Blue Chip consignment all-in on New York breds
by James Platz
The Blue Chip Farms consignment at this week’s Standardbred Horse Sales Company yearling auction in Harrisburg, offers a roster of 43 babies from the Wallkill, NY nursery. Owner Tom Grossman said that the farm traditionally supports the Empire State program, but this year’s group has a stronger bias than usual… and that was by design.
“You know, everyone always says they have a great group, but I think we have a very strong group and I’m very happy that we’re really, really biased to New York-breds more so than ever,” Grossman said. “It’s always a big part of what we do, but we have more New York-breds than ever. We are extremely excited about the New York program on the back of the new Big Apple series having been added.”
With 25 trotters and 18 pacers, Blue Chip’s offering focuses heavily on New York (27 NY-eligible) and Pennsylvania (10), with a few eligible to Ontario and New Jersey mixed in.
“Until we got shipped semen, it was difficult to attract stallions,” Grossman said. “So, the full crops in New York were getting smaller and smaller every year. And so, obviously, the competition, the money was going up and the number of horses was going down. So, it became really compelling to have a New York bred. But the supply is still way down overall for this year and we saw that coming and really redirected several mares from other matches to New York-breds. So, we have more New York-breds and they are much higher quality mares than normal in New York because we just felt it was worth it to have the New York breeding.”
With the changes in shipped semen, Shadow Play relocated to the state, and Blue Chip has five in the consignment — a trio of colts and two fillies — from the sire’s first New York crop. Hip #673 Benedict Blue Chip is the second foal and first colt from Sweet Lou mare Primrose.
“Number 673 out of Primrose is a really, really nice horse with a great video,” he said. “That one is Mass eligible as well.”
Filly Bellissimabluechip, Hip #570, is the second foal from Roll With Joe mare Triumphantbluechip. The family includes Dan Patch Award winner Fire Start Hanover. Colt Burns Blue Chip, Hip #416, is the first foal from Bettors Delight mare Pass Line Bluechip, a winner of over $300,000 with a 1:51.1 speed badge.
Pacing offerings also include Huntsville colt Hip #260 Blackfoot Bluechip, a full-brother to Vandiemen Bluechip, American Ideal colt Hip #578 Beach Bum Bluechip, a brother to Whelk Blue Chip, and Bailey Blue Chip, Hip #43, a Massachusetts-eligible son of Sweet Lou out of Somebeachsomewhere mare Vicinity, a sister to double-digit winners Fortify and Cant Stop Lou.
“He’s got a very current pedigree with some other Sweet Lous in the pedigree doing really well,” Grossman said. “And you have the Massachusetts backup on him. I think he’ll sell very well.”
On the trotting side, Blue Chip has consigned five by their stallion Chapter Seven and one Walner colt that sells the first day. Bentley Blue Chip, Hip #105 in the catalog, is out of Donato Hanover mare Dunk The Donato, dam of world champion Plunge Blue Chip 2, 1:53.1; 3, 1:49.4 ($1,576,251), near $500,000 earner Splash Blue Chip and graded stakes winner Threepointbluechip 2, 1:55f; 3, Q1:53.1 ($227,031).
“This family has been everything to us,” Grossman said. “This colt is a beautiful individual.”
He also highlighted a pair of the Chapter Sevens. Colt Baron Blue Chip, Hip #361, is from 100-per cent producing Trixton mare Queendom. Second dam is world champion Queen Serene.
“I think he will sell really, really well,” Grossman said. “His video is awesome.”
The other is colt, Hip #388 Bombsaway Bluechip, sells on Day 2. His dam, Thislady’sdynamite, is an Explosive Matter sister to Dunk The Donato that has three winners from as many foals of racing age.
“It’s a similar family to the Dunk The Donato colt,” Grossman said. “He toes out a little bit, but all of them out of the family do. I think he’s going to be a really good racehorse.”
The roster also includes eight from the first crop of Back Of The Neck. Grossman believes the Ready Cash stallion will be a good fit for the New York program.
“We think he’s going to be a top stallion in New York and potentially on the Grand Circuit,” he said of Back Of The Neck. “People may forget how good he was on a half-mile track. He was stupendous. So, for the New York program, he fits perfectly. He’s an outcross for a lot of mares which is always a big plus with the French breeding. He’s got the support of a great syndicate in Order By [Stable], and us, and several other people. We think he’s going to be a very competitive stallion. Everyone in New York has to wrestle with Chapter Seven, which is a mixed blessing for us, obviously. But I think on the smaller tracks, he’s going to compete very well.”
The octet includes five fillies and three colts, with three first foals from Chapter Seven (Back Porch, Hip #545), Walner (El Pandora, Hip #246) and Muscle Hill (Balsamic Blue Chip, Hip #625) mares. Grossman explained it is all part of the ongoing process of upgrading the broodmare band.
“There are several first foals,” he said. “This breeding season, we bred nine mares that we had never bred before. So generally, like most commercial breeders, we’re culling seven or eight mares a year and buying three or four new ones. That has been our plan for the last several years. And we had a couple of nice mares that we raised that are coming off the racetrack.”
