Trotting filly Exile tops Tuesday’s opening session of Lexington Selected Yearling Sale
At 8h11, on October 6, 2021 • By Ken Weingartner, USTA
Trotting filly Exile, a daughter of Walner out of Swan Hot Mama, brought the top price at Tuesday’s opening session of the Lexington Selected Yearling Sale, going for $800,000 to Nancy Takter on a record-setting night at the Fasig-Tipton Sales Pavilion.
The winning bid for Exile established the record for a filly sold at auction. USTA/Mark Hall photo.
The winning bid for Exile established the record for a filly sold at auction, surpassing the $725,000 spent for Kadena during last year’s opening session of the Lexington sale. Kadena, now named Jaya Bae, won her career debut for trainer Marcus Melander in 1:54.2 on Saturday in a conditioned race at Red Mile. Jaya Bae also is a daughter of Walner, out of Mission Brief.
Overall Tuesday, the sale established records for both gross and average. A total of 115 horses sold for $18.5 million and $161,217 average, bettering the marks of $18.2 million and $154,288 for 118 horses in 2019, when Maverick and Damien became the first yearlings in history to reach $1 million.
In 2020, the gross was $15.2 million and the average was $129,127 for 118 horses. This year’s figures represent increases of 21.7 percent in gross and 24.8 percent in average.
Exile was one of 11 yearlings to sell for at least $400,000 on Tuesday. An additional five sold for at least $300,000.
Last year, five yearlings sold for at least $400,000 — led by Kadena/Jaya Bae — and another four yearlings sold for at least $300,000. Tuesday’s numbers also exceeded the previous record-setting opening session in 2019, when seven yearlings reached at least $400,000 and two more topped $300,000.
