CIRCLEVILLE, OH. – The Ohio Selected Jug Yearling Sale takes place Friday (Sept. 12) and consignors and buyers alike packed the Pickaway Ag Center in Circleville to check out next year’s Buckeye State champions.

Big expectations for Ohio Jug Sale 1 — **The Spurwood Farm crew gathers around Don’ttruckwithme, a half-brother to Next Generation champion I’llbetyourboots. (Chris Tully Photo)**

Thursday (Sept. 11) is the annual ‘show day’ and the floors and aisles of the barns were busy clanking with lead shanks and chifney bits as the handlers and prospective purchasers filled the shed rows.

While the sale is conducted by the Lexington Selected Yearling Sales Co., the auction is owned by the Ohio Harness Horse Breeders, a group of local nurseries that send some of their best and brightest horses to this sale each autumn.

“The right people have been looking, so we anticipate a strong sale,” noted last year’s sale topping consignor Arch Yoder of Rose Run Farm. “Their siblings have been racing well so we expect these youngsters to sell good.”

That sentiment carried throughout the facility.

“We are all very excited about the sale,” said Senena Esty, the president of the Ohio Harness Horse Breeders and is also one of the sale’s leading consignors.

“There has been more interest and traffic for yearling previews this year at the area farms, than we have seen in some time. We are encouraged by the added attention, especially all the buzz about the new Buckeye Owner Bonus program,” Esty confirmed.

“In Ohio, we race for over $100 million annually, with three tiers of Sire Stakes, four pari-mutuel tracks, and 66 County Fairs. So there really is a place to race for every horse.”

Of course, horse people need a place to acquire such performers and the Ohio Selected Jug Sale has been the gold standard in the state for decades.

In addition to a vast group of ‘first foals’ from the mares, many of Friday’s offerings are brothers or sisters to world champions. Graduates of this sale are at the top, or near the top of every division of the Ohio Sire Stakes standings for 2- and 3-year-old trotters and pacers.

The sale begins at 10 am. Prospective purchasers can bid online by registering at:

https://cci.auction/orgs/77/auctions/5204

For more information, please visit: https://ohioharnesshorsebreeders.com/sale-roster/ or http://www.lexingtonselected.com/cgi/ohio_video_sort_2025.php

by Chris Tully, for the Ohio Harness Horse Breeders