A big crowd gathered early Friday morning in Hale Arena at the American Royal complex for the UPHA Classics Incentive Yearling Sale. Before the sale started, everyone enjoyed a buffet breakfast sponsored by the UPHA and organized by Sarah Rowland.

What sets this sale apart, besides the outstanding quality of consigned yearlings, is that all horses sold through the 2006 sale are eligible for extra incentive money when they show as three-year-olds at the 2008 UPHA Classics Finals.

Before the sale began, it was announced that five of the entries shown on Thursday night in the Dabora/UPHA Classics Championships were eligible for a share of the incentive fund, having sold among the 25 yearlings in the 2004 sale. Two of those five horses shared $35,000 – up from a purse of $21,000 in 2005 - earning $17,500 apiece over and above the regular Classics payout. Majestic’s Top Billing, trained and shown by Scott Matton for owner Jonelle Chovanec-Gardiner, won $17,500 in the Five-Gaited final with a 7^th place finish. Another Filly, owned by Peter Radintz and shown by Jay Wood, earned an extra $17,500 with a 6^th place finish in the Fine Harness final. As with the Grand National program, a horse doesn’t have to win its class in order to earn the extra dollars.    

Thirty-nine yearlings were consigned with thirty-four going through the sale. Unofficial preliminary totals indicate a sales total of $434,700 and an average selling price of $12,785. This is before taking into account any possible RNAs. An official report will be provided as soon as possible.

Seen at the UPHA Yearling Sale