Four days after many breeders left the selected session of the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society's yearling sale at Woodbine racetrack in Toronto disappointed, the preferred session on Sept. 11 showed marked increases.

The average yearling price for 165 sold zoomed up to $7,575 from $5,755 a year ago with the gross sales totaling $1,249,900, up from $851,800 last year.

The median also increased to $4,000 from $3,200 in 2009. The sale continued to be plagued by rising buy-backs, however, as 61 went unsold compared to 49 last year.

Unlike the selected session when the buyer depth seemed to be weak, seemingly more buyers, mostly the smaller stables, bid enthusiastically at the preferred session.

Indeed, the success of the preferred session in recent years (this year’s stakes winners such as Halton stakes winner Guipago and Muskoka Stakes winner Lucky Be Me were purchased for $1,200 and $5,500, respectively) had buyers bargain hunting, and that hiked up the prices on the better yearlings.

Listed as the top price of the sale on the results sheets was an $80,000 Whiskey Wisdom--Matching Sox, by Tale of the Cat   colt bought in a private sale by Robert Tiller, as agent for 3 Sons Racing Stable.

Sold by Kingstead Farm, agent, the colt is a full brother to multiple stakes winner Double Malt.

Two yearlings sold for $45,000 and both were purchased by Danny Dion’s Bear Stables Inc. Hip no. 263, a colt by Philanthropist   out of Cat’s Calling, by Caller I.D. was sold by Dr. Mike Colterjohn’s Paradox Farm, Inc, to Reade Baker, agent for Bear Stable.

The other $45,000 yearling was a filly by the leading Canadian freshman sire Old Forester out of One Way’s Wit by One Way Love, bought by Mike DePaulo, agent for Bear Stables Inc., from John Carey, agent for T.C. Westmeath Stud Inc.

A filly from the first crop of Manitoba Derby winner Weather Warning sold for $40,000 to Brian Lynch, acting as agent for American owner-trainer Wesley Ward, who has been racing horses at Woodbine in 2010.

Sold by Cara Bloodstock (Bernard McCormack) as agent, the filly is out of the French-bred mare Numerieus.