Review of Yearling Portion Of Harrisburg Sale

American Ideal, the sire of late season sensation, In The Arsenal, as well as He’s Watching, has never been a high volume, high average stallion. Still, he has produced plenty of top tier pacers, like American Jewel, Heston Blue Chip and Sunfire Blue Chip. He was second to Bettor’s Delight among sophomores in the NYSS this year. In 2012 he averaged more than $24,000 for a small offering in Harrisburg and last year it was $33,000 for 25. This year 32 averaged $24,563. One colt brought $100,000 and only one other topped $50,000. Twenty, or more than 62%, failed to sell for more than $25,000. He did do better in Lexington. There was only one six figure sale there, but the twenty sold averaged almost $42,000, and almost half brought at least $50,000.

Thirty-three by Andover Hall averaged almost $42,000 in Harrisburg. This is way up from 2012, but in line with what he did last year. Nuncio is certainly keeping him in the news. A brother to Donato Hanover brought $200,000 and two other colts topped $100,000. Thirteen of the 33 sold—39%--brought at least $50,000. A dozen failed to top $25,000. The fifteen-year-old sire of Creatine stands for ten at Hanover. He averaged $42,000 for 23 sold in Lexington, where only one topped $100,000, a $200,000 half-brother to Hot Shot Blue Chip. A quarter of them failed to sell for more than $15,000.

Art Major has tasted success this year in the NYSS program, where he was second in the freshman category, and on the Grand Circuit, where HOY candidate JK She’salady, her brother JK Endofanera and Cartoon Daddy have all been successful. At $12,000 he’s the most expensive pacing stallion in the Empire State. He sold 30 in Harrisburg at an average of $39,300. This was down from his $47,000 average for 26 sold in Lexington and also down from the $48,600 he averaged for 41 sold at this sale last year. Only two broke the $100,000 barrier, but the entire sale was soft at the very top. Eight—all colts—sold for at least $50,000. The fillies averaged less than $23,000, which is weak.

Bettor’s Delight averaged $42,000 for 43 sold. Canadian buyers looking for a pacer to compete in the OSS were much more willing to pay a premium for one of his than they were for a Shadow Play, Sportswriter, Mach Three or any of the other Ontario based stallions. Bettor’s Delight led the list in New York among two and three-year-olds in this his last year of eligibility. His average was up 25% from last year, when a huge offering of 60 was sold. He averaged about $41,000 at Lexington Selected and about the same at that sale last year. New York, Ontario, Pennsylvania, back to Ontario—BD just keeps turning them out. He’s a horse.

After Big Jim topped off his freshman campaign with impressive wins in the Governor’s Cup and Breeders Crown there was talk of him being an all-time great. However, for one reason or another he managed no open stakes wins in an abbreviated sophomore season. The son of proven sire of sires Western Ideal started off standing for the reasonable fee of $5,000 and that was dropped last year to $4,000. Now he’s getting dissed by the buyers. Well, to a degree. He’s in a very competitive environment. Seventeen sold for an average of $30,353. A brother to Novascotia Hanover brought $78,000, and four of them sold for $50,000 or more. About half of them failed to top $25,000. Only five sold in Lexington, and they averaged $29,000. Jim will state his case on the track come summer.

Broadway Hall, sire of that erratic and unpredictable rocket, Cooler Schooner, and whose son Broad Bahn fared much better than some expected, sold 17 for a soft average of $21,382. A brother to Fashion Athena brought $70,000, but 70% of them failed to sell for more than $25,000.

Hanover’s star trotting stallion, Cantab Hall, moved 39 head for an average of almost $42,000. His average was down more than 17% from last year. A dozen sold at the successful Lexington Selected Sale, and they averaged $64,394. That was still down 20% from what he averaged in Lexington last year, when he made a $450,000 sale. No high ticket average boosting sales materialized in Harrisburg. Four sons and two daughters of the sire of beleaguered Father Patrick brought at least $100,000, while twelve, or 31%, topped $50,000. These are good numbers, but probably not as good as the sellers would have liked. Cantab may be suffering from Muscle Hill fatigue.

Crazed, who is returning to New York, where his son Gural Hanover ruled the NYSS this year, sold 18 for a light $22,028. Pennsylvania never warmed up to him during his short stay. Last year in Harrisburg 28 averaged under $28,000. Only two were offered for sale in Lexington. His stud fee was upped to $6,000 when he moved to Hanover, but it was dropped to $4,000 for the 2014 season. They’ll split the difference back in New York--$5,000 fee.

Credit Winner always seems to exceed the performance of his offspring come sale time. Someone said it’s because they look so great. Regardless, 22 averaged a shade over $66,000. This constituted a 14% drop from last year when he topped the sale. The 33 sold in Lexington averaged more than $70,000. Ake Svanstedt paid $225,000 for a colt and Alan Ritchie purchased a brother to Dejarmbro for $190,000. Two others also topped $100,000. Ten of the 22 sold for at least $50,000.

Twenty by Dewey brought an anemic $20,150. Actually he seemed to find his niche in the Ontario Sire Stakes this year; his daughter Danielle Hall made him the leading sire among two-year-old fillies. But now he’s standing at Morrisville in New York for $7,500. Wellwood Enterprises paid $110,000 for a filly but 16 of the other 19 sold failed to top $25,000.

Donato Hanover has had his best season yet thanks to Shake It Cerry, Designed To Be, Uncle Lasse, The Bank, Mistery Woman, Your So Vain and others. This was reflected in the Harrisburg sale results as 46 averaged more than $46,000. He averaged almost $51,000 for 39 sold in Lexington. What was impressive about the Harrisburg result was that the offering was top heavy with colts and Donato has a rep as a filly sire. Three colts and one filly topped $100,000. And one of those colts sold for $200,000. A dozen sold for at least $50,000.

Nineteen-year-old Dragon Again, who now stands in PA, is prolific, if nothing else. The 47 sold averaged a weak $21,149. He was certainly a drag on the overall average. Last year 40 of them averaged almost $26,000. None topped $100,000. Four, or 8%, sold for at least $50,000. 68% sold for $20,000 or less. He will fit better in Ohio.

(to be continued)

Joe FitzGerald