There are plenty of opportunities to buy Ohio-bred yearlings – the Blooded Horse Sale, the Buckeye Classic, even Lexington or Harrisburg. But the best source for the most winners is the Ohio Select Jug sale, which is held the Friday before Jug Week at the Pickaway Agricultural Center in Circleville, Ohio. In previous years, anywhere from six to 10 babies have brought in $100,000 or more. The 2024 sale topper was Rose Run Butler (Downbytheseaside) at $140,000, while in 2023 Catch The Cowboy (Catch The Fire) brought $225,000, the second straight year the sales leader topped $200,000. On Friday, September 12, 280 Ohio-sired yearlings will enter the ring, including 43 pacers from first crop sire Monte Miki, 36 sired by Summa Cum Laude and 32 Downbytheseasides. The trotting roster features 26 yearlings by Long Tom, 24 by In Range and 20 by Volstead, sire of 2024 Ohio Horse of the Year (and two time divisional champ) Sugar Instead. And speaking of Sugar Instead, her full sister Vel Sugar is HIP #28. An early April foal, she has a good video and looks the part. But Sugar Instead was the first of three foals by dam Sugar Pop to get to the races. Is she an aberration or is this the start of a dynasty? I think Vel Sugar will bring a good price, but probably won't top the sale. She is consigned by Spring Haven Farm. Senena Esty, the Grand Dam of Spring Haven Farm (OK, husband Jeff is a big part of the program there, too) is sending 39 yearlings to Circleville. She is particularly high on her diversified consignment, which features yearlings by 14 different stallions. Asked to pick highlights, Esty said, "It's hard to choose. But we really like HIP #106 Blue Ranger. She is a full sister to Big Ranger, who won the Next Generation and several Sires Stakes legs. She's an extremely nice filly." Senena seems very high on the trotters. "HIP #110 Dynasty Moni is the first foal out of a sister to Tactical Dynasty. He is a gorgeous black colt," she said. HIP #145 is A Strong Face. By long-time top Ohio stallion What The Hill, he is a brother to A Fancy Face ($400K+), A Doll Face and A Handsome Face (1:54 3/5). Esty says he is an outstanding colt. Esty did mention one pacer, a grey colt by Summa Cum Laude, HIP #80, Spring Ice. Esty said he is a great individual and I particularly liked his video. Spurwood Farm had the sale topper at the Blooded Horse Sales Company August sale and sends a strong contingent of 11, including three Monte Miki yearlings that Kelsey Brinkman is very high on. HIP #17 Sky Miki is from the 100% producing The Panderosa mare Rose Run Skyler, who took a mark of 1:51 2/5 and is from the immediate family of A And G's Confusion, with $1.47 million on her card. An April foal, his video is worth watching. HIP #40 Tamale is the first living foal of Mayabelle, a McArdle mare who earned over $250,000. She is a January foal and looks the part. ► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter Spurwood's third Monte Miki is HIP# 151 Smoochin, a filly from the 100% producing Sweet Lou mare Ever After, making her a sister to Sweet Cheyenne (1:50 3/5), Henceforth (the winningest 3-year-old in the sport last year) and Aintnothingucando, who paced in 1:50 2/5 at Lexington Saturday. Her third dam is the great Loyal Opposition. Brinkman also really likes her Downbytheseaside filly Big Heart Is Kei. She is Ohio and Kentucky eligible and is the first foal of the fast Prairie Cougar, who posted 22 career wins. This filly sells late (HIP #261) and could be a bargain. I will be watching her closely. Finally, she points out the Catch The Fire colt Don'ttruckwithme, HIP #78. His dam, Age Of Consent (by Real Desire), has had five previous foals, all taking marks, with three earning over $100,000, and all from (arguably) second-level Ohio Sires. This one goes back to Ohio royalty, from the maternal family of Toy Poodle and Poodle Party. As usual, Midland Acres has the largest consignment at the sale, featuring 48 yearlings, many by their own stallions Monte Miki, Ready For Moni and Summa Cum Laude. This is Monte Miki's first crop. Jake Mossbarger, the fourth generation of Mossbargers at the farm, singles out seven top choices from the consignment. Not surprisingly, the Monte Miki yearlings top his list and his comments are in quotes below. HIP #97 Monte N The Safe – "Super athletic filly from the millionaire dam Safe From Terror. This Monte Miki filly is her first foal by a commercial stallion ever being offered at auction." The dam of this April foal is a half-sister to Foiled Again. HIP #136, Monte B Good – "An extremely great-looking individual with the pedigree to back him up. He could be our best pacing colt and is exactly what we were looking for in the Monte Miki's." The dam, Dancin Caroll, is a 100% producer and a half-sister to World Champion Dancin Yankee. Among the Summa Cum Laude yearlings, Mossbarger points out HIP #105 Blink Twice – "Summa Cum Laude colt that's streamlined and proportionate with great size. Fast dam and great race horse pedigree. This colt is a looker." A February foal, he is the first foal of Quite A Sight, with a mark of 1:51 1/5. I was impressed with his video. HIP #222 MBT The Tanks is a "pretty" (according to Mossbarger) Summa filly who does not have a pedigree that jumps out at you, but he points out that she tied the Somebeachsomewhere bloodline to the maternal family of Sea Silk. "She has great conformation and feet, and she has the size to take the training needed in today's sport." On the trotting side, Mossbarger singled out two Ready For Moni yearlings and a Long Tom. The Long Tom, HIP #213, is the aptly named Take Her Home. An April foal, she "videoed like a good horse and the foundation to her pedigree has the potential to take her to the top of her class." As for the Ready For Moni pair, HIP #123, Obsessed With Me is the brother to the dam of 2025 Hambleonian Oaks champ Conversano. "This is a family we have loved for years. Look for updates from the 2-year-old full brother!" That full brother, Soulful Sal, has banked over $30K this year with a mark of 1:59 1/5. HIP #160 Lindy's Moni is a filly whose "pedigree does a lot of the talking for her." She is a sister to LT Lover Boy (2-year-old Ohio Trotting Colt of the Year in 2024), to Commander Tom (with $156K on his card), and to two Ohio Sires Stakes leg winners – Ready Russell and Vivi D. I can't find much wrong here. "She is a mid-May foal, but from her video appears decent sized." We reached out to several other farms, but got no responses, so here are a couple of my picks. These are yearlings I think will go in the $25,000-$35,000 range, so accessible to anyone not named Sbrocco or Burke (I kid, I kid). The first is HIP #129 Rose Run Celebrity, by Creatine from a 100% producing mare and consigned by Rose Run Farm. This one has a solid maternal family. And if you want a pacer, Hickory Lane has a couple nice Catch The Fire yearlings. I like HIP #179 Tempting Flames, the first foal of the McArdle mare Hotshot Temptress, with a mark of 1:51 2/5 at 2. The second and third dams have combined to get 14 of 17 foals to the races! Bottom line, there is plenty to choose from at nearly any price point from $10,000 on up. I will be at the sale, so say hello. I hope you cash...on a future champion. See you next time.