Through two sessions, the gross of more than $31.5 million is ahead of last year, but down from the record gross of $35,750,000 set in 2022.

by Ray Cotolo

Canadian buyers came with loaded check books to the second session of the 2024 Standardbred Horse Sales Company yearling sale in Harrisburg on Tuesday (Nov. 5) as Ontario-bred yearlings took prominence in the over 300 sold.

The day’s topper, tied later in the afternoon, sold around three hours into the marathon session. Hip #313, an Ontario-sired filly named Upgrade consigned by Concord Stud Farm, entered the ring and soared into six figures within moments. John Bax, seated between his son Matt and owner Brad Grant, nodded persistently to the center spotter and pushed the filly incrementally higher. Action cooled and the hammer hit to Bax’s bid at $300,000. Matt, who took over training for the Bax operation around three years ago, signed the ticket.

“He checked all the boxes,” Matt said. “He was powerful, correct… Al Libfeld and Brad Grant were very interested in the horse, which you can tell from the price. I didn’t think they’d have to go that far, but here we are. A lot of good people looked at the horse and we did lots of homework and hopefully it pays off racing.”

Upgrade is sired by Green Manalishi S, the 2019 Canadian Trotting Classic champ who quickly emerged as one of Ontario’s top trotting stallions. In his first crop, Green Manalishi S sired Peaceful Way winner Monalishi — trained by Blake MacIntosh — and he is currently second in earnings of all trotting stallions in the 2024 Ontario Sires Stakes season. With 61 starters from 90 foals in North America, his progeny have banked over $1.5 million, placing him sixth on the leaderboard of money-winning sires just above the late Bar Hopping and sensational Muscle Hill.

“There were a lot of nice Green Manalishis out there this year,” Matt said. “They are a flashy, nice-looking horse and they do well in the Ontario program, so they are selling well. He’s already proven now, so that allows you to maybe pay a little more than you normally would. He’s doing well and competing on the Grand Circuit, so I think it’s [Hip #313 Upgrade] a nice horse to get.”

Bax’s bid stood as the day’s leader until Ake Svanstedt paid $300,000 for Hip #439, a filly named Ellie Hanover from the first crop of Svanstedt graduate and 2021 Hambletonian champion Captain Corey. The filly is out of the Glidemaster mare Expect A Lot, who is a half-sister to 2011 Kentucky Futurity winner My MVP as well as the stakes-winning mare Top Expectations.

Luc Blais, bidding on behalf of Québecois magnate Serge Godin’s Determination, also emerged as one of the top buyers from the second session and, through two days, leads all buyers with $1,905,000 spent, total, to acquire 13 yearlings. Blais made his first big purchase of Tuesday with Hip #277, a colt consigned by Preferred Equine named Studio Boss. The colt is sired by Ontario-based Bettors Delight, who perennially leads all pacing stallions in earnings, and is out of the Art Major mare Studio One – a three-quarter sister to double millionaire and world champion Glowing Report.

“The horse is a Bettors Delight,” Blais said. “We’re from Ontario. Well-bred and nice individual, too. That was the plan. We’re looking for an Ontario-bred.”

Blais later scored the winning bid on another of the day’s session leaders with Hip #458, a Concord Stud Farm-consigned colt named Tavern Onthe Green. The colt comes from a maternal family extending to $1.8-million earner Cameron Hall, dam of stakes-winning mare Ultimate Cameron. From the second crop of Green Manalishi S, Blais signed the ticket from a $225,000 winning bid.

“For me, it’s always too expensive,” Blais said with a laugh. “But we need to follow the market. If you want a decent horse, I think you have to pay for it.”

Early in the session, Ontario native Blake MacIntosh posted the first $200,000 purchase of the day. He struck the winning bid on Hip #202, a Chapter Seven filly consigned by Anvil And Lace Farm named Kountry Sill. The filly is the second foal from near-millionaire Phaetosive, who finished second in the 2018 Hambletonian Oaks to world champion Manchego.

“She’s just a really attractive filly,” MacIntosh said. “We’ve been trying to get another Chapter Seven filly and she was the one that we liked and we ended up getting there. I would have liked to have got her for $50,000 if I could, but we swung on a couple yesterday for $300,000 and didn’t get them, so we have to be happy with what we paid for her.

“She just had all the looks and attributes we wanted for her. Chapter Sevens can be a little small, so we thought she had a good size for a Chapter Seven. She had good conformation and we liked the breeding on her.”

MacIntosh signed for the filly as agent for owners Daniel Plouffe and Clancy Farms.

SESSION TWO NUMBERS

Tuesday’s session continued the bounce back following last year’s dip from 2022’s record-breaking sale. The second-session gross increased 2 per cent to $14,973,000 from 379 sold, though the average of $39,507 decreased year over year by 7.5 per cent with 39 more horses sold this year. Cumulatively, the 2024 sale has grossed $31,531,000 – a 5.4 per cent increase from 2023’s two-day gross of $29,913,000. Though, with 32 more horses sold over two days this year, the average of $59,605 is down 1 per cent from last year’s average of $60,187.

The two-day gross from 2022’s record sale was $35,750,000 — 11.8 per cent higher than this year’s cumulative gross — and the average was $70,652, 15.6 per cent higher than this year’s cumulative average.

“It evens it all out,” said Dale Welk, president and director of operations for the Standardbred Horse Sales Company. “I think it stayed fairly strong. The auctioneers said that and they get a better perspective than what we do of how people were bidding and they said it was easy to get the bids, people weren’t trying to give them $1,000 bids or $2,000 bids. They stayed right with it and they were very happy with that. You never know… you used to be able to predict within a few thousand what a horse was going to bring. You just can’t do that anymore. I mean, some guys may think they can — and maybe they can — but you’ve got $50,000 horses bringing $200,000 and $200,000 horses bringing $50,000. It’s very hard to predict.”

Though the increases off 2023’s dip are only steady, Welk remains confident as the yearling sale enters its final session today (Nov. 6).

“Sometimes when things sell crazy for a year, it’s got to correct itself,” Welk said. “I think that’s what it did last year, it was a lot of correction. There was some odd stuff going on, but I think it’s corrected itself and, maybe not on a big rebound but we’re evening out and getting a little better.

“There’re a lot of good horses [Wednesday], and we’ll see. That’s all we can do. We try to do the best job we can, but we can’t raise the hands. If we could, they’d all sell for a million. I’m looking forward to the rest of the week. We’ve got great consignors and buyers and bidders. It’s exciting.”

Today’s session begins at 10 a.m. (E.T.).