Led by nine yearlings that sold for six-figures, more than any CTHS (Ontario) sale in recent memory, the Canadian Premier Yearling Sale posted increases across the board and totals not seen at the auction in 16 years.
The gross sales for 145 yearlings was $4.47 million, the highest since 2011 and second highest since 2008. The average yearling price hit $30,828, also the highest since 2011 and up 12.7 percent over the 2025 average. The median price is on the way back up again as it was $17,000.
“I was ecstatic,” said CTHS president David Anderson. “New faces were looking at horses, local buyers from the past were back, Americans came up and there were people from Europe here. There was a lot of credit established in the office and there was a great vibe all week.”
While the catalogue was a bit smaller this year, Anderson said the general consensus among buyers and sellers is that there were more quality individuals. “I was very proud about how our breeders brought over their horses. These numbers were all up and that was without a ‘big’ horse, such as the $400,000 colt last year.”
Optimism was warranted as the Canadian Premier yearling sale got underway Wednesday, September 2, at the Woodbine sale pavilion. Fresh funding from the Ontario government to the Ontario racing industry boosted purses on stakes and high level getting some breathing room with recent funding pledged by the Ontario government. The funding boosted stakes purses and the Ontario Bred program immediately, giving prospective buyers extra incentive to bid on one of the Canadian bred yearlings catalogued.
“The funding is going to spur spending,” said Anderson. “But we had a great Yearling Sales Stakes racing day on Sunday [August 30]. The money was spread out and those winners dumped it all back into this sale. So it’s working.”
Anderson was also pleased that six of the 10 top prices were by Ontario sires. “This is now a sale that is a major stop for all buyers in North America. We known a very good horse can come from this sale.”
More than 80 different buyers took home at least one yearling from the Sept. 2 auction.
Among those were one of Woodbine’s leading owner duos Al and Bill Ulwelling, who bought the sale topper at $140,000 from consignor Susan Y. Foreman, agent through K & J Bloodstock, agent.
A Yorkton colt consigned by Hill ‘N’ Dale Sales Agency, Agent was bought for $130,000 by Sue Leslie. CRUZ VILLEGAS PHOTOThe sales topper is a flashy, chrome-splashed chestnut colt by Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) winner MUCHO MACHO MAN, who stands at Adena Springs in Aurora, ON and is the sire of Grade 1 winners such as Pegasus World Cup winner Mucho Gusto. The yearling colt, bred by Deborah Holmes’ Phoenix Rising Farm, is the first foal of the placed Munnings mare Ghost Painter.
Holmes came upon the sales topper’s second dam, KIN’S GHOST at the 2020 Keeneland November Breeding Stock sale. In foal to Outwork. the mare was placed for Chiefswood Stable and a granddaughter of one of the farm’s first major purchases, ROSE OF TARA (Ire), who cost $1,950,000 in 2002.
Holmes paid $15,000 for Kin’s Ghost and three years later, obtained the mare’s first foal, Ghost Painter, who had raced twice for Chiefswood in 2023 with a second place finish.
Kin’s Ghost has been a gem for Holmes. The Outwork offspring, FRIENDLY GHOST, sold for $46,000 and won the 2024 Elgin Stakes and has earned over $169,000. The mare’s 2022 foal is stakes placed Skylight Caper, who Holmes sold for $115,000.
The Ulwellings, who won the 2025 King’s Plate with Mansetti, race their horses with trainer Kevin Attard.
A strapping colt by Yorkton sold for $130,000 to Sue Leslie. CRUZ VILLEGAS photo.
The top priced filly of the sale was a racy chestnut miss by first crop sire and Grade 1-placed LOGGINS (by Ghostzapper) from the mare Leona Vander (GB), by The Last Lion. Bred by Mark Dodson and sold by Shannondoe Farm, Agent I, the filly reached a bid of $130,000 from trainer Julia Carey, as agent. Shannondoe also sold a $100,000 filly by Vino Rosso, bred by Karen Carroll, to Mike and Charmaine Langlois.
