Harness: 2016 Standardbred Horse Sale comes to a close

The 2016 Standardbred Horse Sale concluded on Friday in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, with the racehorse portion of the mixed sale.

The topper for the day, and the co-highest seller of the mixed sale was HIP 1722 Crescent Fashion, who was sold to Ross Croghan for $250,000. Crescent Fashion, a 4-year-old son of Muscle Hill, has won eight races and earned $440,196. He has competed in several stakes events this year, with second-place finishes in legs of the Graduate Series at Mohawk and the Meadowlands and a fourth in the Allerage at The Red Mile. He was second in the Kentucky Futurity as a 3-year-old.

Bettor Be Steppin, a 4-year-old Bettor's Delight mare, fetched $200,000 from Hanover Shoe Farms Inc. to place second on the day. She was the winner of the Lynch and the Valley Forge last year, but she was winless in 17 starts this year. She did make the Breeders Crown final, and also raced in the Golden Girls earlier this season.

Rich Banca was quite active during the session, taking 3-year-old Somebeachsomewhere colt Another Daily Copy for $155,000, 3-year-old Manofmanymissions gelding Bee In Charge (a half-brother to Bee A Magician) for $150,000, and 5-year-old Somebeachsomewhere gelding Somewhere In L A for $115,000.

Other sellers of note included Yonkers Trot runner-up Smalltownthrowdown, who sold for $120,000 to Rene Allard, and Breeders Crown and Cane Pace second-place finisher Manhattan Beach, who fetched $130,000 from Brian Carsey.

The mixed portion of this year's sale finished up 14.8 percent over the 2015 edition. In 2016 675 head brought a total of $19,850,001 and an average of $29,407, while in 2015 it was 681 horses going for a sum of $19,733,900 and an average of $28,978.