Stonebridge-bred yearlings enhance Spring Haven Farm’s Lexington offerings

by James Platz

Ohio-based Spring Haven Farm brings an 18-horse consignment to the Lexington Selected Yearling Sale. Among the group are five trotters and 13 pacers spread across each of the four days, with 10 colts and eight fillies. The consignment includes seven from the Utica, OH nursery, four babies from Stonebridge Farm, and seven agent yearlings.

“I’m really, really excited we had the privilege of actually raising the Stonebridge horses this year,” said Senena Esty, who operates Spring Haven with her husband, Jeff. “That’s a nice group within our consignment.”

Spring Haven is slated to sell four yearlings in the opening session, two of which are Stonebridge-bred pacing fillies.

“Stonebridge Desire and Stonebridge Babe, those are Hips #84 and #93,” Senena said. “Wow, these two fillies are standouts. They just make your jaw drop, it’s like they’re just picture-perfect.”

Stonebridge Desire, a Confederate filly out of Rock N Soul, is a sibling to Stonebridge Soul (p, 3, 1:49.3f, $763,959). The dam is a 100 per cent producer. Stonebridge Babe is the third foal from a Sweet Lou sister to O’Brien Award winner Pass Line. The filly is by Bettors Delight.

“I’ve especially gotten comment after comment about how that’s just the nicest Bettors Delight anybody’s seen,” Senena said of Stonebridge Babe. “She’s got leg and size which, you know, typically does not come along with a lot of the Bettors Delights.”

The first yearling to enter the sales ring for Spring Haven on Monday is Hip #73 Mounds Tactics. The colt, bred and raised at Spring Haven, is a full brother to graded stakes-placed Tactical Mounds (4, 1:49.4, $531,710).

“We’re really proud of that colt,” Senena said. “Fingers crossed somebody’s looking for a good Grand Circuit colt. I think he’s got a great video and he’s a really spectacular individual.”

The farm’s first-night offerings conclude with Captaintreacherous colt Hip #115 Captain Of Wishes. Dam Wishy Washy Girl, a winner of over $600,000, has a freshman winner in full sibling Wish For A Captain.

“He’s just a vision of a Captaintreacherous,” Senena said. “I mean, he’s got it going on. He’s got that rear quarter, good length, and he’s just a beast. He’s not too big, he’s just right.”

While there is pressure to bring a perfect individual to Monday’s opening session, Senena said that if a horse belongs, she will not hesitate to sell on Day 1.

“You want to be on the first night if you’ve got the individual and you’ve got the pedigree, that’s really where you want to be,” she said. “You know second, third night obviously are good, but if you know you’re worthy, you want to be on the first night. So, fingers crossed, but we’ve always got along really well there.”

Last year Spring Haven sold two of its 25-yearling consignment on Day 1, averaging $87,500 for the session.

Second-day offerings include Stonebridge Always, Hip #151, a Sweet Lou first foal out of half-million-dollar earner Annabelle Hanover, King Kamayawaya, a King Of The North colt cataloged as Hip #159, and Counting Coup, Hip #224, a Captaintreacherous filly out of a full-sister to near-double millionaire Thinking Out Loud who has produced freshman winner Charolais Cattle.

“Her 2-year-old sister is really doing well in Canada,” Senena said. “She won the Tompkins-Geers Stake and that is a serious collection of 2-year-old pacing fillies this year, and she’s right there with them. Again, if somebody’s looking for that Grand Circuit individual then she’s it.”

Half of the Spring Haven consignment sells on Wednesday, with two by King Of The North, fillies Northern Hazel, Hip #515 and North Of The King, Hip #556 and a pair sired by Bulldog Hanover, filly Three Dog Night, Hip #426 and colt Somewhere N Loredo, Hip #623. 

Also selling that day are one apiece from Cattlewash (colt Cowie Mandel, Hip #465), Stay Hungry (colt Heart So Hungry, Hip #413), Cannibal (colt Hannibal Lecter, Hip #608), Huntsville (filly Eckert Hill Dana, Hip #572) and Sweet Lou (colt Stonebridge Newton, Hip #529).

Thursday’s session consists of Tactical Approach colt Rebel Cause, Hip #748, and Cattlewash filly Cattle Shade, Hip #770.

“We’ve got a lot of Ontario-breds that if somebody’s looking for Ontario, please come and see us because we’ve got a good representation,” Senena said.

Spring Haven’s consignment is down in size when compared to previous years. One of the biggest reasons is the resurgence of the Ohio breeding and racing programs. Senena pointed to the success of the recent Ohio Selected Jug Sale, where gross sales and average reached a new standard. At the same sale, Spring Haven sold In Range filly Free Range for $200,000 as one of the co-sale toppers. Hambletonian runner-up and Ohio-bred Big Ranger was also bred, raised, and sold by the farm.

“We have tried to scale back a bit,” Senena said. “I’ve always said I don’t want to put all my eggs in one basket; however, we have a very heavy basket in the state of Ohio right now. Obviously, we’re just coming off of that good Ohio sale, but we still have a few for Lexington. We’re not breeding out of state quite as much.”

Despite those changes, Senena and Spring Haven have assembled a consignment that they believe will hit the mark with buyers.

“We’re really proud of what we’re taking,” she said. “You know, I’m always the optimistic type of person, so we’re just going to hope for the best.”