One of the sale’s leading buyers was SUE LESLIE, president of the Ontario division of the HBPA. Leslie, who has won stakes races with recent sales purchases Friendly Ghost, Duckduckduck and Brandy and Me, paid $130,000 for a colt by Ontario sire Yorkton from stakes placed Piper’s Legacy. The handsome bay cold, sold by Hill ‘n’ Dale for Chiefswood Stables, is a full brother to multiple stakes winner Piper’s Gift.
Consigner Susan Y. Foreman had a very successful sale as she sold three of the top 10 prices including the topper. The other two big sellers were a filly by first crop sire Annapolis (War Front), bred by Borders Racing and sold for $105,000 to D.J. Stable and a filly from the last crop of top Canadian sire Souper Speedy for $100,000 for Dr. Brett Anderson. That filly was bought by Gary Barber.
Hill ‘n’ Dale also sold a popular colt by young sire AVIE’S FLATTER, the 2018 Champion 2-year-old in Canada from the Awesome Again mare Legs Like Betty, for $125,000. Bred by Tall Oaks Farm of Ivan and Colleen Dalos, the colt was bought by Braconcrest Inc.
Bernard McCormack’s CARA BLOODSTOCK sold two yearlings for $100,000: a Souper Speedy filly bred by Yawen Wu, bought by Keowee Racing through agent Don MacRae and a colt from the first crop of American Horse of the Year Cody’s Wish for Anderson Farms to JDLP Racing’s Joe Demarinis.
The cleverly-named syndicate LAKE ONTARIO RACING were active, buying through well-known agent Donato Lanni. One of its purchases was a $95,000 Silent Name (Jpn) colt bred by Amanda and David Hutchinson from McCormack’s consignment.
CTHS ONTARIO – CANADIAN PREMIER YEARLING SALE
Year Gross #sold Average Median
2026 $4,470,000 145 $30,828 $17,000
2025 $3,638,000 133 $27,353 $15,000
2024 $3,727,700 143 $26,297 $19,000
2023 $4017 $23,779 168 $15,000
2022 $3,837,700 150 $25,584 $19,500
2021 $3,184,400 159 $20,027 $10,000
2020 $2,795300 142 $19,685 $14,500
2019 $3,381,400 157 $21,538 $13,000
2018 $2,816,900 152 $18,537 $10,750
TOP PRICES
$140,000 – c. by Mucho Macho Man – Ghost Painter by Munnings (consigned by Susan Y. Foreman, agent) – purchased by K & J Bloodstock, agent for Al and Bill Ulwelling
$130,000 – f. by Loggins – Leona Vander (GB) by The Last Lion (consigned by Shannondoe Farm Agent I) – purchased by Julia Carey
$130,000 – c. by Yorkton – Piper’s Legacy by Silent Name (Jpn) -(consigned by Hill ‘n’ Dale Sales Agency, Agent) – purchased by Sue Leslie
$125,000 – c. by Avie’s Flatter – Legs Like Betty, by Awesome Again (consigned by Hill ‘n’ Dale Sales Agency, agent) – purchased by Braconcrest Inc.
$105,000 – f. by Annapolis – November Tale (Ire) by Casamento (consigned by Susan Y. Foreman, Agent) – purchased by D.J. Stable
$100,000 – f. by Souper Speedy – Tocco by Smart Strike (consigned by Susan Y. Foreman, agent for Dr. Brett Anderson) – purchased by Gary Barber
$100,000 – f. by Vino Rosso – Catch the Fire by Kitten’s Joy (consigned by Shannondoe Farm, agent II) – purchased by Michael and Charmain Langlois
$100,000 – f. by Souper Speedy – Hurricane Mimi by Sligo Bay (Ire) (consigned by Cara Bloodstock (Bernard McCormack), agent – purchased by Keowee Racing, Don MacRae, agent
$100,000 – c. by Cody’s Wish – Mrs. Hudson by Street Cry (Ire) (consigned by Cara Bloodstock (Bernard McCormack), Agent – purchased by Joe Demarinis
$95,000 – c. by Silent Name (Jpn) – Zensational Beauty by Zensational (consigned by Cara Bloodstock (Bernard McCormack), Agent – purchased by Lake Ontario Racing, Donato Lanni, agent
The sale-topping Mucho Macho Man colt sold by Susan Foreman, agent. CTHSOnt web photo
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