Harness: Irish Exit heads Goshen Yearling Sale at $80,000

Irish Exit, a Huntsville-One Last Kiss filly bred by Cameo Hills Farm, topped today's Goshen Yearling Sale, selling to Gareth Dowse for $80,000.

Selling as HIP 74, Irish Exit is the seventh foal out of her Artsplace dam and is a half-sister to the likes of Kiss Me Onthebeach [1:48 3/5, $321,750] and Last Gunfighter [1:49, $334,669].

Huntsville colt Cantfindmywayhome, consigned by Blue Chip Bloodstock Inc., brought $55,000 from Chad Kowal to earn runner-up honors on the top sellers list. Out of the Badlands mare Blind Faith, Cantfindmywayhome, who was HIP 20, is a half-brother to Bandito Joe, who finished third in the New York Sire Stakes final for 2-year-old male pacers.

HIP 26 Crazy Crown, a Crazy Wow colt, led the trotters after being acquired for $40,000 by George Miller. Consigned by Pine Hill Stables, Crazy Crown's dam, the Conway Hall mare Con Air Crown, has produced the likes of Bazillionaire [1:57 3/5, $150,232.

"Here at the Goshen Yearling Sale we have been striving to make this sale better over the last several years and have implemented the changes and improvements necessary to do that. And our hard work has paid off as since 2018 our volume, sales and prices have all reached new record heights, and the sale just continues to get better," said Mark Ford, whose training center in Middletown, New York, hosted in the sale. "We want to thank all of our consignors and customers both live and remote, for supporting this sale and we look forward to doing it again next year as we are already planning for 2023."

The average of $20,203 for 91 horses sold was up 17.5 percent from a year ago. The gross was $1,838,500, which decreased from $2,108,600 for 122 horses sold in 2021.

By category, 22 pacing colts averaged $22,318 each (up 13 percent), 26 pacing fillies averaged $19,462 each (up 22 percent), 19 trotting colts averaged $19,526 each (up 12 percent) and 24 trotting fillies averaged $17,771 each (up 23 percent).

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The major fall yearling sales continue on Friday with the Ohio Selected Jug Sale.

--additional reporting from the Goshen Yearling Sale--