Harness: Huntsville's stock continues to rise heading into Harrisburg

When it comes to looking for the best yearlings, buyers often consider the sport's top stallions first before addressing the maternal family. A top stallion has the capacity to carry mares from almost all lines and buyers are aware that finding a prospect from a proven stallion is more than half the battle.

On the trotting side of the sport in 2024, there is an unquestioned leader in Chapter Seven. The pacing side has some traditional leaders in Captaintreacherous and Sweet Lou, but there has been growing admiration for Huntsville this year as the returns from his third and fourth crops have opened eyes in a major way.

Heading into the Harrisburg Sale there are many good reasons to be looking into the Huntsville's for next year's stakes engagement in New York and beyond. Steve Jones, the proprietor of Cameo Hills Farm, where Huntsville has stood for his entire second career, explained, "The purses next year go up in all three levels. The Sire Stakes finals purse goes from $225,000 to $300,000, the Excelsior finals go from $55,000 to $100,000 and the Fair finals go from $15,000 to $25,000."

While the Sire Stakes final purses should put the Empire State on better ground when compared with other programs, it is the obvious presence of sons and daughters of Huntsville on the national stage that has raised his profile over the course of the last two years. Leading the arsenal of proven talent is Legendary Hanover, Huntsville's fastest son and the fastest sophomore pacer in North America by way of his 1:46 2/5 mark taken in the Cane Pace at the Meadowlands. That win came after a 1:46 3/5 blowout win in the Meadowlands Pace.

What's daunting about Huntsville's statistics this year is just how well offspring of a stallion with an $8,500 stallion fee have performed when compared with sires that cost substantially more.

"When you look at earnings per start for his 2-year-olds he's at the top of the list," said Jones. "He's third when it comes to 3-year-olds."

While the numbers may speak for themselves, it's often the performances that one doesn't expect that separate just how good a sire Huntsville has proven to be and how his first few crops may be just scratching the surface. This past weekend, Huntsville-sired fillies put in some exceptional performances in the Breeders Crown, with the 2-year-old The Last Martini a solid second while adversely impacted in a tight pocket for much of the mile. Overlooked in the wagering, Tarrific, the New York Sire Stakes champion, managed to get the lead at the start despite drawing post 10 and then was making champion My Girl EJ work extremely hard in the late stretch to hold her off.

Perhaps the best stat to explain the rise in Huntsville's stock is his overall ranking among all pacing stallions when it comes to all pacers of all age groups. That Huntsville's 424 foals racing had earned more than $11.2 million prior to the Breeders Crown puts him in close proximity to American Ideal, another New York-based stallion that had more than three times the number of horses active this year than Huntsville.

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While Downbytheseaside, a horse that raced in the same crop as Huntsville and is also a siring son of Somebeachsomewhere, has gained much attention from buyers across North America, Huntsville's statistics have more than matched him. Jones, however, isn't concerned that Downbytheseaside's stud fee has risen with his success while Huntsville's remains rather modest at $8,500.

"The breeding business is a tough business," said Jones. "We've always strived to make sure he had a full book, and he's had one every year." Still with the overwhelming achievements this year, Jones recognizes changes may need to be made. "We'll see after Harrisburg, and I'll talk to Ray (co-owner Schnittker) to see what he thinks."

Jones' consideration is for breeders to have a chance to get good returns on their investments, but there is another side to the equation that he's aware of.

"People breed different caliber mares to horses with higher stud fees," said Jones with an understanding of the market. On the back end of that comment is also the knowledge that Huntsville's success has come with a theoretically lower caliber of mares.

For those looking to get on the bandwagon at Harrisburg, there are quite a few Huntsville's worth looking at and most certainly bidding on. Buyers may have to wait for the second session and beyond to get a look at multiple sons and daughters by Huntsville but they shouldn't overlook Monday's session entirely as HIP 41 is a Huntsville colt named Silas Hanover with the look and pedigree to match. His dam Social Scene is a 100 percent producer. As a racehorse, Social Scene captured the New York Sire Stakes final as a 3-year-old but surprisingly her mating to Huntsville is her first with a New York stallion. Perhaps that will prove the magic touch.

HIP 171 is a filly named Ortegas that benefits instantly as a New York-Kentucky dual-eligible horse. She's just the second foal from an Always B Miki-sired mare from the immediate family of $2.9 million winner Mach It So. She sells as part of the Concord Stud Farm consignment.

HIP 238, selling under the Preferred Equine banner, could be a money-making machine if things work out in 2025 and beyond. Lindy In Belief is a filly that is dual-eligible in New York and Massachusetts. She's a half-sister to recent Mass Stakes final winner O'er The Ramparts and is from the solid maternal family of Well Said.

HIP 253 Fragment is a colt and the sixth foal from The Show Returns. The dam is a full sister to the $2.4 million winner Put On A Show. He has the type of maternal line that should work well with Huntsville and the Hunterton Sales Agency yearling is dual-eligible in New York and Kentucky.

HIP 486, also from Hunterton, a filly by the name of Carry Back, is just the third foal from the dam Hard Eights. More important though is she's a full sister to this year's lightly-raced 2-year-old Madden Oaks, a horse that while green in nature on the track has shown blistering speed at times, including a 1:51 3/5 mile at Tioga in late summer that included a 26 3/5 final quarter. Carry Back hails from a solid maternal family that some extremely fast horses with hard-hitting Bolt The Duer being the most notable.

As strong a year as Huntsville has had, buyers should be aware that his yearlings could prove a bargain down the road, especially with the caliber of mares bred to him likely to improve in the coming years.