Walner-Crucial filly Climatic Hanover, a half-sister to 2023 Dan Patch and O'Brien Award recipient Maryland, led the opening session of the 2025 Standardbred Horse Sale on Monday in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, going to Torgeir Hagmann for $725,000.  Hagmann, who was representing owner Kjell Magne-Andersen, purchased HIP 94 Climatic Hanover from breeder/consignor Hanover Shoe Farms. Climatic Hanover's full brother Cambridge Hanover went for $1 million a year ago in Harrisburg.  "She's a very goodbred filly, and she's a beautiful filly. I think she's going to be a great racehorse and hopefully a great prospect for a broodmare," offered Hagmann, who trained and drove horses in North America from 2004 to 2012 but has worked for Andersen for many years. "It's more or less what we thought she was going to bring, maybe she could've brought more, but we're happy with the price. That's the one we came for. We can go home tomorrow."  As has been the norm in recent years, trainer Andrew Harris and his ownership partners William Pollock and Bruce Areman were active on big tickets throughout the action on Monday, led by HIP 85 Seven Pledges at $700,000 and HIP 27 Sootie Hanover at $485,000.  A Chapter Seven colt consigned by agent Concord Stud Farm, Seven Pledges is the first foal out of Clockwork Orange, a stakes-winning Resolve mare and half-sister to Dan Patch Award recipient Allegiant, while filly Sootie Hanover is from the first full crop of Bulldog Hanover. The second dam is $1.84-plus million earner American Jewel and the dam, the Captaintreacherous mare Shining Beauty, is a half-sister to Odds On Platinum (1:49, $929,668).  "I had 27 and 85 marked as take-homes, so those two I probably wouldn't have been shut out on. Bill's like ‘get what you want, if you want those two, make sure you get those two.' Then we set prices on the rest and try to stay within those prices on the other ones. We were underbidders on a couple and there were a few we didn't get our hands up high, but those two were the ones I wanted the most coming in.  "Sootie Hanover has) the Ontario and Kentucky cross, which is awesome. I thought it was one of the best families and the individual herself, she was just absolutely amazing. You look at all the underbidders on her, they were all the people that you want to see as underbidders on a horse like that. I didn't want to pay that much, but it does make me feel good knowing that the other people chasing her liked her that much. It's just one of those things where you've got to pay a big price for a good filly like that." Seven Pledges led a big day for sire Chapter Seven, and Harris noted that if you want one of his top-bred prospects right now, you're going to have to dig deep to get one.  "I didn't think he'd go that high. I was shocked," he offered in regards to Seven Pledges. "I saw that Torgeir and all those guys were all bidding on him. He's just a fantastic colt and the Chapter Sevens right now, you can see today, they're paying for Chapter Sevens. It costs a lot to buy a Chapter Seven right now. He's the best sire in the game right now, so you've got to pay for them.  "(Chapter Seven offspring) have consistency, they're just always there. I don't think that the Walners have the consistency. You saw there, they're not going for the Walners like they do. Super Chapter's brother sold for $195,000, and he should have sold for more than that. If he was a Chapter Seven he would have sold for $300,000. I think that right now we're looking for consistency, and Chapter Seven is just consistent. They're good horses."  ► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter With Climatic Hanover and Sootie Hanover leading the way, Hanover Shoe Farms was the average leader among consignors that sold more than five horses at $152,912. The farm's vice president Mark Loewe was pleased and noted that the farm made what turned out to be a wise decision not sending horses to the Lexington Selected Yearling Sale.  "I think we're happy with that number. It's clearly better than what we averaged last year on day one," he stated. "It was an interesting sale - a lot of highs and a lot of lows. I think some people got some bargains, and we're tickled to death with the people who stepped up and spent a significant amount of money on some quality yearlings.  "There was a lot of thought that went into that process, and I think at the end of the day it was the right process to leave them all here."  As Loewe noted, there were definitely peaks and valleys throughout Monday and year-over-year declines in both the gross and average were the result. The gross dropped from $16,558,000 in 2024 to $16,293,000 today, while the average was $110,387 a year ago and $95,841 in 2025. With that said, it should be noted that 2024 may have been an outlier, as the session bettered 2023's gross of $15,223,000 and the average wasn't far off from 2023's $99,497.  "It was a strange, strange day. We sold probably 12 or 15 more this year. Talk about a rollercoaster, this thing was," said sales company President Dale Welk. "You'd sell a horse for $300,000 or $400,000 and then the next five would sell for $10,000 or $12,000, and then there'd be another one for $500,000. It was a very weird sale, I guess, in different words. We all talked about it but that's the way it was. There were a lot of good buys today, but the best ones sold the best. That was the way it is.  "As was talked about down in Lexington and other sales, the middle market is virtually not there. The middle has fallen to the bottom. Tomorrow we've got a ton of real good Captain Coreys, so hopefully tomorrow will be okay. I hope in the end I'm not down 14 percent altogether, but it's one of those things. They've spent over $100 million on yearlings already at other sales. It's a little depressing, but it's the market. We can only sell what we're brought, and we can't make people raise their hand."  Welk was also hopeful that with the buyers perhaps getting a "bargain" on some of their purchases that breeders and consignors could reap the benefit down the road.  "I think it was a buyer's market today. I really do. I think there were some great buys made today. I'm hoping some great things come out of it because that really helps," he stated. "That helps the whole situation, not just the sale but it helps all of our consignors and owners that sold with us. In the long run it's good for the buyer but it's good for them, too. They'll buy siblings or something at a higher price. It's tough on breeders now to sell them at a discount price, so to speak.  "It's happened with everybody probably in this building. They've sold something for $10,000 that's won $500,000 or $600,000 and then the next year they sell the brother or sister for $100,000. It's one of those kind of things."  Turnout in the facility appeared light to the eye but Hanover Shoe Farms President/CEO and Standardbred Horse Sales Company Chairman of the Board Russell Williams pointed out that phone and internet bidders were nearly triple this year, perhaps a sign of the times in the digital age.  Four days remain in the 2025 Standardbred Horse Sale, two for just yearlings tomorrow and Wednesday and then the mixed sale on Thursday and Friday. Tuesday will have HIPs 181 through 559 available to purchase beginning at 10 A.M. (EST). --quotes from Derick Giwner--