Lexington, KY — Records continued to fall Wednesday at the Lexington Selected Yearling Sale as the top prices for horses surpassed $500,000 for the first time in the history of the event’s second session at Fasig-Tipton Sales Pavilion.

Wall To Wall was hammered down to Nancy Takter for $525,000. USTA/Mark Hall photo.

Walner-sired trotting fillies Wall To Wall and Singeth With Joy both sold for more than $500,000 on Wednesday, with Wall To Wall going to Nancy Takter for $525,000 and Singeth With Joy going to Ken Jacobs for $510,000. The previous second-session high was $480,000 for trotting filly Beautiful Sin in 2017.

In addition, the second session set records for gross with $17.9 million and average at $84,164 for 213 horses. The previous highs, set in 2018, were $13.6 million and $83,748 for 163 horses. This year’s second session gross was 61.2 percent higher than the $11.1 million for 181 horses in 2020 and the average was 36.3 percent better than last year’s $61,718.

This year’s sale also established opening-night records for gross ($18.5 million) and average ($161,217). Through the two sessions, this year’s sale has totaled $36.4 million and averaged $111,180 for 328 horses.

Through two sessions in 2020, the pandemic-impacted sale saw 299 horses sell for $26.4 million, averaging $88,321. This year’s numbers represent a 37.8 percent increase in gross and 25.8 percent hike in average.

Furthermore, this year’s sale continues to outpace the 2019 sale that set records for gross and average. Through two sessions in 2019, the gross was $31.2 million and the average was $107,102 for 292 horses.

Sixteen yearlings sold for at least $200,000 on Wednesday, nearly equaling the combined total of the past three years (19).

Wall To Wall is out of the Love You-sired mare Pearl Axe IT, who earned $229,231 in Europe. Wall To Wall, who is New Jersey and Kentucky eligible, was bred by Lindy Farms of Connecticut and Preferred Equine Marketing and consigned by Preferred Equine Marketing.

“She’s a Walner filly, which seems to be a hot commodity at the moment,” Takter said. “Everybody always wants to pay less, but I could see why she cost what she cost. She is a beautiful, beautiful filly. She has an interesting pedigree, with that European pedigree to her. There wasn’t much not to like about her. She was bred and raised by Lindy Farms, and they raise and breed a good horse.

“We do need to mix some European blood into (the sport) otherwise we’re going to kind of breed ourselves into a corner. I think European blood adds a little bit of endurance to our horses, a little bit more strength. It’s definitely, I think, interesting in that sense. We’ve been breeding our horses so much for speed in recent years, I think it’s good to add a little bit of the European and French blood to get a little bit more durability into the horses.”

Singeth With Joy is out of Lonely Lady and her family includes millionaire Bar Hopping. USTA/Mark Hall photo.

Singeth With Joy is out of Lonely Lady and her family includes millionaire Bar Hopping. She is New Jersey and Kentucky eligible. She was bred by Steve Stewart and Douglass Hutchins and consigned by Hunterton Sales Agency.

“I’m pretty happy; I got my No. 1 and my No. 2,” Jacobs said, with his No. 1 a reference to trotting colt Earthquake Bi, who he purchased for $620,000 during Tuesday’s opening session of the sale. “(Singeth With Joy) is just a gorgeous filly with a great attitude. The video was exceptional and I liked her conformation and bloodlines. You look for a hole, and if there is no hole, that’s the one you want. She had no hole.

“Of course I’m biased, but I think I bought the best two in the sale.”

Double Dippin, a colt by Walner out of Borrow And Spend, went for $300,000 to Lucas Wallin. USTA/Mark Hall photo.

Third on the list of top sellers was Double Dippin, a colt by Walner out of Borrow And Spend, who went for $300,000 to Lucas Wallin. His family includes millionaires Dejarmbro and Manofmanymissions. The New Jersey eligible trotter was bred by Steve Jones and consigned by Cameo Hills Farm.

The top selling pacer, and fourth highest seller overall, was filly Shining Rocks, who was purchased for $270,000 by Dana Parham. A daughter of Captaintreacherous out of World Of Rock, she is a half-sister to Breeders Crown champion Peaky Sneaky. Her family also includes multiple Dan Patch Award-winner Worldly Beauty. She was bred by White Birch Farm and consigned by Anvil And Lace Farm.

Also on Wednesday, an auction of stallion breedings was held to benefit the Breeders Crown Charity Challenge. The auction featured single 2022 breedings to eight stallions: Bar Hopping, Captaintreacherous, Chapter Seven, Downbytheseaside, Muscle Hill, Perfect Sting, Tall Dark Stranger, and Walner. The auction, topped by a $55,000 bid for the Walner breeding, totaled $207,000.

Session three of the sale begins at 3 p.m. (EDT) Thursday. For complete results, visit the Lexington Selected Yearling Sale website here.