The 2011 Atlantic Classic Sale took place on Friday, October 7, at the Crapaud Exhibition Grounds in PEI. Eighty-eight of the 109 yearlings offered were actually sold at a sale average of $3,982.The sales topper was Hip #102, Pictonian Tabitha, purchased for $20,000 by Dan Ross of Belfast, Prince Edward Island. The daughter of Western Paradise is a half-sister to Maritime record holder Southview Special and half-brother to Ross’s three-year-old pacer Pictonians Matador, who looks like a late bloomer and has shown some speed lately. The top priced colt was Hip #11, Pedal Steel, a son of Brandons Cowboy, purchased by agent Mark Bradley for Alberta connections, who own the three-year-old full brother Silver Eagle. The hammer dropped at $15,000 for the colt.
Beach Paradise was the next highest purchase at $11,500 by Debbie Francis of Windsor, Nova Scotia. The handsome Western Paradise colt is a half-brother to multi-stakes winner Charolettes Maggie. Mr Keon was the next highest purchase at $11,000. The N Xample half-brother to former stakes star Mr Salming was purchased by the same connections that owned “Salming” – Boyd MacDonald, Dan Ross and Charles Seymour. MacDonald and Ross also purchased the highest priced trotter in the sale. They signed for Hip #60, Irish Lullaby, at $6,500. The daughter of Northern Bailey is a first foal out of the Angus Hall mare Lucalena.
MacDonald and Ross were certainly busy raising their arms in bidding, but there were other multi-yearling buyers as well. Ralph Annear purchased three fillies, including a pair of trotters, of course. Dave MacMurdo has been a great supporter of the sale and purchased three yearlings this year, after signing for four in the 2010 Classic. MacMurdo hopes to make an impact in the two-year-old pacing colt division next year as all three purchases were pacing bred colts. The Peter Smith syndicate of owners also signed for three yearlings. The most notable of the three was $10,000 purchase J J Nitro, a son of N Xample out of the successful Big Towner broodmare Farline Hanover. The Greenoaks Farm and Ultimate Stable have both been in the spotlight in Maritime racing recently and are continuing supporters of the yearling sales. They signed for a pair of yearlings each. Greenoaks paid $9,500 for Pictonian Supreme. The Western Paradise filly is out of star broodmare Power Fashion, the mother of two Maritime-breds that have made over $430,000 lifetime. There were some new names on the purchase list as owners. Hopefully these people get a good introduction to harness racing and have some early success.
Yours truly reached in this year and became part of an ownership group. Our group of four owners purchased Hip #97, Pictonian Zena, a Western Paradise filly. I’ve been jokingly saying that the recent concussion I had is having a delayed reaction on me and thus my mental lapse at sale time. Seriously though, I’ll take my chances on a race horse over the volatile stock market any day. We just need to have a lot of luck over the winter and spring, like everyone else. A lot can happen to a yearling from here until June. Best of luck to everyone with their new babies!