The 2025 edition of the Standardbred Horse Sale in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, gets going with the first of three yearling-only sessions on Monday (November 3), and hopes are high from both management and consignors that it'll be another successful event. "I think the market is going to be pretty level. We've got a really strong catalog," said President and Director of Operations Dale Welk. "We've got a lot of mainly sisters to some of the top horses out there racing right now." While the overall Monday through Wednesday catalog has 18 fewer horses selling this year compared to last year, there are 29 more horses available on opening day. Welk remarked that wasn't necessarily by design, though. "It's just the way it kind of came out," he explained. "If you make a cut-off at a certain point, you may have to cut off that 18 that really should be on Monday and they'd have wound up on Tuesday." One other difference buyers will notice between the Lexington Selected Yearling Sale and Harrisburg are pacers are much more widely available. Only 34 pacers sold on the first night in Lexington, while 97 pacers were cataloged for Monday in Harrisburg. Like with the overall numbers, Welk says that wasn't something they were looking to do but he wasn't displeased by it. "It shook out that way. We go by the pedigree and then we do by conformation and a few things like that," he stated. "A few were changed around by consignors themselves, but it all sort of just came together, and it seems to be the right way." Last year's sale in Harrisburg and the 2025 sale in Lexington both saw a first-session yearling reach the seven-figure mark, and Welk offered that it's something which still impresses him and that he wasn't expecting the fireworks. "No I really didn't (expect to see million dollar yearlings), other than the fact that our breed has gotten much better and the money has gotten better. I still wouldn't have imagined it," he said. "This is 35 years I have here doing the set-up and the operations and four or five years as President, and I've been with Hanover for 50 years almost. I knew we could get close but I never dreamed that we'd have the million-dollar horses like we are the last few years." ► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter Alliance Bloodstock brings initial consignment to Harrisburg This is the first year of the Alliance Bloodstock venture between Diamond Creek Farm and Bob Boni's Northwood Bloodstock Agency and they will be a major player in Harrisburg. Shaun Laungani from Diamond Creek says all involved have been enjoying working with Boni and learning from his experience. "We're a pretty young outfit. I'm 42 myself, but most of our key employees are in their 20s and so just to have access and exposure to Bob, I feel like we're all gaining so quickly," he stated. "The first year of anything is going to have its rough spots to smooth out but give us a year or two and it'll be amazing to see growth. It's been going great." Alliance Bloodstock has 16 in the catalog on Monday, and Laungani was enthused with what they have to show prospective buyers "Yearling-wise, we are so strong, both pacers and trotters, because we've got some really, really strong breeders like Anthony Perretti Farm, Sergent Stables, Princeton Farm, Woodside Farm and the list goes on and on," he remarked. "We're super-well represented, we're really diverse and we've got some super-nice individuals to show. We couldn't be more excited really. We're really, really strong on the first two days there at Harrisburg. We've got a lot of horses and something for everybody." Among the first-day offerings from Alliance Bloodstock are HIP 65 Papis Big Bang, a Papi Rob Hanover full brother to the stakes winner Papis Pistol, HIP 106 Pass The Lime, a Greenshoe filly and the first foal out of stakes-winning Muscle Hill mare Eazy Pass, and HIP 113 Carbon Fiber, a Gimpanzee colt who is the initial foal out of former Matron Stakes champion Brunella. "It's a full brother, and that mare has done nothing but good things. The 2-year-old just needs a little time, but he's showing talent as well," Laungani said about Papis Big Bang. "Papi's Pistol has tremendous speed and is a horse that has kind of danced every dance and almost never missed a start. He's had his great days and just okay days, but there's plenty of talent there, so the mare is well-qualified. He'll bring her another nice individual to sell, and I expect him to be well-received. "I think there's only three Greenshoes on the first day, and I think we're one of them, so we put [Pass The Lime] in an aggressive spot on the first day because we think so highly of the mare and it being the first foal. We think she's just a rock-solid filly that'll make a good racehorse, so we're excited to show her off, too." Laungani was especially keen on the chances of Carbon Fiber, and that he could be a break-out offering by Gimpanzee. "That is a super-nice individual from a very nice family. This is one of the better Gimpanzee colts that I've ever seen. He's one of these horses that everybody needs to see," he said. "I know Gimpanzees haven't set the world on fire yet, but we still think that his best days are ahead of him since he bred smaller crops early in his career. We think it's a matter of time until the quality rises. This will be one of those horses where you're thinking ‘okay, Gimpanzee might have done something close to himself here.' Just looking at the horse physically, he can get you very excited, so I think he'll make a lot of short lists." Concord Stud Farm looks to defend top ranking Concord Stud Farm regained its position at the top of the chart for consignors last year in Harrisburg, and although they were more active than before in Lexington, they still have an eye-catching group in Pennsylvania as well. "I'd say we have a strong group selling the first day," stated Julie Meirs. "We