Colt, filly co-session topper Tuesday at Lexington

Lexington, KY — Pacing colt Phantomofthenight (Tall Dark Stranger-Lu’s Illusion) and trotting filly French Riviera (Greenshoe-Creamy Mimi) shared top honors at Tuesday’s (Oct. 3) second session of the Lexington Selected Yearling Sale, each selling for $350,000 to lead a group of 239 harness racing horses at the Fasig-Tipton Pavilion.

Phantomofthenight, who sold to Andrew Harris as agent for owner Bill Pollock, and French Riviera, who was purchased by Andy Miller Stable, were among seven horses to sell for at least $300,000 on Tuesday, sending the sale into record territory for both a second session and overall.

Tuesday’s yearling group sold for a total of $23.2 million, besting the previous second-session high of $20.4 million set last year when 227 horses went through the auction ring. Tuesday’s average of $97,247 also established a new standard, bettering last year’s average of $90,013.

Overall, this year’s sale has seen 360 horses sell for $45.4 million, an average of $126,289. Last year’s record-setting sale stood at $43.5 million for 349 horses after the second session, an average of $124,642.

Last year’s sale saw only three horses reach $300,000 during the second session. In 2021, the number also was three.

Phantomofthenight’s second dam is Hall of Fame broodmare Artistic Vision, the mother of 2010 Horse of the Year Rock N Roll Heaven and $2-million-earner Clear Vision.

He was bred by Fair Winds Farm and Bill Donovan and consigned by Preferred Equine Marketing. He is Pennsylvania and New Jersey Standardbred Development Fund eligible.

“I have the sister to Phantomofthenight (a 2-year-old filly named Donegal Spirit) and she is super talented; she just has some issues she has to work through,” Harris said. “But I know how fast she is. So, knowing that going into it, I really liked him.

“He’s such a good-looking horse, and he had the presence to go with it. And if you look at that (pedigree) page, you can’t knock anything about it. I didn’t want to be late to the party on this one, so I said let’s take a shot.”

Phantomofthenight was the only yearling purchased by Harris and Pollock on Tuesday after buying nine during Monday’s opening session, including six of the top 14 sellers.

“It’s been absolutely incredible,” Harris said. “I can’t thank Bill and Bruce (Areman) enough to even have a shot at horses like this.

“I have a lot of people telling me that I have a lot of pressure on me now, but at the same time, it’s less pressure when you buy these types of animals. Now, I just have to keep them happy and healthy — stay out of their way as much as possible — and try to get them to the dance. I’d rather have that kind of pressure than the pressure of not having a good one in there.”

French Riviera is a half-sister to French Wine, a Pennsylvania Sire Stakes champion in 2023 and Kentucky Championship Series titlist in 2022, as well as Grand Circuit-winner French Laundry. Andy Miller Stable is among the owners of French Wine, trained by Julie Miller. The filly’s family also includes Dan Patch Award-winners Pizza Dolce and Bella Bellini.

Bred by Marvin Katz and Al Libfeld, French Riviera was consigned by Kentuckiana Farms. She is Pennsylvania and Kentucky eligible.

In addition to French Wine, Julie Miller campaigned another of the filly’s siblings, stakes-winner French Cafe, and Andy Miller drove dam Creamy Mimi to victory in the 2008 Hambletonian Oaks, deepening the connection to French Riviera’s family.

“I was tickled pink to get her,” Julie Miller said. “We love that family and gravitate to it. When I saw her at Kentuckiana, she looked like an athletic, talented filly. She had a presence about her, and when they turned her out in the field, she did her work.”

Trotting filly Balcony and pacing filly Champagne Room were tied for third on the best-seller list at $310,000.

Balcony, a daughter of Southwind Frank-Bayou, sold to Ken Jacobs. Her family includes Bond, the winner of this year’s Elegantimage Stakes and Delmonica Hanover, as well as 2022 Trotter of the Year Bella Bellini. She was bred and consigned by Diamond Creek Farm. She is Pennsylvania and Kentucky eligible.

Champagne Room, a daughter of first-crop sire Papi Rob Hanover-See You At Peelers, was purchased by Noel Daley. Her siblings include stakes-winners Toronto, Threshold, and Ivy League as well as Geometry, the dam of unbeaten 2-year-old filly Geocentric. She was bred by Diamond Creek Farm and consigned by All American Harnessbreds. She is Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and Maryland eligible.

Three horses sold for $300,000 each: Pacing colt Wavemaker (Tall Dark Stranger-Making Waves) to Tony Alagna, trotting filly Shatter Me (Father Patrick-The Ice Dutchess) to Armitage Farm, and trotting filly Panzee Bea (Gimpanzee-Cousin Bea) to Ake Svanstedt Inc. as agent for Bender Sweden.

Through two days, trotting sires Chapter Seven and Walner led the sale in gross, with Chapter Seven at $6.93 million for 46 horses and Walner at $5.19 million for 34 horses. Next were pacing sires Captaintreacherous, at $5.01 million for 36 horses, and first-crop sire Tall Dark Stranger at $4.86 million for 41 horses.

Leading in average (among horses with more than two sales) was first crop trotting sire Gimpanzee, at $198,529 for 17 horses. Walner was next, at $152,882. Captainteacherous topped pacing sires, at $139,389.

The third session of the five-day sale begins at 1 p.m. Wednesday.

Find the sale’s catalog click here. For the live stream, visit the sale’s company website here, and for complete results, click here.

by Ken Weingartner, for the USTA