What happened to the glamour division? That is what I was asking myself as I watched the opening session of the 2020 Lexington Selected yearling sale. Overall, I thought the night was a success. Despite numbers being down around 16% on gross sales and average price, the sale had two things working against it on opening night. First, it was being compared to the most successful sale in standardbred history; a sale that included two million-dollar yearlings. Second, we are still in the midst of a pandemic, with much uncertainty surrounding all aspects of life and the standardbred industry is certainly no exception. So, to be down 16% given those obstacles should not be viewed as a negative. While I was pleased with the overall performance of the sale, one thing I noticed was the pacing colts didn't seem to be in high demand. Sure enough, at the end of the night, the numbers reflected that. By the time the last yearling was purchased Monday evening, 28 pacing colts walked through the sales ring, none of them bringing more than $200,000 and with only 10 of those 28 colts (36%) bringing six figures. The average sale price for the pacing colts in the opening session was just $85,393. That marked a 32% decrease from the opening session in 2019 and was 38% off the 2018 average for a pacing colt sold. We heard a lot of buzz about Huntsville going into the sale. Four of his colts sold for an average of just $86,250, which was right in line with the overall average for the pacing colts on night one. Meanwhile, his three fillies that sold averaged more than double what the colts sold for. Always B Miki had eight colts go through the sales ring, averaging $73,000. One of his yearlings was the co-highest price for a colt pacer sold on opening night, HIP 70, Maximus Miki, who insiders noted was a larger yearling than his brother, Always A Miki, who sold at this same sale the previous year for just $40,000. Another colt that sold for $200,000 was HIP 39, Beach Vibes, out of a dam that was produced by Rainbow Blue, making this colt from the family of Somwherovrarainbow. Tony Alagna was a busy man during the opening session, signing the ticket for 12 yearlings in total, five for himself and seven for some of his most high-profile owners, including this impressive colt. With the exception of American Ideal, who had just two colts on the evening, with both selling for six-figures, including the aforementioned Beach Vibes, Captaintreacherous had the best night in terms of pacing colts, selling seven for an average of nearly $95,000. Three of his colts sold for six-figures, including a $200,000 purchase, HIP 58 Captain Mike Deo, another of the Alagna purchases (as agent for Myron Bell). After the opening session, I asked a few buyers and sellers if they thought night two would be a better night for the pacing colts? The answer was 'not necessarily'. Alagna, who signed the tickets for five pacing colts on night one, sired by Always B Miki, American Ideal, Hunstville and Captaintreacherous, believes that this looks like it is just a down year for the pacing colts. Alagna noted that he "thought the pacing colt selection was down in the sale overall," citing there were "a lot of nice colts, but not a true headliner." Bob Boni of Northwood Bloodstock shared that sentiment, telling me that "it is as simple as the fact that some of the better pacing pedigrees were fillies and there are no real marquee colts." When night two concluded, the pacing colts were more in-line with the rest of the yearlings offered, but continued to prove both Alagna and Boni correct. The opening session saw the pacing colts' average sale price come in at just about half of the trotting fillies, sixty percent of the trotting colts and roughly seventy percent of the pacing fillies. Tuesday night, there was more balance between the divisions as the pacing colts' average of $62,930 was eclipsed only by the trotting colts. Still, for the sale, the pacing colts, on average, have cost just under $72,000 while through the first two nights, both trotting divisions are averaging $100,000. In addition, the top-end numbers support what both Alagna and Boni stated. That being that there are a lot of nice colts, but nothing over-the-top that stands out. On night two, of the top 20 yearlings offered, only three were pacing colts, one by Always B Miki and two by Captaintreacherous. For the sale, through the first two nights, only three pacing colts made the top 20 as well, all bringing $200,000. Tony Alagna has taken a different approach in the sale than we have seen in years past. He seems to be identifying value in horses that are not bringing a huge sum of cash and focusing on that market. Alagna has purchased 10 yearlings for himself, at an average of $70,000 per yearling. Will this trend continue at the Harrisburg sale? That remains to be seen. There are some intriguing pacing colts offered in the opening session there. But as it stands right now, regardless of what these yearlings are bringing at sale, there are still many races that go for hundreds of thousands of dollars that these pacing colts will be aimed at, so somebody is likely getting a real bargain. After all, someone has to win the Breeders Crown 2-Year-Old Colt Pace next year and someone has to win The Meadowlands Pace in 2022.