Quintet of high-profile late supplements buoy already strong Harrisburg lineup

The 88^th Standardbred Horse Sales Company auction gets underway on Monday at the Pennsylvania State Farm Show Complex.

by Dave Briggs

Last year, a number of major dispersals helped the Standardbred Horse Sales Company (SHSC) set an all-time record for single-year gross of $74,574,000 when the figures from the yearling sale ($36,029,000) and Mixed Sale were combined ($38,518,500). Sales company president and director of operations Dale Welk said due to those unique circumstances he’s not expecting to top those total numbers at this year’s mega-auction running Monday (Nov. 2) through Friday (Nov. 6) at the Pennsylvania State Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg, PA.

Still, Welk said the88^th SHSC auction should be strong and he thinks the three-day yearling portion is particularly solid.

“I think Monday is going to be a great day,” Welk said. “Actually, I think we’re going to have great days Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. I think all three days are a bit stronger than they were last year.

“We’re not going to have the Mixed Sale that we had last year, but I don’t want six dispersals in one year. I’m sure we’re going to be down in the Mixed Sale, we’re down 200 [horses] numbers-wise [compared to 2025].”

Still, this year’s Mixed Sale’s ranks were buoyed significantly by five late supplements:

• Hip #1600 Call Me Goo, a Breeders Crown-winning mare in foal to Chapter Seven, sells Thursday (Nov. 5), after Hip #1203.

• Hip #1601 Yankee Boss, a finalist in last Saturday’s Breeders Crown for 3-year-old trotting colts, sells Friday (Nov. 6), after Hip #1349.

• Hip #1602 Beau Jangles, the reigning U.S. and Canadian Horse of the Year and stallion prospect, sells Friday, after Hip #1489.

• Hip #1603 Spencer Hanover, the 2025 Breeders Crown winner, sells Friday, after Hip #1602.

• Hip #1604 Victorianas Secret, the fastest sophomore trotting filly of 2026 and a runner-up in last Saturday’s Breeders Crown, sells Friday, after Hip #1412.

They all should attract strong bids, but Beau Jangles is particularly intriguing. He was undefeated through all 12 starts in 2025, scoring Grade 1 wins in both the Metro Pace and the Breeders Crown.

Welk said Beau Jangles has also received a positive fertility report.

Based on his stallion earning potential, Welk said Beau Jangles, “in my mind, is going to be the highest priced standardbred ever sold at public auction.”

In 2024 at the SHSC Mixed Sale, 3-year-old trotting colt Amazing Catch set the current record at $1.85 million.

“I’m cautiously optimistic, but I don’t think [Beau Jangles will] stop at $1.85 million,” Welk said.

That means Beau Jangles might just be the first $2 million standardbred sold at auction.

Last year, four horses in the Mixed Sale fetched seven figures. All four were trotting females sold by Preferred Equine. Armitage Farm purchased Hip #1613 Kadena (Gimpanzee–Mission Brief) for $1.2 million. Marvin Katz bought the other three from the dispersal of his longstanding partnership with Al Libfeld:

• Hip #1199 French Champagne (Muscle Hill—French Café) for $1.15 million.

• Hip #1198 French Café (Muscle Hill–Creamy Mimi) for $1 million.

• Hip #1209 Parisian Charm (Muscle Hill—French Café) for $1 million.

Welk said he expects online bidding to be strong during the Mixed Sale – something that has been borne out by the rise in popularity of regular online auctions such as Preferred Equine Online and onGait.com.

“A lot of those horses, people don’t need to see or touch because they’ve seen them — they’ve seen them at the racetrack,” Welk said. “It’s not like a yearling where it seems that it’s still a thing where people want to touch them, feel them and see what they are. The older mixed horses, you’ve seen them race.”

Welk said the online bidding is also expected to be strong on Tuesday when some buyers will be at home voting in the U.S. Midterm Elections.

“Especially Tuesday, we expected to get an overwhelming response to online bidding,” Welk said.

As for the yearlings, Welk said, “Almost every consignor has at least one [outstanding one]. Some of them have five or six. Anvil and Lace, with the Winning Key horses, they have quite a few on the first day… and they really raise a good horse out there.

“They have the Walner filly out of Hot Mess Hanover (Hip #73 Book A Spa Day). I mean, she is gorgeous. I’ve seen her.

“Then there’s the [Chapter Seven filly] out of Crucial (Hip #43 Coffeeshop Hanover) that Hanover has.

“And Concord has around 120 in the whole sale, which is more than [Julie Meirs has] ever had. She sells 43 on Monday. They’ve got a pretty incredible consignment, too.

“But, again, every consignor has some that are really pretty spectacular. That’s why I’m really looking forward to Monday.”

Welk said he is pleased to welcome a new consignor – Shaffer Equine from Pennsylvania – to this year’s yearling sale.

“They were up to like 15 yearlings of their own and Jacob [Shaffer] talked to me last year,” Welk said. “He said, ‘I think we’re going to try our own consignment next year, what do you think?’ They always sold with Beth at Anvil and Lace. Well, they wound up with 33 yearlings.

“They are going to be a little overwhelmed, I think, at first because they are used to bringing their horses in and dropping them off, but I think they’ll do a great job.”

Of the three yearling sessions, Welk said he has the most concerns about the Wednesday session given that the middle market has struggled at recent auctions and the fact he accepted some yearlings that did not make the cut at other sales.

“There might be a few on Wednesday where somebody might question, ‘Why’d you take them?’ but so many horses got cut out of the other sales,” Welk said. “I’m someone that looks at averages, but I don’t put all my weight on averages — Geoff Stein taught me that. I like to help the little guys, if I can, to keep them involved.”

Overall, Welk said he’s cautiously optimistic it will be another strong SHSC sale.

“I can’t wait to get it started,” Welk said. “You say you can’t wait to get started, then you say you can’t wait to get finished, but when it’s all over it’s bittersweet.”