by James Platz

Steve and Cindy Stewart’s Hunterton Sales Agency is known for annually bringing top-notch consignments to the Lexington Selected Yearling Sale. This week will be no different, with the Paris, KY-based operation cataloging 95 yearlings offering some of the most fashionable pedigrees in the sport.

“I would call our consignment versatile,” Steve said. “In years past, we probably had more top trotters than we did pacers. This year, we have an awful lot of top pacers that should sell very well. It’s a little more balanced in that sense than it has been in the past.”

Perusing the catalog, Hunterton’s roster includes 54 trotters from 19 different sires and 41 pacers representing 14 sires. Last fall, the agency topped all consignors in gross, with 111 babies tallying a combined $10.65 million. Hunterton also topped the sale with Gimpanzee filly Kadena bringing $800,000. This year’s consignment is smaller, but the catalog is as well, which Steve said is a good thing.

“The sale company is doing the right thing,” Steve said. “I applaud David [Reid] and Bruce [Brinkerhoff] at the sale company for having less yearlings to sell than they did last year. It’s so easy just to keep taking more and more. It’s hard not to take more when you have a great sale. I think everything is firing on all cylinders. They probably knocked off about 10 yearlings of ours that might have been sold in the last couple years, and that’s fine. There are other venues to sell those yearlings, and that’s what [we] did.”

Can Hunterton reach the marks it established in 2023? Steve admits that is not the pursuit. Instead, the focus is on bringing a quality consignment and letting the marketplace dictate.

While Mission Brief’s filly topped the sales sheet last fall, her yearling colt is absent from the catalog. He is consigned to the Standardbred Horse Sales Company’s yearling auction in Harrisburg, PA. Instead, Jolene Jolene’s baby, Walner colt Kaizen, will be offered in Lexington after his sister, Voguish, sold in Harrisburg last year. Cataloged as Hip #50, the New Jersey- and Kentucky-eligible colt is a brother to Dan Patch and O’Brien Award winner Venerable and Crucial, dam of the red-hot Maryland. Kaizen is one of 21 yearlings Hunterton will sell on opening night in Lexington.

“I don’t think he has sale topper written on him, but he’s going to sell for a lot of money,” Steve said. “Jolene is the grandmother of Maryland. Voguish, the 2-year-old, dead-heated for win in the Kentuckiana Stallion Management Stake at Hoosier, so the beat just keeps going on and on. Jolene’s filly was the second-highest priced yearling at Harrisburg at $535,000. She’s had several sale toppers and now you’re coming with the first colt. He’ll be a lot of fun to sell.”

Buyers will get a second chance at this high-performing family later on Monday night (Sept. 30) when the first foal from Jolene Jolene’s daughter, Ineffable, enters the sale ring. Cataloged as Hip #108, the dual-eligible Walner colt is named Inexpressable. 

Five of the first 10 yearlings that will sell Monday night are from the Hunterton consignment. Just over one-fifth of the agency’s roster will be sold opening night. While Hunterton has several high-quality yearlings cataloged in the opening session, Steve highlighted a few that should garner notable attention. Hip #19, Rocknacious, is a colt from Perfect Sting’s first crop. He is dual-eligible to New Jersey and Kentucky, and is the first foal from millionaire Captaintreacherous mare Rocknificent. The second dam is double millionaire and Dan Patch Award winner Rocklamation.

“He is exceptional,” Steve said. “I’ve been bragging on him since he was born. In my opinion, he should be the flag bearer of all Perfect Stings because he’s such an outstanding individual.”

Dual-eligible colt Enbolden, Hip #26, is a son of Walner from Cantab Hall mare Pleasing Lady.

“He’s a really outstanding Walner colt,” Steve said. “It’s the brother to Six Pack.”

Besides the two-time Dan Patch winner, the mare also has produced three other winners, with plenty of production through the second and third dams as well.

Another of note is Iconic Bi, Hip #91 in the book. The Gimpanzee filly is out of Muscle Hill mare Dream Child, a 100-per cent producer with three six-figure earners to her credit.

“She’s the dam of Ari Ferrari,” Steve said. “She hasn’t missed. She’s done extremely, extremely well.”

A few pages later in the catalog is Muffin Queen, Hip #95, a dual-eligible Tactical Landing filly. She is the first foal from Andover Hall mare Love Muffin, a full sister to Big Barb, dam of millionaire Back Of The Neck.

“She is one of the ones that I think will really rattle the cage,” Steve said. “She has a very, very nice pedigree, but even more so she’s an outstanding filly.”

Hunterton yearlings are scattered throughout each of Lexington’s five sessions. With the balance of trotters and pacers, variety of sires, and mixture of first foals with babies from productive dams, the agency’s menu caters to many interests.

“We have a lot of nice horses,” Steve said. “I don’t think we’re loaded with any one stallion. I think across the board we have something for everybody.”