had our largest consignment down in Lexington this year. We had 33 down there, but we have 76 in Harrisburg. It was more in Lexington than we have ever had in the past." A trio of trotters to watch from the Concord offerings are HIP 44 Kaws, a Gimpanzee colt who is the latest offering out of the popular producer Brooklyn, HIP 85 Seven Pledges, a Chapter Seven colt who is the first foal out of a stakes-winning half-sister to Dan Patch Award winner Allegiant, and HIP 120 Fine Tuned Man, a Chapter Seven half-brother to millionaire Oh Well. "He's a decent-sized Gimpanzee. He's a nice colt," Meirs said about Kaws, and added about Seven Pledges, "He's a nice colt, a really good-sized Chapter Seven." She also said of Fine Tuned Man, "He's a very nice Chapter Seven colt who is really coming into himself here as we get ready for the sale." Opportunities abound from Hanover's consignment Hanover Shoe Farms bypassed selling in Lexington this year, so all of their top prospects will be available in Harrisburg beginning on Monday afternoon. "Our Monday consignment, while smaller in number this year, should generate some excitement," offered Farm Manager Patti Murphy. "We start early with HIP 3 and end with the last yearling in the ring HIP 179 on Day 1  I think buyers will find a quality selection of horses for most markets and deep productive pedigrees in our consignment." Cambridge Hanover led the Standardbred Horse Sale when he went for $1 million a year ago, and his Walner full sister HIP 94 Climatic Hanover goes through the ring on Monday. She's also a half-sister to multiple stakes winner and Dan Patch/O'Brien Award recipient Maryland, and the first filly out of the mare Crucial, which should give her oodles of residual broodmare value. "This filly has not only size but a dominant disposition and wants to go," Murphy said. Rani Hanover was the top seller in Lexington a year ago at $925,000, and Hanover will offer her Walner full sister HIP 174 Ronette Hanover during opening day. She is the second foal out of 2020 Hambletonian champion Ramona Hill. "She is a beautiful and racy-looking filly," Murphy stated. Super Chapter continued his excellent career with a second-place finish in the Breeders Crown 3-Year-Old Colt Trot final, and HIP 145 Loki Hanover is his Walner half-brother. The dam is 2014 Hambletonian Oaks champion Lifetime Pursuit. Like Ronette Hanover, Murphy said he is "racy-looking." Others to keep an eye on HIP 62 End Note is a New York and New Jersey eligible Chapter Seven-Armbro Deja Vu colt from the Preferred Equine Marketing consignment. He is a half-brother to $1.1 million earner Dejarmbro and yearlings from this family often sell well when available. Also offered from Preferred Equine Marketing is HIP 76 Walner All The Way, a New Jersey eligible Walner colt out of Dan Patch Award winner Broadway Schooner and a half-brother to two-time Dan Patch Award recipient Broadway Donna. Only one of Broadway Schooner's foals thus far have been offered at public auction. To round out a trio from Preferred Equine Marketing is HIP 89 Lions Not Sheep, who has eligibility in Pennsylvania, Kentucky and to the New Jersey Standardbred Development Fund. By Stay Hungry, who's had a strong year with the likes of Frantic Hanover, he's the first foal out of $410,229 earner Continualou. Switching over to Blue Chip Farms, their HIP 105 Bentley Blue Chip is a New Jersey-eligible Walner-Dunk The Donato colt and is a brother to a trio of stakes winners led by $1.57 million earner Plunge Blue Chip. Captain Corey got off to a hot start with his first crop this year and Winbak Farm has one of his in HIP 131 Well Of Hope. A Pennsylvania and Maryland Standardbred Race Fund-eligible, he is the first foal out of a Bar Hopping half-sister to multiple stakes winner New Jersey Viking. The granddam earned over $207,000 during her racing career. Hunterton Sales Agency will look to back up their strong Lexington sale in Harrisburg, and their HIP 139 Ava Brooke is a New Jersey and Kentucky eligible by Walner. On the dam's side, she's the first foal out of Jula Emmylou Me, a half-sister to two-time Breeders Crown champion Emoticon Hanover, who has gone on to produce top 3-year-old Emoticon Legacy. Another Walner offspring is HIP 142 Knotts, a colt consigned by Anvil And Lace Farm as agent. The New Jersey-eligible is out of the Encore Encore mare Lass A Rope and is a half-brother to Volume Eight, the Dan Patch Award winner in the 2-year-old male trotting category in 2022. In 2023 Hunterton Sales Agency switched to bringing Mission Brief's yearlings to Harrisburg instead of Lexington and her Gimpanzee colt Command Center goes as HIP 152 on Monday. Kentucky and Kentucky Stallion Bonus-eligible, Command Center is a half-brother to this year's leading 2-year-old colt trotter Apex. All American Harnessbreds is exiting the breeding business, but before they go, they will sell the likes of HIP 157 Gift Of Faith, a Pennsylvania and Maryland Standardbred Race Fund-eligible Captaintreacherous half-sister to 2021 Horse of the Year Test Of Faith. Gift Of Faith is also a half-sister to Alexis Faith, who produced multiple stakes-winning 2-year-old pacing colt Brandon Blvd. Consigned by Icy Stable is HIP 169 Queen G, an Ontario-eligible by first-crop sire King Of The North. Queen G is a half-sister to Monalishi, the recent winner of the Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Super Final and third-place finisher in the Breeders Crown final for 3-year-old trotting fillies. Rounding out this group of 11 is HIP 172 Twin B Gimwow, a Gimpanzee colt.  Consigned by Twinbrook Farms, Twin B Gimwow is a Kentucky and Kentucky Stallion Bonus-eligible and is the first foal out of a Father Patrick half-sister to $2.5 million earner and successful sire Crazy Wow. All the action on the first day in Harrisburg gets underway at noon (EST) and will see HIPs 1 through 179 available to bid on.