Kountry Lane Standardbreds brings trotter-focused group to Harrisburg

by James Platz

Kountry Lane Standardbreds sold the topper last month at Lexington when Kountry Prince brought a lofty $825,000. The Wakarusa, IN-based breeding operation looks to continue the momentum at Harrisburg, with a small consignment of seven yearlings set to sell at the Pennsylvania State Farm Show Complex.

“We do have some nice trotters, that’s for sure,” said farm manager Duane Miller.

The roster is trotter-heavy, with five diagonal-gaited yearlings, three of which sell on the first day. The first to sell Monday is Kountry Imelda, Hip #25, a New Jersey and Kentucky-eligible Tactical Landing filly. She is the first foal from Father Patrick mare If The Shoe Fits, a graded stakes-placed six-figure earner.

“The most eye-catching individual is the Tactical Landing out of If The Shoe Fits,” Miller said. “That is a Father Patrick mare that was a reasonably priced mare that really was a surprise to us. She’s probably thrown us as nice of a yearling. This filly could have been a Lexington yearling, but I thought the pedigree probably didn’t warrant going to Lexington.”

Two Kountry Lane yearlings sell consecutively Monday as Kountry Isabelle is slotted as Hip #76, preceded in the book by Kountry Cathy, cataloged as Hip #75. Muscle Hill filly Kountry Isabelle is dual eligible to New Jersey and Kentucky. She is out of Chapter Seven mare Inspired To Go, a sister to Breeders Crown champion Martiniontherocks. The mare’s first foal was exported prior to racing.

“The Muscle Hill is something; she’s a special filly,” Miller said. “She’s got a great video, and a nice looking individual out of a young mare, so that one should just sell itself.”

Filly Kountry Cathy is dual eligible to Pennsylvania and Kentucky, sired by Tactical Approach out of graded stakes-placed Cash Infusion, a sister to Swinging Royalty, dam of Slay, Royal Mission, and near-millionaire Ahundreddollarbill.

“Kountry Cathy is out of a great family that includes Slay and Ahundreddollarbill, and obviously a family that sells well,” Miller said.

The consignment also includes another Tactical Approach filly, Hip #540 Kountry Michelle. The dual-eligible yearling is out of Cantab Hall mare May Karp, sister to millionaire Elista Hanover. She sells in the Tuesday session.

“There is nothing wrong with these two fillies,” Miller said. “I looked at the Tactical Approaches at Lexington. They did not stand great up front. These do, so I’m cautiously optimistic that Harrisburg won’t grade them as hard or won’t be as tough on them as Lexington.”

King Of The North colt Kountry Steve, Hip #412, rounds out Kountry Lane’s trotters on Tuesday. The Ontario and Kentucky-eligible colt is the third foal from quarter-million-dollar winner Spoiled Princess, whose family includes the great Broadway Schooner. Half-brother Kountry Jim won three straight beginning in late September and has doubled his earnings since cataloging, boosting Kountry Steve’s page.

“We have two Canadian-breds,” Miller said. “The King Of The North is a beautiful individual with a great video and I’m pretty excited about him because of the response to King Of The North up at the London sale. They were the highest trotting stallion selling out there, so he should fit in really well at Harrisburg too.”

The other Ontario-bred yearling from the consignment is pacing colt Kountry Ace, Hip #519, a dual-eligible son of Bulldog Hanover selling Tuesday. He is the first foal from Bettors Delight mare Amazing Dream N, a graded stakes winner on two continents.

“He’s a smaller individual,” Miller said. “You cannot fault this colt other than say he’s on the small side. But he has correct conformation. Since he’s dual-eligible it gives buyers more options. They don’t have to go to Canada.”

The other pacer in the consignment is Hip #206 Kountry Sky, which sells early in Tuesday’s session. The dual-eligible Captaintreacherous filly is the second foal from Bettors Delight mare Shebeaknockout, a sister to the top racehorse and broodmare Shebestingin, dam of two-time Dan Patch Award winner Perfect Sting.

“She’s a smaller filly,” Miller said. “The second dam, there’s just all kinds of production there. That’s a nice family.”

Last year, the first for Kountry Lane Standardbreds at Harrisburg, the consignor’s six-yearling group averaged $53,333. Miller is optimistic this year’s roster can top that figure.

“We have a nicer overall group than we had last year, so I would be a little disappointed if we didn’t beat last year’s average,” he said. “I’ve been wrong many a time in the horse business. It’s hard to predict, but I think it’s a better group than we had last year.”