Brown’s prediction proves prescient: Vecellio Hanover tops Goshen

The sale average of $12,186 kept pace with a year ago, but the gross was up to $1.8 million thanks to selling 39 more horses.

by Dave Briggs

In Friday’s sales preview in Harness Racing Update, Hanover Shoe Farms publicity man Murray Brown called the R C Royalty colt out of Variety Girl named Vecellio Hanover “a real standout colt” and a “mouth-waterer.” Apparently buyers at Sunday’s Goshen Yearling Sale at the Mark Ford Training Center in Middletown, NY agreed.

Vecellio Hanover topped the sale with a bid of $60,000 by Eugene Kurzrok of Hauppauge, NY.

“He’s just gorgeous,” Brown said of the trotter. “Big, beautiful, very dark horse. He has a great presence and trots really well in the paddock. If I were to pick one (from the Hanover consignment), he’d probably be the one.”

In all, 152 Goshen yearlings produced a gross of $1,852,272 and an average of $12,186. The average was down by a marginal 3.3 per cent compared to the 2015 Goshen sale in which 39 fewer horses grossed $1,423,800 for an average of $12,600.

An R C Royalty colt out of L Dees Maggie and a Chapter Seven colt out of RS Giggles tied for the next highest yearlings sold at Goshen with bids of $40,000. Dan Daley of Wellington, FL purchased the R C Royalty colt and Ake Svanstedt of Wrightstown, NJ bought the Chapter Seven colt. Svanstedt was the sale’s biggest buyer. He spent $112,500 to buy five yearlings. Thestable.ca’s Anthony MacDonald of Guelph, ON spent the second highest total when he purchased five yearlings for a total of $76,500. Kurzrok’s lone sale-topping purchase ranked him third on the buyers’ list.

Sale present Bob Boni said there was “an excellent turnout and the buyers clearly showed they were willing to pay for the colts and fillies they wanted. We are very thankful to all that participated and especially for the support of our consignors.”

Hanover Shoe Farms led all consignors with 46 yearlings grossing $650,400. Blue Chip Farms grossed $430,500 with 25 yearlings sold, followed by Winbak Farms with $294,600 earned from 41 yearlings.

“Going forward we look to make the sale even stronger and we feel it offers a unique opportunity for both buyers and sellers,” Boni said.

Complete sales results are here.