Horses are expensive. I'll probably never own a horse in my lifetime the same way I'll probably never own a house. But between the price of a house and a price of a horse, at least the horse could keep me company on the side of the street. Not all horses are born bank-torchers. Nay, they say, many a Standarbred racehorse have gone through the sales ring at used car prices so low they would drive 'Crazy Carl' insane, or 'Demented Danny,' or whatever is the name of your used-car-lot guy. The maintenance costs of a horse could compare to a used car, though, but that's another story maybe. Many reading this are likely familiar with some of these steals from the sale. We all probably remember Mr Muscleman, who – as records from the 1980s stand – is the biggest bargain purchase in harness racing history. Selling for just $2,000 as a yearling in 2001, he raced until the ripe age of 8 and banked $3.4 million from 67 starts, including a win overseas in the Elitlopp. At an earnings-to-price ratio of 1,715, no other horse in harness history comes close to even half that amount. I'm sure others can spit more names out too. Foiled Again, the richest harness horse in history, earned $7.6 million off a $20,000 price tag. The "Grey Gladiator" Admrial's Express also became a Canadian wonder story after the Michigan-bred accumulated a $1.7 million bankroll from 353 starts – himself a $3,700 yearling. Enough Talk, Mack Lobell, Gallo Blue Chip, Matt's Scooter and more recently Bulldog Hanover – many names plated on the steps of harness history were not close to the six-figure prices we see yearlings sell for year after year. And so before I highlight a few standout bargains from sales past, some fun facts: of the top 300 highest-earning Standardbreds in North American history (archives from 1985 onwards), their average sales price as a yearling (excluding homebreds) is $55,748 (granted that doesn't account for inflation). Of the top 300, only 30 sold for $100,000 or more. And of the 300, only 69 of those sold for a price higher than the average. Also worth noting – 104 of the highest-earning horses are either homebreds or did not sell at a sale. Okay, some bargain yearlings from years past: Sand Vic The stallion by Mr Vic, from the Valley Victory line, ranks as the fifth-best bargain with $2.1 million earned from 72 starts as a $4,200 yearling purchase – an earnings-to-price ratio of 504. While he recorded multiple stakes wins as a 2- and 3-year-old, Sand Vic's account swelled as he matured into the free-for-all trotting ranks. The tandem of driver Brian Sears and trainer Trond Smedshammer, who teamed years later with another big banker in Arch Madness, guided Sand Vic through an aged campaign that included back-to-back victories in the Breeders Crown and two wins in the A.J. Cutler Memorial, among other Grand Circuit victories. He also finished second in the 2006 Maple Leaf Trot to Peaceful Way, who beat the boys and herself proved a bargain yearling at a $30,000 tag and over $2.7 million in the bank. Sand Vic passed away in 2016 at the age of 15. JM Vangogh Born in 2000 by the sire Earl, JM Vangogh sold for $4,500 to Paul Chambers of Harrington, Delaware, but almost never saw the racetrack again after being involved in an accident in a 2002 Ontario Sires Stakes Gold event. Under the care of Hall of Famer Ron Waples, JM Vangogh made it back to the races as a 3-year-old, thrived on the Ontario Sires Stakes circuit, and then went on as an aged horse to win in stakes including the Earl Rowe Memorial, the Masters Series and the Classic Series Trot. He remained a presence in week-to-week racing both north and south of the border, winning numerous times at the top classes in Ontario and in Delaware before an injury forced him into the breeding shed at age 11. He raced 206 times, winning 65 of those starts, and earned $1.9 million. ► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter Sanabelle Island Maryland-bred Sanabelle Island, by the stallion In The Pocket before his export Down Under, came one race shy of matching the record for longest winning streak at the time. In 1997, Sanabelle Island got locked in traffic and ran out of racetrack to lose the Mistletoe Shalee final to Stienam's Place, ending her unbeaten streak at 23 races; Handle With Care held the record with 24 wins in-a-row between 1973 and 1974 (See You At Peelers also came close to the record in 2010-2011 with 22 wins in-a-row). Sanabelle Island's driver Steve Warrington said of the loss, "The only good that came of it was that anybody who saw the race knows it wasn't her fault. She was the best horse. She was trying to run over those horses in front of her. I feel bad for her. She doesn't deserve to get beat like that." After the loss, Sanabelle Island won 34 more times in 110 total starts on the track, banking $1.6 million through a career capped at age 8. Oh, and she only cost $5,500. Beach Towel Before Billabong Hanover or whatever is the name of that horse that broke all those records last year, there was Beach Towel – a $22,000 yearling in 1988 purchased by Seth Rosenfeld and then sent to trainer Ray Remmen. Granted, that $22,000 was worth way more in 1988, but that also means he banked way more than the $2.6 million on his card. From 36 starts, Beach Towel won 29 times, only missed the board in two starts and became the fastest horse in harness racing history at the time with a 1:50 mile. He won the Meadowlands Pace, he won the Little Brown Jug, he won the Adios and the Breeders Crown. Not only that, but this bargain yearling became a foundational stallion who passed his speed onto Jenna's Beach Boy – a 1:47 3/5 world record winner in 1996. Beach Towel also sired the mare Wheres The Beach, who joined by the Matts Scooter line from stud Mach Three foaled Somebeachsomewhere. Somebeachsomewhere, for those unfamiliar, went a 1:46 4/5 mile before it was cool. Honorable Mentions Loads of recent names occupy the top spots of the all-time earnings leaderboard, in part because the money is so damn plentiful now (and I'm somehow still broke!). Amigo Volo ($42,000 yearling; $2,049,539 earned), Lyons Sentinel ($55,000; $2,139,086), Bettor's Wish ($20,000; $2,601,233), Six Pack ($30,000; $1,939,604), Marion Marauder ($37,000; $3,392,609), Crazy Wow ($10,000; $2,532,143), Hannelore Hanover ($32,000; $3,069,857), All Bets Off ($7,000; $3,097,707), Nuncio ($7,000; $1,919,145 not including overseas earnings) and on, and on, and on. Market Share, 2012 Hambletonian winner, cost only $16,000 and made $3,478,894. A Rocknroll Dance, 2011 Meadowlands Pace winner, cost $15,000 and made $2,429,441. There is even He's Watching, who is not in the top 300 in earnings but set a then world record in the Meadowlands Pace and won well over $1 million despite being a $3,000 yearling. Every year, big owners come with big bucks and take their gamble on diamond bloodlines. These horses, of course, have residual value as stallions and broodmares which make the price more appealing, but year after year, loads of horses slip through the cracks of the thousand sold through the ring. And though they still might cost the down payment of a suburban ranch home in 2023, some of these could very well pave a career that could buy a suburban ranch home in 2023. Or two. Or three? Three may be pushing it.