Circleville, OH. – The highly anticipated Ohio Selected Jug Yearling Sale is Friday (Sept. 16) at the Pickaway Ag Center in Circleville, Ohio. On Thursday (Sept. 15), many of the Buckeye State’s Standardbred owners and trainers were busy reviewing videos and inspecting the next crop of champion Ohio-bred harness horses.

“This is where you stock up for next year so you have some kind of chance,” noted Delaware, Ohio-based trainer Brian Brown, as he and his wife Jennifer looked at nearly every pacer in the sale.

Brown added, “I think it will be a good sale, but how do you top the fantastic sales they had the last two years?”

Indeed, with the strength of then-first crop sire Downbytheseaside, last year’s sale was up 11 percent across both the gross sales and average price indices. But, of course the proof is in the pudding, as the Ohio Sires Stakes program is one of the strongest in the nation with over $18 million being raced for this season.

With a lucrative state program on solid ground, coupled with strong consignments, this year’s auction appears to be poised for similar success. In addition, there has been North American notoriety for many of the pacers in the Ohio program, including but not limited to Downbytheseaside (world champion and Adios winner Bythemissal p,3,1:48.3f-’22 [$537,750]), Fear The Dragon (world champion Fear Of Sports p,2,1:51.2h-’22 [$129,125]) and Racing Hill (Ohio divisional points leader Racing Rampage p,2,1:51.2h-‘22 [$131,690]).

The trotters have also stepped into the national spotlight with a son of Uncle Peter, A Real Legend 2,1:55-’22 ($81,300), setting a new world benchmark at Northfield in a leg of the Ohio Sires Stakes.

A gray filly by first-crop sire Dancin Yankee is one of dozens of yearlings by new sires being offered. Chris Tully photo.

First-crop sires have also added to the buzz surrounding Friday’s auction. Dancin Yankee brought out the Burke Brigade to inspect his 13 individual representatives in the sale. Twenty-one sons and daughters of Lather Up were out on the floor en masse, along with a small but select group by trotter Volstead and pacer Bit Of A Legend N that have turned some heads.

Ohio Harness Horse Breeders president Randy Haines noted, “We have an exceptional group of yearlings in this year’s select sale. Ohio-based stallions have produced several world champions this year, and our first crop sires have also provided us with a strong group of fantastic looking individuals that we are proud to bring out of the stall.”

There are 277 yearlings cataloged, and the auction will get underway at 10 am on Sept. 16.

Several top established and first-crop Ohio-based sires (5 or more) are represented at the sale, including: Bit Of A Legend N (5), Creatine (11), Dancin Yankee (13), Downbytheseaside (42), Enterprise (19), Fear The Dragon (34), Full Count (5), Lather Up (21), Long Tom (33), Racing Hill (11), Uncle Peter (16), Volstead (7), What The Hill (33), and Yankee Cruiser (7).

For more information, please visit: https://ohioharnesshorsebreeders.com/sale-roster/ or http://www.lexingtonselected.com/cgi/ohio_video_sort_2022.php