by Dave Briggs

Dr. John Egloff said he’s selling some of the nicest trotters his Vieux Carre Farms of Gettysburg, PA has ever had at the Standardbred Horse Sale Company’s yearling auction which starts today at the Pennsylvania State Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg, PA.

“They are Explosive Matters and Donato Hanovers. I’ve got a couple of really nice Sebastian Ks, first crop of horses. We don’t have Muscle Hills and Cantabs, which if you’re really going to ring the bell, they are going to ring, but we’ve got really nice individuals. I’ve got the nicest bunch of Explosive Matters I’ve ever had,” said Egloff, who is selling 66 yearlings this year, up from about 40-50 in previous years.

Egloff said he is selling three out of Sebatian K’s first crop.

“The one mare I have is a half sister to Marian Marauder, which is a famous small family. The mare has had a couple of really small ones. I bred her to Sebastian K trying to get some size and I did. He’s a nice, average-sized horse and he stands great. He’s a lovely horse. There’s speed in the pedigree. If we got one with a decent size, I think he’ll be alright.

“It remains to be seen how well people are going to accept Sebastian K, as an absolute outcross. My other two Sebastian Ks are big. I have one out of an SJs Caviar mare that’s a big, gorgeous colt. Anyway, we’ll see, but I’ve certainly got the nicest bunch of Explosive Matters I’ve ever had.”

Egloff pointed to the farm’s unofficial Hall of Fame of photos hanging with his consignment featuring horses raised at his farm. The list includes Always B Miki, Total Truth, Pine Chip, Shark Gesture, Somwherovrarainbow, Im A Fool, Always A Virgin and many more.

“As you can see from the pictures on the wall of the horses that we’ve raised that have won a million bucks, we know there’s a good one in here somewhere, and it’s just a matter of picking him out,” Egloff said, adding it was a thrill to be the one who raised the all-time world record holder bred by Joe Hurley of Delaware.

“Joe Hurley bred Always A Virgin, (Always B Miki’s) sire, who was born and raised on our farm. He also bred Artstopper, his mother, who was born there. That’s like a hat trick. How many times does someone breed the sire, the dam and the horse? We raise his horses. We take care of his horses.”