SHAKOPEE, MN – Short on numbers but long on prices would be the easiest way to describe the 2026 Minnesota Horse Sale at Canterbury Park.
After the Minnesota HBPA declined to run the yearling sale, a group of enterprising horsepeople combined with Canterbury Park to put on this year’s sale.
Cameron Mahlum, Nicky Strohkirk, Rick Bremer and Vicky Zoelle teamed up with John Groen, General Manager of Canterbury Park, and his team to put on the sale.
Twenty-two horses out of a foal crop of fifty-seven were consigned to the sale. While four were withdrawn, the remaining eighteen all went to new owners: seventeen in the ring and one just afterward when the reserve wasn’t met.
“We were honored to have those consignors entrust their yearlings to us to sell,” said Strohkirk.
Overall proceeds for the sale were $498,000. This total not only eclipsed the $247,500 (21 yearlings sold) from last year, but also the $385,500 (16 horses sold) from 2024. The total proceeds were the highest since the $548,000 in 2019.
The average sale price was $27,694, the highest average that observers could recall.
“The yearling sale results are fantastic with an average sale price much higher than anything I can remember in the past,” said Canterbury President and CEO Randy Sampson.
The sale got off on the right foot when hip #1, a filly who is a full sister to Merit Badge (Mitole-Badge of Honor-Badge of Silva) who won the Northern Lights the night before by 14 lengths, came into the ring. She was quickly bid up and when the gavel fell, she was sold to Carin Offerman for $69,000.
The filly was bred by Cheryl Sprick and Rick Bremer, breeders of both the Northern Lights Futurity and Debutante (Rhyne Away) champions the night before on Festival of Champions Night. Offerman purchased Rhyme Away out of last year’s Minnesota sale and was the 2025 sale topper.
Just two horses later, Rare Commodity, hip number four, another filly, rocketed past that amount and sold for $85,000 to Joy Gorra. The Mo Donegal filly out of the Midshipman mare Harlow’s Harmony was bred by Von Seggern Thoroughbreds.
The climax of the sale came with hip number 7, a filly by Global Campaign out of the Dialed In mare Miss Ring. Also bred by Sprick and Bremer, this filly became the sale topper with a purchase price of $91,000. The half-sister to Rhyme Away also sold to that one’s owner, Carin Offerman.
“I came into the sale terrified and I’m leaving exhausted,” laughed leading consigner Sprick. “We are grateful to Carin Offerman. She has been a great supporter for years and I’m happy that she got them. Both of them are nice horses.”
The youngsters will head to trainer Troy Bethke.
While Sprick and Bremer were leading consignors with five horses sold and $230,000 in proceeds, a scary incident kicked off their morning, so to speak, when Bremer was kicked in the gut by the eventual sales topper and was taken to Hennepin County Regional Medical Center for treatment and observation. Fortunately, he was released the next day with a bruised abdomen and was ready to get back to work today with horses to take to Kentucky and an apple harvest to start.
The leading buyer in terms of dollars paid was Offerman with $230,000 while Gorra was the leading buyer in terms of horses purchased with three.
“My overall reaction is very positive,” said Mahlum. “Much thanks go to Vicky Zoelle, Nicky Strohkirch, Canterbury’s Randy Sampson, Jennifer Willer and John Groen. The numerous volunteers were very much appreciated.”
“Also, a big thanks to the auctioneer team of Dan Mahaney and our pedigree readers. The breeders and consignors stepped up again with the uncertainties and delivered quality horses that were sales ready. It was excellent to have a positive sale,” he continued.
Canterbury’s Angela Hermann and Gary Contessa combine to provide color and observations from the auction stand and Jon Mikkelson ran the bid board and coordinated all the audio and visual.
“The results and competitive bidding demonstrate the quality of thoroughbreds being bred in Minnesota. We congratulate the breeders and the new owners as we look forward to seeing these sales graduates compete at Canterbury Park in 2027,” concluded Sampson.
