It's Time to Buy a Yearling!

It's Time to Buy a Yearling!

By Jennifer Morrison

If you have always wanted to get into Thoroughbred ownership by way of purchasing a yearling, then the Canadian Premier Yearling Sale on August 27 at the Woodbine sale pavilion is where you should be.

There are many benefits of buying a yearling, whether you purchase one on your own or in a partnership. There are over 200 yearlings to choose from in the sale, hosted by the CTHS (Ontario) next week and they come in all shapes and sizes and a various price ranges.

When you buy a yearling, you have the excitement of watching the youngster grow up into a racehorse and you may form a bond with your horse. You also get to name your horse and, if you buy a filly, you may have a horse with residual value in the breeding shed after her career.

In addition, any horse going through the ring at the sale is eligible for one of four rich stakes races at Woodbine for sales graduates.

Here are some of the keys to buying a yearling:

1 – Find a trainer.  Before you go shopping at the sale, it is a good idea to have a trainer or bloodstock agent with you to sift through all the horses in the auction. The trainer or sales agent know a lot about conformation and pedigree and she or he can guide you on your journey.

2 – The walk.  One of the most important aspects of picking out a young horse is watching how they walk. You want a balanced, athletic horse with a long, walking stride. Does the horse's action flow and are the horse's neck and back of similar length?

3 – Pedigree.  The breeding of the yearling is in the catalogue and available for anyone to see. The better the pedigree, the more expensive the horse. Selecting horses with proven sires and dams is often the best advice and many bloodstock experts agree that a strong female family is desired. When taking note of the sires of yearlings, look for a successful stallion who might not be commercially in fashion.

All of the yearlings in the sale are Canadian bred and many of them are Ontario-sired, which opens up more opportunities for racing. These sires are Souper Speedy, Society's Chairman, Silent Name (Jpn), Big Screen, Signature Red, Shaman Ghost, Collusion Illusion, Avie's Flatter, Bond Street (Ire), Serve the King (GB), among others.

4 – Forgivable flaws. Before you bid on a yearling it is recommended you have a vet inspect the horse's x-rays, etc. The majority of horses will have some minor flaw whether it is in the legs, the shape of the neck and hind quarters. But these are just 1-year-old horses and they still have much growing to do.

Don't be too hard on a horse if their hind end is a bit higher than the withers or if they toe out slightly on one leg.

The CTHS Ontario sale yearlings can be views on Monday August 25 beginning at 9 a.m. To 4 p.m. And again on August 26 at the same times.

The sale begins on Aug. 27 at 11 a.m.