Harness: Average, gross continue to trend north at Standardbred Horse Sale

The Standardbred Horse Sale continued on Tuesday in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, with additional gains in both gross and average year-over-year.

Today's average was $44,723 and the gross was $13,417,000 for 300 yearlings sold, which represents an increase over last year's second session when the average was $39,904 and the total was $12,901,000 for 303 horses sold.

Through two days the average is a record $69,635 and the gross is $32,589,000 with 468 horses having gone through the ring. The average is up 16.4 percent year-over-year as it was $59,812 through the first two sessions last year, and the gross has also gone up as it was $27,993,000 for 473 horses sold at this point in 2018.

The day's top seller was HIP 462 Make My Deo, an American Ideal colt who was purchased by agent Robert Cleary for owner Royal Wire Products Inc. Consigned by Preferred Equine Marketing, Inc. for breeder Deo Volente Farms, Make My Deo is out of the I Am A Fool mare Electric Fool (1:54 2/5, $63,615), making him a half-brother to the likes of the Rock N Roll Heaven gelding Rodeo Rock (1:49, $708,305). Royal Wire Products Inc. also owns Rodeo Rock and Cleary trains him.

“He’s a nice horse,” Bill Peshina from Royal Wire Products said about Make My Deo. “We bought Rodeo Rock as a yearling too, and he’s done just fine for us. This is a very nice colt, so we were happy to get him. I liked just about everything about him; he’s just a nice horse all around. And it’s a good farm we bought him from, they’re good people.

“It’s a big expense for us, we’ve never gone that high before. We’re going to see what happens. Hopefully it works out. We’ll find out next year.”

A few HIPS before Make My Deo sold, HIP 456 Delayed Hanover fetched $230,000 from Ake Svanstedt. Bred and consigned by Hanover Shoe Farms Inc., this colt from the first crop of Southwind Frank is out of the Credit Winner mare Don't Wait Up. The third dam is Emilie Cas El, who would produce Hambletonian champion Trixton.

“I liked everything, it was good,” Svanstedt said. “He is a good-looking horse. It will be interesting to see how he does on the racetrack. He has good conformation, and the family on the mother is also very good. He is a good colt.”

Coming in third on the day was HIP 481 Ghetto Boy, who went to agent Robert Lindstrom for $200,000. A Cantab Hall colt, he's the first foal out of the Credit Winner mare Galloway (1:59 4/5, $17,194), and she's a full sister to Nows The Moment (1:53 3/5, $178,837). Concord Stud Farm and Order By Stable, who were responsible for three of the four top sellers on Monday, were the consignor and breeder, respectively, here.

Dana Parham was active on Monday, grabbing HIP 47 Panda Hanover for $400,000, and he came back on Tuesday to take HIP 277 Sun B Kini for $170,000. A filly from the first crop of Always B Miki, she's out of the Somebeachsomewhere mare One For The Beach. Third dam Best Laid Plans threw Loving Caroline, the dam of Divine Caroline and Aunt Caroline, and also That's The Plan, dam of This Is The Plan. Concord Stud Farm was the consignor for breeder S R F Stable.

"When I first started buying horses this year, I didn't think I was going to buy any Always B Miki's, but this has got to be like the sixth one," Parham noted, adding that Scott DiDomenico will train. "Always B Miki got a hell of a book of mares this year, and I like the mare, so that's the thought there. She stands well, I liked her size, and she has a nice head. We'll see what we can do. Hopefully she'll be a top one, if not we'll just breed her early, that's all."

Right below Sun B Kini on the list was HIP 274 Oh My Goodness, who was acquired by Team Allard for $160,000. Concord Stud Farm also had this one for breeder Windsong Stable. An Andover Hall filly, Oh My Goodness is out of the Glidemaster mare Oh My Darlin (1:55 3/5, $34,537), and this makes her a half-sister to the stakes-winning 2-year-old Cantab Hall colt Capricornus (1:55 1/5, $198,885). The dam is a half-sister to Cedar Dove, who produced the Allard-trained When Dovescry.

"Of course I like her for the family, but we are slowly putting together a nice broodmare band," said Rene Allard. "We hope to get to the point where we don't have to spend for the top yearlings and $400,000 and $500,000. We can sell the colts and keep the fillies so we keep growing, and I'll have a nice group to train each year."

The yearling-only portion of the 2019 Standardbred Horse Sale concludes tomorrow starting at 10 A.M. HIPS 500-881 will be on offer.

--quotes by Derick Giwner and by Ken Weingartner from Harness Racing Communications/ustrotting.com--