Alliance Bloodstock’s second Harrisburg consignment marked by balance, variety

by James Platz

Alliance Bloodstock brings its second consignment to Harrisburg this week, offering a 2026 roster of 54 yearlings. The organization, an endeavor helmed by multiple Diamond Creek Farm employees, will agent an even split of 27 trotters and 27 pacers at the Pennsylvania State Farm Show Complex. Alliance has worked to build a clientele whose horses outnumber those of Diamond Creek, and this week, the consignment will not have a single yearling from the farm.

“In our second year we’re starting to really turn some heads because I think it’s probably obvious to everybody, we’ve got a fairly young team for the industry,” said Shaun Laungani, Diamond Creek vice president and Alliance Bloodstock team member.

“A lot of people don’t know that it’s not owned by Diamond Creek. Some of the staff at Diamond Creek came together and Adam [Bowden] gave us the opportunity to represent the horses at the sales, which is something that a bunch of us want to do. So, we essentially run it with the Diamond Creek staff, but independent of Diamond Creek. It’s got a different feel to it because it’s run by some young and hungry people.”

Andrew Kramer is also part of the Alliance team. Bloodstock and sales coordinator at Diamond Creek, his role at Alliance is that of sales manager. Kramer talked about the strength of the Harrisburg consignment.

“I think we’ve got a really nice mixed bag for Harrisburg,” Kramer said. “We’ve got a little bit of everything for everybody. We have some top-end horses, I think, and some nice middle-of-the-market horses for your smaller trainers and owners. We have a couple of Cannibals and Confederates, which I’m pretty excited about seeing how they did really well in Lexington.”

On the pacing side the fillies outnumber the colts 14-13, while the roster consists of 15 trotting colts and 12 fillies.

“The strength for us is usually the New York or Ontario-bred horses,” Kramer said. “I think Harrisburg is quite a big place for Canadians to come down to buy a couple good yearlings every year. So, I always feel like the Ontario-breds usually are the strongest, like last year we sold a quarter-million-dollar Cattlewash colt to Determination Stable.”

The consignment includes 10 Ontario-bred yearlings, one of which is a King Of The North filly selling on the first day. Hip #95 Queen Contender is out of Muscle Mass mare Major Muscle, who has hit with her first two foals. The filly, raised at Princeton Farms, is a full-sister to Grade 3 Champlain winner Major Contender, a freshman with a mark of 1:54.

“I think she’s almost at $200,000 in earnings as of now,” Kramer said of Major Contender. “She was a $110,000 yearling, so that’s a really good one coming in.”

Another Princeton Farms-raised yearling that sells in the Monday session is Chanel, cataloged as Hip #177. The filly is a Pennsylvania and Kentucky-eligible baby from the first crop of Confederate. She is out of a Bettors Delight sister to triple millionaire and former Horse of the Year Twin B Joe Fresh.

“She’s a super pretty filly,” said Laungani. “Maybe one of the most attractive heads at the sale. She’s got a good video.”

Selling Tuesday is Hip #496 Sauron, a Muscle Hill colt and second foal from the Walner mare Romantic Tile. He is another Princeton Farms entry Laungani believes will draw attention.

“You’ve got to watch the video,” Laungani said. “He’s something else now. The first one was a Tactical Landing, a really big, growthy Tactical Landing.

“It’s no surprise that he [first foal] hasn’t started. If I was a buyer, I would not let that scare me. This is a well-pedigreed Walner mare, you know the family of T C I, so this Muscle Hill colt would be very closely related to T C I in blood. A Muscle Hill colt probably still gives you the very best chance, besides Chapter Seven, to have a stallion on your hands.”

Laungani added that Princeton Farms horses have performed well on the track this season, pointing to the success of Major Contender, Grade 3 Bluegrass division winner Rumble And Sway and Loud Luxury, a winner that has hit the board in six of 11 freshman attempts.

“There were plenty of others where the mares have produced, they had 2-year-olds that were earning money back for their owners, so we expect that there’ll be a lot of return buyers for Princeton, so that’s exciting for them,” he said.

The Alliance consignment also includes a trio of yearlings from the final dispersal of Sergent Stables. Stay Hangry, Hip #196, sells early Tuesday. The Stay Hungry filly is Pennsylvania and Florida Breeders-eligible, and is a sibling to six-figure earning Cattlewash filly TH Rizzo.

Always B Caroline, Hip #221, is a Pennsylvania and Florida-eligible Always B Miki filly. She is out of a Somebeachsomewhere sister to Dan Patch Award winner Divine Caroline. The dam has produced three winners from four foals. Completing the trio is Hip #364 Friar, a Pennsylvania and Florida-eligible Father Patrick colt from a Chapter Seven mare whose family includes T C I.

“These are the last three horses that Sergent Stables bred going through the ring,” Laungani said. “So that’s a big deal. There will be no more.”

Laungani’s sleeper pick from the consignment is Woodside Legacy, Hip #637, a Pennsylvania and Kentucky-eligible Father Patrick filly from a quarter-million-dollar-earning Chapter Seven mare. The bay was raised at Woodside Farm in Wolcottville, IN.

“Day 3, probably going to be a great value, a Father Patrick filly that’s dual eligible and is built the right way, goes the right way,” he said. “Some real quality here. I think she provides people amazing opportunity to race and then also breed.”