Hunterton Sales Agency offering expanded Harrisburg roster

by James Platz

Hunterton Sales Agency arrives at the Pennsylvania State Farm Show Complex with a bumper crop of yearlings set to sell over the first three days of the Standardbred Horse Sale. Cataloging 88 babies — 53 trotters and 35 pacers — the Paris, KY nursery features a record offering for the sale, which kicks off Nov. 2.

“It’s crazy,” said Steve Stewart, who operates Hunterton with his wife, Cindy. “We have a whole lot more. If you look out through there, there’s hardly any stallion that’s not represented in the group. We’re very well represented, which I think is a good thing.”

The trotters are divided between 22 colts and 31 fillies representing 18 different sires. Gimpanzee has the largest representation, with nine yearlings selling, followed by Tactical Approach (seven), Volume Eight, Green Manalishi S, and Father Patrick (five apiece), and four by Tactical Landing.

Lovelorn, Hip #92, leads Hunterton’s first-day offerings, one of 12 selling Monday. The Pennsylvania and Kentucky-eligible Volume Eight colt is a brother to Grade 1 Mohawk Million and Oak Grove Trotting Derby runner-up Endurance.

“He’s just like his father,” Steve said one day after videoing the Harrisburg roster. “He ain’t big, but boy, I’m anxious to see his video. I told my partner, I said, ‘It looked like somebody put hot pepper under his damn tail.’ I mean, he was trotting so damn fast, I’m surprised he stayed trotting, but extremely fast.”

The colt is from the first crop of Volume Eight, the Dan Patch Award-winning son of Chapter Seven standing in Pennsylvania. Five yearlings by the sire sold at Lexington, averaging $53,400.

“He’s one that people need to really look at, in my opinion,” Steve said of the sire. “I don’t have a dog in the fight. I think at the end of the day, he could be another one like Captain Corey. Endurance, when he sold, people weren’t falling over themselves to buy Captain Coreys. They are now, if you can find one.”

Selling two spots earlier Monday is Tactical Landing colt Hitchcock, Hip #90, who is eligible to New Jersey and Kentucky. He is out of Father Patrick mare Devilish Delight, a 100 per cent-producing mare that is dam to Devilish Hill, a winner of over $300,000.

“He’s the opposite of #92,” Steve said. “He’s a great, big, handsome colt, and obviously the mare hasn’t missed.”

Steve also highlighted Hip #307 Princess Citrus, a Gimpanzee filly out of a Muscle Hill filly that has two winners from two previous foals including Wellwood Memorial winner Ocean Storm. She will pass through the sale ring Tuesday.

“That’s a very nice one,” he said. “She moves great, has good size for a Gimpanzee, she’s very nice.”

Steve noted that his consignment is heavier on Gimpanzees due to the consensus on the sire earlier in the year when selections were made for Lexington prior to the racing season.

“The opinion of him is so much higher now than it was back in February and March when they were deciding,” he said. “So, we have an extra number of Gimpanzees in the sale. Things change from the spring to the fall, and that kind of thing of who’s popular, who’s in demand, and who’s not.”

The pacing side of Hunterton’s roster includes 16 colts and 19 fillies from 12 different sires. The group is led by seven from Perfect Sting, six by Cannibal, and five by Pebble Beach. Social Animal, Hip #36, is a New York and Kentucky-eligible Cannibal filly selling early Monday. She is the second foal from Downbytheseaside mare Lioness By The Sea. The dam is a sister to near-$800,000 winner Queen Of The Pride and Roaring To Go, dam of millionaire Unreasonable.

“All she did was just pace,” Steve said. “All the time in the paddock. Pace, pace, pace. And very, very talented. She’s a Cannibal, so it’s a first-crop stallion.”

Hunterton comes to Harrisburg after a strong Lexington Selected showing. The consignor topped $11 million in total sales for the second straight year, while producing a $110,538 per-yearling average from 106 sold. Last year, Hunterton Sales Agency sold 52 yearlings at Harrisburg, averaging $44,635.

Steve believes this year’s Standardbred Horse Sale will follow some of the same positive trends observed in the other fall auctions that preceded.

“As someone that sells 200 yearlings a year, it’s healthy,” he said of the industry. “To me, it’s healthy enough that there’s reason to breed mares. The beauty of our game is right now it seems like we’re just kind of right where we want to be. I think the business is healthy and you can get a good return on your investment.”