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The“ for sale” signs went out and for a while it appeared that good fortune awaited those select few who were fortunate enough to have a MIDNIGHT SUN colt. At this point it was the“ waiting game” that was played as owners sat back to demand the highest price, stating that if their price was not met that they would just wait and get“ top dollar” at the sale in September.
As the hammer fell on the first horse to go through the sale, it became obvious that the demand for these select colts was not as eager as we once believed. $ 3,750? For a MIDNIGHT SUN filly, But Ol’ Sun is dead and there ain’ t going to be no more of these! The second filly to go through the sale was“ no salcd” at $ 3,400. Then one was sold for $ 1,750. From this point on it was evident that good colts were bringing as they say,“ about what they
were worth.”
The top colt of the sale was SUN’ S ELKHORN TOM CAT, consigned by Mr. Gordon Wilder and sold to Mr. Charles Corley of Tulsa, Oklahoma, for $ 4,500. A year before, the top colt of the sale was an all-time record breaker that went for $ 6,000. According to our calculations the average price of colts going through the sale this year was $ 1,686.20. This is based on a total of eightyseven colts selling. Another interesting fact regarding this most important sale is that over fifty colts were“ no saled,” one stud colt as high as $ 5,500 and a filly at $ 4,- 000. There were many in the $ 3,000 plus bracket that were carried back home rather than take the price offered.
What trends can we read in these findings? One clearly points out the fact that“ there were a lot more good MIDNIGHT SUN colts available than most people realized and a premium can be demanded of only those products that are in short supply.” In short, there was no reason for MIDNIGHT SUN colts to bring exhorbitant prices even though this great sire had passed away and would breed no more. Another significant note is that the Walking Horse public appeared to be somewhat“ fickle” after the death of this sire and they immediately began to shift their allegiance to other top breeding stallions. People who had bred to MIDNIGHT SUN for years, were suddenly faced with the task of finding a stallion for next season. Many turned to stallions that were stablemates of MIDNIGHT SUN, seeking to maintain as much contact with this blood as possible, while others decided to taken an entirely different road and breed to stallions with other blood lines.
The ultimate result of the 1966 Harlinsdale Sale seems to point out that there is still a good market for good horses; that MIDNIGHT SUN blood is still in demand but it is not quite as affluent as we had thought it would be after the fountain had run dry.
The 1967 Harlinsdale Farm Sale was most interesting. The very last crop of MIDNIGHT SUN colts will be up for sale and will be hotly contested by colts sired by other fine breeding stallions at this farm. SUN’ S DE LIGHT, MIDNIGHT MACK K, MIDNIGHT DUKE MIDNIGHT BEAU and SPIRIT OF MIDNIGHT will be well represented as the hammer falls. It will be interesting to note at that time, just which bloodline comes to front as being“ most in demand.”
In the past two months the economy of the nation has taken a healthy swing upwards. Our state elections are over and the trends point to continued growth in almost every area of business. We believe the Walking Horse business will follow these trends and that 1967 will be one of the best yet!
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SPORTSMANSHIP
“ Sportsmanship”... that ingredient within a ma: that enables him to put“ the game” before winning, i
most important in the Walking Horse business. Bea Bryant, head coach at the University of Alabama, state that“ winning isn’ t everything... but it’ s way ahead c being second.” This is perhaps the sentiment expressei by most people whenever a sportsmanlike attitude is callei for. The most classic example of true“ sportsmanship
was recently exhibited by two men in Montgomery, Ala " ima during the Southern Championship Horse Shov \ Thiough no fault of their own, they were involved in
scrambled decision” of the judge in the Amateu Championship in which the number one and number tw ribbons were reversed. Mr. Terrell Singletary of Thomas ville, Georgia, was originally tied first and had alread received the ribbon, trophies and picture, when he wa informed that there had been a mistake and that Mi
, 0? r 00^ " Tuscaloosa, Alabama, had actually wo: the inst place ribbon. Both Mr. Singletary and Mi oo s lould receive a“ vote of appreciation” for th J ' Ue? Portsmanlike conduct that they exhibited in thi situation 7 hey are both true“ Southern Gentlemen. thisabusine! s °' VS ' '‘ W nCed m0rC PcoPle Hke y ° U‘
( Continued on Page 22) VOICE of the Tennessee Walking Horse