Prior to outs, 222 horses bred in Maryland were entered in the sale. That’s more than double the amount of the next most-represented state, Pennsylvania, which has 101 hips.

Other well-represented states include New York, with 89 hips and Kentucky, with 61. Regionally, there are 21 Virginia-breds, nine bred in West Virginia, and seven bred in New Jersey.

Likewise, regional sires figure to get a long look at the sale. Seven of the top nine sires by hips entered stand in the Mid-Atlantic. Together, those seven account for 115 hips.

That group is led by Golden Lad, who is the sire of 25 horses entered in the sale. Standing at Maryland’s Northview Stallion Station, Golden Lad is currently the fifth-leading sire in the region, with 46 winners to date and more than $2.2 million in progeny earnings.

In fact, six of the seven most-represented Midlantic stallions stand at Northview. That number includes Hoppertunity, Golden Lad, Madefromlucky, and Uncle Lino, as well as the region’s leading sire, veteran Great Notion. His 48 winners this season have helped him to more than $3.2 million in progeny earnings.

The lone regional sire to make the top of the list not standing at Northview is Bourbon Courage. Also standing in Maryland, at Anchor and Hope Farm, Bourbon Courage has 13 offspring entered. His 28 winners to date have helped him amass almost $1.8 million in progeny earnings.

There also are several hips on offer by national leading sires. That includes three Tonalists, two Uncle Mos, five by Munnings, one by Not This Time, and a Speightstown. Those stallions are, respectively, third, fifth, seventh, eighth and ninth on the general sire list.

A couple of notables from those hips with leading national sires:

• Hip 523 is an Uncle Mo colt out of the Macho Uno mare Silsita. Silsita was a Grade 3 winner, and one of her three offspring to race to date is the stakes winner First Empire.
• Hip 123 is a Maryland-bred Munnings filly out of Uniquely Chic, by Union Rags. Though Uniquely Chic was unraced and is unproven as a broodmare, her half-sister Awesome Flower was a multiple stakes winner who is the dam of two-time Grade 1 winner Cyberknife, winner of this year’s Haskell Stakes at Monmouth Park.
• Hip  490, a Virginia-bred Munnings filly, hails from the female family of Medaglia d’Oro, who earned over $4.5 million on the racetrack before becoming a top sire.
• Hip 158 is a Maryland-bred Uncle Mo filly out of the Singspiel mare Andina. Andina was a stakes winner, and all five of her offspring to race are winners, including a pair of graded or group stakes winners.

Last year’s top two sellers – bringing $235,000 and $230,000 – were both by Mendelssohn. He has two entered in this year’s sale. Hip 157 is out of the Not for Love mare Amie’s Legend and is a half-sister to the stakes winner Ghoul’s Night out. And Hip 119 is out of the Domestic Dispute mare Undisputed Legend and is a half-brother to Whereshetoldmetogo, who is closing in on millionaire status.

Both are Maryland-breds, and both are being consigned by Northview Stallion Station (David Wade) as agent..

In last year’s yearning sale, a total of 456 hips went through the ring. Of those, 381 found new homes, generating close to $11.3 million in sales at an average price of $29,578. The median was $20,000.