Harness: Yearling-only portion of Standardbred Horse Sale in the books

The yearling-only portion of this year's Standardbred Horse Sale ended on Thursday at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium. The top seller was HIP 591 Shadowmoon Rising, a Shadow Play colt who went to Dr. Ian Moore for $115,000.

Bred and consigned by Spring Haven Farm, Shadowmoon Rising is out of the Western Hanover mare Lofty Yankee, making him a full brother to Shadow Moon (1:51 4/5, $214,906). Moore trained Shadow Moon (and, of course, sire Shadow Play), winning an Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Series event and a Nassagaweya division with him as a 2-year-old.

Shadowmoon Rising was one of three yearlings that broke into six figures on Wednesday. Coming in behind him at $105,000 was HIP 700 Thx Again Bluechip, a colt from the first crop of Huntsville. yearling is out of the American Ideal mare Exclamation, a half-sister to the Rocknroll Hanover mare Rocklamation. Bred by Blue Chip Bloodstock Inc. and Our Horse Cents Stables and selling from the Blue Chip consignment, Thx Again Bluechip is out of the American Ideal mare Exclamation, a half-sister to the Rocknroll Hanover mare Rocklamation (1:48 3/5, $2,277,374).

HIP 624 Alehouse Hanover rounded out the top three, going to Paul Kelley for $100,000. Bred and consigned by Hanover Shoe Farms Inc., Alehouse Hanover is a Bar Hopping colt, and he is the fourth foal out of the stakes-winning Donato Hanover mare Aspidistra Hanover (1:55 1/5, $179,976). Kelley also trained her at 2 and 3.

Thursday's session had 328 offerings available, and they sold for a gross of $6,341,000 and an average of $19,332. These were further declines from the third day of the sale in both 2019 (365 sold, total of $8,094,000, and an average of $22,175) and 2018 (357 sold, gross of $7,427,000, and an average of $20,804).

For the overall yearling sale, the gross fell from $40,683,000 last year and $35,420,000 in 2018 to $29,540,000 in 2020, and the average tumbled to $38,215 from $48,839 a year ago and $42,675 two years ago.

Attention now shifts to the mixed sale for the next two days in Timonium. HIPs 900-1211 in the regular catalog and 1700-1727 in the supplement catalog will be available on Friday beginning at 10 A.M.