Hanover Shoe Farms celebrates 100 years and total progeny earnings of $1 billion with stellar Harrisburg consignment

The legendary Pennsylvania farm will also see its president and CEO Russell Williams inducted into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame next summer.

by Dave Briggs

Heading into the 88^th Standardbred Horse Sales Company auction beginning Monday (Nov. 2) at the Pennsylvania State Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg, PA, Hanover Shoe Farms has a long list of incredible reasons to celebrate.

The legendary nursery is not only celebrating its 100^th anniversary in 2026, it also recently surpassed $1 billion in total progeny earnings. No other farm even comes close.

Hanover also leads all breeders in seasonal earnings – as it has for every year since breeder records have been kept. And, current president and CEO Russell Williams will be inducted into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame in 2027. He will be the seventh person with strong ties to the farm to be so honored.

“Not only to be in existence for 100 years, but to be at the top of the game for most of that time, it’s a testament to the horses and the people who have been here during those years,” said Hanover vice-president Mark Loewe.

“It’s very much a working farm. It’s not glamour, it’s just working people doing hard work and seeing all the success they’ve had with it.”

Last year, Hanover led all consignors during the SHSC yearling sale with gross sales of $10,502,000 for 188 sold – an average of $55,862.

“I don’t want to downplay any of them, but I would say our strength this year would be more geared towards the fillies, both trot and pace,” Loewe said. “We have a lot of exceptional colts, too, but I just think maybe the fillies slightly outpace the colts… For the pacing fillies, we’re very happy with our Bulldog [Hanover] and Beach Glasses this year.”

Loewe then mentioned a number of Hanover yearlings he thinks should sell well.

Of the pacing fillies, he highlighted:

• Hip #16 Amethyst Hanover – Bulldog Hanover out of American Jewel.

• Hip #70 Hermione Hanover — Captaintreacherous out of History Repeats. “The 2-year-old just won in Lexington in 1:51.2, Hamilton Hanover, for Luc Blais. He was here the other day and he thinks the colt’s exceptional.”

• Hip #98, Mizzlolu Hanover — Sweet Lou out of Mayhem Seelster. “That mare has produced nothing but one good one after another… [The yearling is] a sister to Mirage Hanover, Mad Max Hanover.”

• Hip #30 Empower Hanover – Captaintreacherous out of Eloquent Grace. “She’s a beautiful sister to Ervin Hanover.”

• Hip #11 Avigonon Hanover – Captaintreacherous out of Aria Hanover.

• Hip #211 Auguilla Hanover — Captaintreacherous out of Anderosa Hanover. “That’s an exceptional filly.”

Some top pacing colts include:

• Hip #145 Success Hanover – Always B Miki out of Shyaway. “He’s a beautiful colt and he’s a full brother to Sylvia Hanover.”

• Hip #174 Top Dollar Hanover – Confederate out of Trillions Hanover, “the dam of Thiago Hanover, who has made a couple hundred thousand.”

• Hip #188 Zeroproof Hanover – Captaintreacherous out of Zero Tolerance. “She was a $750,000 winner.”

• Hip #199 Assateague Hanover – Beach Glass out of All Tucked Up. “That’s Abuckabett Hanover’s dam… We’re really excited about that one.”

• Hip #480 Revel Hanover – Sweet Lou first foal out of Reachingforthemoon.

• Hip #503 Splendor Hanover – a Bulldog Hanover out of Sail By.

“We haven’t even touched the stars of the show, that’s the trotters,” Loewe said. “I think all eyes will be watching as we sell the Chapter Seven full sister to Maryland [Hip #43 Coffeeshop Hanover]. The 2-year-old we sold for $725,000 last year, has come on late in the year and is a Grade 2 stakes winner, Climatic Hanover. She now has $215,000 on her card with a record of [1]:52.2.”

Loewe said other top trotting fillies include:

• Hip #88 Live Long Hanover — Chapter Seven out of Lifetime Pursuit. “That makes her a full sister to Super Chapter.”

• Hip #10 Baturbest Hanover — Walner first foal out of Believe U Me

• Hip #47 Eavesdrop Hanover — Captain Corey out of Evermore, “making her a half sister to Elista Hanover.”

• Hip #143 Secret Luv Hanover — Walner out of Secret Magic, “a sister to Manchego.”

• Hip #67 Henna Hanover – Chapter Seven first foal out of Hanna Too Hanover, a sister to Hannelore Hanover.

• Hip #69 Hulu Hanover – Volume Eight out of Hillarmbro, making the yearling a “sister to Heaven Hanover and Nuance, winner of the Grade 1 Elegantimage.”

Top trotting colts include:

• Hip #135 Rami Hanover – Chapter Seven first colt out of Hambletonian winner Ramona Hill.

• Hip #28 Cheez It Hanover — Chapter Seven out of Chezatter, dam of Coach K Hanover. “He’s a special individual.”

• Hip #96 Mr Sean Hanover — Captain Corey out of M Diddy, who is, “a daughter of Maven.”

• Hip #315 Firefoot Hanover — Volume Eight out of Finesse Hanover. “She’s the dam of Fineline Hanover, who’s made a couple hundred thousand and will probably win the final of the race down in Corbin.”

• Hip #355 Irdescent Hanover – Greenshoe out of Infinity.

“There’s a lot of depth in both the trotters and pacers, which I think will help the middle market,” Loewe said. “The Day 1 horses, we’re certainly expecting a lot out of, and if people can’t get what they are going for on Day 1 then they’ve got a lot of options on Day 2 and Day 3 that they’ll be very pleased with.”

Loewe said this year Hanover will sell 182 yearlings.

“We’ve had a couple of consignments [in recent years] that were a little higher but, as the industry has changed, we’ve tried to evolve with the industry,” he said. “In the last few years, we’ve put 20, 21 yearlings on sale online prior to the sale.”

Loewe said selling yearlings online has proven to be an interesting exercise.

“If you’re realistic, which we certainly try to be, I think we received close to what we expected numbers-wise,” Loewe said. “We can look at the results from last year’s online horses and we have stakes winners and multiple winners that people paid very little money for and that’s a huge compliment. We tell people that these are horses that we just don’t feel are in our best interest to carry them all the way to November, but they are quality horses that can win races. Whoopdedoo Hanover… and a couple of others, sold for $5,000 or $6,000 and then made money on the racetrack.

“You know what makes the industry go around? When we sold a Greenshoe [named Sevenoops Hanover] last year – a filly that’s on the small side – at the sale for $3,000. Kudos, again, to Hanover, because we’ll never bid on our own horses. The owner then put her in an online sale in the spring and got $9,000 and she’s earned over $70,000 with two stakes wins.

“This year we’re selling a Captain Corey colt out of her mare, who is twice the size and a drop-dead gorgeous colt. You just don’t know.”