by James Platz

Carter Duer and his Peninsula Farm will present a 10-horse yearling consignment at Harrisburg this week. The veteran breeder says that his offering may be light on firepower, but it still boasts some nice individuals from the industry’s leading bloodlines.

“I do think I have three or four very nice horses. Maybe five. It may not end up that way when I come back home,” Duer said. “I’ve got two or three trotting colts that seem to be pretty nice. Whether they are or not I don’t know, we’ll let the public decide that I guess.”

Duer admits he is apprehensive after last month’s Lexington sale. The five yearling sessions produced record numbers, but Peninsula’s consignment didn’t fare as well as he had hoped. In addition, those on hand for the Lexington sale did not spend as much time reviewing the farm’s Harrisburg offerings.

“Normally I sell my Harrisburg horses (in Lexington). By that I mean they get sold here because they are looked at here and people, if it’s something they really want, it carries on,” Duer said. “This year, for some unknown reason, we didn’t get people coming and looking at the Harrisburg horses, and I don’t know why. These didn’t get much exposure.”

The Peninsula Farm consignment consists of three pacers and seven trotters. Duer believes his top prospect is Samwise The Brave, cataloged as Hip 151 and selling near the end of Monday’s session. The Pennsylvania and Kentucky eligible colt is from the first crop of Greenshoe and is the first foal of O’Brien Award-winning mare The Ice Dutchess.

“He’s a pretty nice horse. How he’ll sell, I don’t know,” he said, “You can’t criticize his mother. This is her first foal. He’s one of the best ones I’ve had in a few years.”

Greenshoe’s first crop was well-received at Lexington, with the stallion topping all trotting sires in average at $130,792.

Memorynimagination, Hip 54, sells earlier in Monday’s session. The Father Patrick colt is the first foal from Trixton mare Fellowship Of Two, a daughter of the great trotting filly turned top producing mare, Solveig. The yearling is Pennsylvania and Kentucky eligible.

“The Father Patrick colt out of a first foal daughter of Solveig is a very nice colt. It’s kind of the same with him. Haven’t had much play on him. He’s got a great pedigree, looks good, and shows well,” offered Duer.

Three Twenty, another Monday offering cataloged as Hip 130, is a Muscle Hill colt eligible to the Keystone and Bluegrass programs. Out of Yankee Glide mare Sheer Glide, he is a full-brother to a pair of winners. The dam is a sibling to Flex The Muscle, a 34-time winner with $957,210 on his card.

“I’ve got a nice Muscle Hill colt. He’s the third foal, the first two raced. He’s an exceptional colt,” Duer said.

Belle Meade, Hip 208, sells Tuesday for Duer. The homebred International Moni filly is the first living foal from Trixton mare Behold The Dream, and is eligible to Pennsylvania and Kentucky. The family includes Dan Patch, O’Brien and Nova Award winner Pampered Princess.

“I’ve got an International Moni filly that I really like that belongs to me,” Duer said. “She’s the first foal from a Trixton mare. She’s pretty nice.”

The trio of pacers are sired by three of the industry’s young and up-and-coming sires.

“I have a Downbytheseaside, and they seem to be very fashionable now. I have a very nice Lazarus filly that’s out of a very good producing family. She’s very nice,” Duer suggested. “I’ve got a Captain Crunch, which we didn’t raise here. He has a nice film and he’s a good-looking colt. I would think that they will sell pretty decent.”

Mary Of Bethany, selling as Hip 81, is a Lazarus filly out of the 100 per cent producing mare, Just Like Kate. The filly, eligible to the New Jersey and Kentucky programs, is a sister to Wearinmysixshooter, a Captaintreacherous filly that has earned $281,156.

Downbytheseaside colt Valleryan Sea sells late in Monday’s session, cataloged as Hip 160. The Ohio and Kentucky eligible yearling is out of Valerya, who has produced a winner from two previous foals. The dam is a sister to the great producer Benear, mother of Limelight Beach and Manhattan Beach.

Mornin Captain, a colt from the first crop of Captain Crunch, will sell as Hip 218. The May foal is a brother to winner Funkymunkymaga. The yearling is out of Breezy De Vie, sister to Little Brown Jug elimination winner and final runner-up Fast N First.