A total of 55 horses changed hands for revenues of $408,300 during this year's sale, for an average sale price of $7,424 and a median of $3,400. The buyback rate was 28 percent.

This year's sale introduced online bidding for the first time, which accounted for $94,500 in purchases – 23 percent of the overall gross.

The yearling portion moved 48 horses for revenues of $389,400, down 17 percent from last year's slate of yearlings, when 38 sold for $469,800. The average yearling sale price fell 33 percent to $8,285 from $12,363.

This year's sale-topper was Hop To It, a Grasshopper gelding who sold to NBS Stable for $60,000.

The dark bay or brown gelding is out of the winning Speightstown mare Islet, whose two foals to race are both winners. The Iowa-bred hails from the family of Grade 2 winner Windward Islands and French Group 1-placed Deveron.

Though the overall figures were down, Hop To It's $60,000 price tag tied the record for the most expensive horse ever sold at the Iowa auction, equaling the mark set last year.

Iowa State University consigned the sale-topper, and it topped the sale's consignors by both gross and number sold, moving 26 horses for $273,800.

NBS Stable was the sale's leading buyer with two purchases totaling $79,000. Dick Clark bought eight horses to be the most active buyer by bulk.

To view the auction's full results, click here.

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