Harness: Winbak Farm brings something for everyone to Lexington

We stand just a day away from the 2026 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale, and this year there is not a farm/consignment selling more of their own horses than Winbak Farm.

Winbak has rolled into Lexington with 57 yearlings in tow, 22 of which will be sold on the first two nights of the sale. I spoke with Jack Burke, General Manager of Winbak Farm about the Winbak consignment this year.

"The yearlings look fantastic," said Burke, "The Winbak Farm team prides ourselves on bringing horses to the yearling sales looking their best for prospective buyers. Between nutrition, veterinary care, grooming, training and much more, our staff puts a lot of blood, sweat and tears into these horses from the moment we choose a stallion for a mare until the gavel bangs down on the auction block. With foals from some of the top sires in the game, exciting first foals, first-crop yearlings and several of the top families from Winbak's broodmare band, we're excited to bring this lineup to Lexington."

It is an exciting lineup to say the least, and based on the philosophy of Winbak's owner Joe Thomson, that should come as no surprise.

"The simplest version of our philosophy is Joe Thomson loves this sport, loves these animals and loves seeing Winbak Farm listed as breeder on horses in the winner's circle. When we attend the sale, we aim to have something for every prospective buyer to look at. Do you want a New York colt pacer? We have six for you to look at. Hoping to purchase a Captain Corey? We have two fillies and two colts to show you. Do you love racing in the Kentucky Sire Stake program? We have both sexes and gaits for you to chose from. Even if they happen to walk away from a sale not buying a Winbak-bred horse, a buyer can never say that we didn't have what they were looking for."

To Burke's point, Winbak is not over-indexed on any one stallion and has a wide array of options to choose from. Beach Glass leads the consignment with eight yearlings as the last great son of Somebeachsomewhere. This is his first crop of yearlings to carry on the legacy of Somebeachsomewhere, and Winbak has him poised for success in Ontario. All told, the 57 yearlings are spread across 23 different stallions, including Bettor's Delight, Captain Corey, Captaintreacherous, Chapter Seven, Greenshoe and more.

Variety is key for Winbak and helps them stand out in the sale.

"With the variety that we bring to yearling sales, we are able to see Winbak-bred horses in winner's circles not just across North America but the world," said Burke. "This year in North America, we have had A Clean Deal dominating in the Ontario Sires Stakes, Best Chip win the Aria and Canadian Pacing Derby, Gold Impact win the Arden Downs Stakes, Made For Moni be one of the best in Ohio Sires Stakes (winner of multiple legs), McBubbles win the Kin Pace, Read The Room win multiple New York Sire Stakes (finished second in the final), Solar Queen win the New York Excelsior final, Toss Of The Dice win the Dream Of Glory final, and so many more. Back to what I said earlier, we provide a wide variety for yearling buyers - from Grand Circuit winners to Winbak-breds winning five New York County finals."

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While there is certainly something for everyone in the Winbak consignment, Burke highlighted a few of his favorite yearlings that he is most looking forward to seeing pass through the sales ring:

"One of the best families on the farm is the maternal family of Muscle Hill. We have four yearlings that come from that line (HIP#s 59, 238, 242 and 260). There are two from that group that really stand out to me. HIP 59 Novel Life, a Chapter Seven filly out of the mare Mets Life, is a three-quarter sister to Amazing Catch and has the Chapter Seven look that people have come to know and love.

"HIP 260 Solid Catch is a Captain Corey filly out of Met's Inn, she is the dam of millionaire Met's Hall. With her good size, outstanding conformation, and a huge motor behind, she should definitely be on people's radar."

"HIP 219 Louder Than Life is from first-crop sire Volume Eight and out of Exotic Form. This filly is a half-sister to 2025 New York Sire Stakes final winner Happy Jack B. She had a really nice video and is definitely worth checking out.

"On the pacing side, HIP 273 Dream By The Beach is a son of first-crop sire Beach Glass and proven producer Dreamlands Latte. He has everything that we look for when selling a yearling - looks, pedigree and swift moves in the video paddock. Another colt worth mentioning is HIP 55 Bennyville, a Huntsville colt that is the first foal from L A Fitness, who has a deep pedigree. This is a good-sized colt with plenty of athleticism to get around the half-mile turns in New York.

"The final one I'll highlight is the next one in your catalog, HIP 56 Uptown Angel, a Captaintreacherous filly that is a first foal from a half-sister to Odds On Equuleus, La Minita Hanover. She is a very pretty horse and dual-eligible to Pennsylvania and Kentucky Sire Stakes."

Whether you are looking for a horse to compete in the many great sire stakes programs or searching for a Grand Circuit contender, Winbak Farm's consignment brings everything to the table in Lexington this year. If the sales performance from Thoroughbred racing is an economic indicator, we should see some fireworks in Lexington this year.