first foal out of the Somebeachsomewhere mare Come See The Show ($131,886), a sister to former Meadowlands Pace winner Best In Show. Her second dam is $2.4 million earner Put On A Show. ► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter "Lou has finally gotten bred to top mares this year. You're going to see a lot of them bring a lot of money. They're excellent looking horses,” Ron Burke said. “The people really loved her and wanted to go for her, so we went ahead and bought her. This year was especially great. He got a lot of great mares, and we all think that next year he'll be the dominant 2-year-old sire." Amazingly, three sires cracked the $200,000 mark in averages, with 14 Captaintreacherous yearlings going for $225,500, followed by 18 Walners at $215,389, and 16 Muscle Hills at $204,813. Fillies also out-did their male counterparts on both the trot and the pace. "Fillies go for so much more money today than they used to go for. That's one of the big differences,” noted Manges. The top-grossing consignor was Steve Stewart’s Hunterton Sales Agency, with their 17 offerings fetching a total of $3,592,000. Hanover Shoe Farms, who made a return to Lexington this year after an absence of several years, was second at $2,675,000 (15 yearlings). Completing the top five were Kentuckiana Farms ($1,862,000 / 14 yearlings), Cameo Hills Farm ($1,537,000 / 7 yearlings) and Diamond Creek ($1,520,000 / 7 yearlings). --quotes courtesy of Derick Giwner--