Middle market makes marginal gains in second Black Book session

by Ray Cotolo

The second session of the Standardbred Horse Sales Company yearling auction in Harrisburg, PA carried the momentum of year-over-year gains into Tuesday (Nov. 3).

Session 2 of the Black Book sale saw the two-day gross reach $34,278,000, a 12 per cent increase from the 2025 two-day gross of $30,594,000 and a maintenance of the opening-day gross gains of around 15.5 per cent. The sale average across the two days of $59,718 is also a 5.6 per cent increase from the 2025 average after two days of $56,550.

“Everything is up,” said Dale Welk, president/director of operations for the sale. “We’re in good shape. We’re back to the year before last. It was a good, strong middle today. The way the middle market has been, the up and down and not-so-good, but it was great today. You saw all the six-figure horses that went through the ring today, it was amazing.”

Tuesday’s figures also saw a slight increase in single-session gross year over year with $15,464,000 in sales, an 8.1 per cent increase from 2025’s second-session gross of $14,301,000. The average for the second session of $38,660 comes in fairly level from 2025’s second-session average of $38,547, though 29 more horses went through the ring this year.

“Some of the middle horse that I was kind of worried about… the $30,000 and $40,000 horses, some of them were selling for $80,000 and $90,000, which is good to see because that means the middle market is at least here and hopefully it’ll stay for a while,” Welk said. “I don’t know if maybe it’s because we’re the last big sale and there’s still people that are getting shut out. I still had people coming in saying, ‘We’ll be back tomorrow. We need to get some more horses.’ It was a tough buy for anything that was really good, like yesterday was. I’m really happy.”

As Welk mentioned, the Black Book sale wrapped its second of three yearling sessions at improved gross figures dating back to 2023. The most recent Black Book sale to end with better gross figures across the two days happened in 2022 with around 70 fewer horses sold that year. In averages, this year’s sale level’s on par with 2024, which also sold around 50 fewer horses.

“When I saw some of the crowds that came in today, I thought ‘Oh, we’re going to have a good day,’” Welk said. “You get all the right people here and things are going to happen.”

SECOND SESSION STORYLINES

Only a pair of yearlings breached the $200,000 territory on Tuesday. Hip #503, a Bulldog Hanover colt consigned by Hanover Shoe Farms named Splendor Hanover, topped all sales when leaving the ring at $205,000 for Marc Vaillancourt of Montreal, QC. Al Crawford of Syracuse, NY made the second highest purchase of the day at $200,000 on Hip #307, a Gimpanzee filly consigned by Hunterton Sales Agency named Princess Citrus. Splendor Hanover is out of the Captaintreacherous filly Sail By, who is a full sister to stakes winner Combustion and from a maternal line that includes the dam of Dan Patch 2-Year-Old Pacing Colt of 2014 Artspeak. Princess Citrus is out of the Muscle Hill mare Empressive Hill, dam of 2026 William Wellwood Memorial winner Ocean Storm and from a maternal line tracing back to the regal Pizza Dolce.

Al Crawford said of his purchase “Steve Stewart shared four that he liked with us and she was our favorite. I was looking for a few Gimpanzee yearlings to race in Kentucky with Tony Alagna. I look at stallions, videos, and finally the page; if they don’t have a great video, I pass. But she had a great video and a solid page, so I bought her.”

Ontario-based trainer Dan Lagace continued a trend of paying talent forward when reaching deep for Hip #262, a Captaintreacherous filly consigned by Hanover Shoe Farms named Covent Hanover. Lagace struck the winning bid of $175,000, the third highest of the session as well as the most he’s paid for a yearling while he continues to ride the wave of success from his Grand Circuit competitor Sweet Lovin Lou into next year. This filly is out of the stakes-winning mare Charisma Hanover, whose foals include 2026 Breeders Crown open pace runner-up Calicojack Hanover.

“Sometimes it’s alright to be the underbidder,” Lagace said with a laugh. “Some of my best buys are the ones I didn’t get, but my one partner forced me to go an extra $5,000 so that’s how we ended up with her. Some of my partners [from Sweet Lovin Lou] are in — Big Al[s Stable], Miki Rae. I always thinks it’s too high, it doesn’t matter what I buy, it’s too high. I was hoping for $140,000, $150,000 or something like that, but Burke’s just finished second in the Breeders Crown with that horse. Calicojack [Hanover] raced in Canada most of his life, so we know the horse. So, yeah, we just bought it I guess.”

The fourth highest sale of the day came with Hip #191, a Captain Corey colt consigned by Hanover Shoe Farms named Aegis Hanover. Dave McElrath of Brookfield, OH bought the colt out of Donato Hanover mare Aarena Hanover, whose bloodline includes granddam Precious Pleasure, a full sister to 1993 Hambletonian champ American Winner.

Annie Stoebe and Bob Cleary also registered among the top of Tuesday’s session with a $160,000 purchase each. Stoebe, winning her first Breeders Crown this year with Diabolic Hill in the 3-year-old colt trot, won on Hip #478, a Captain Corey filly consigned by Shaffer Equine LLC named Karats Are Devine. The filly is out of the Kadabra mare Razburrito, who is a half-sister to 2012 Hambletonian Oaks winner Personal Style.

“She was a very nice individual and, looking at the page, the previous foals have done a lot with not a lot on the sire side,” said Stoebe, who is soon entering just her seventh year in her training operation. “I feel like Captain Corey is really going to step the mare up, so I’m very happy with getting her. Al [Crawford] bought the filly, so being a partner in Diabolic [Hill] — we’re definitely targeting different lines because we’re planning for his future as well. It’s very surreal and it’s happened fast, but I think keeping my numbers small and staying true to myself and not changing really has helped.”

Cleary sparked late fireworks with just six horses left to sell on Tuesday when he won the auction on Hip #590, a Sweet Lou filly consigned by Hanover Shoe Farms named Victorious Hanover. The filly is the second foal from Somebeachsomewhere mare Viva La Deo, who is out of double millionaire Rocklamation and is a half-sister to Breeders Crown winner Rocknificent and stakes winner Rocket Deo.

“On the second dam, there’s world champions and real good racehorses,” said Cleary, who signed as agent for owner Royal Wire Products. “When you put Sweet Lou into that family, you could end up with anything. I thought she had a beautiful head, neck, and shoulders… a real wide chest to her. I think she’s going to grow and develop a little bit more. I actually had a feeling that she might make $200,000 and we wouldn’t quite go that far, but I was actually quite happy to buy her for what we bought her for. I think she’s got potential to be a really nice race filly.”

The final yearling session of the 2026 Standardbred Horse Sale will see just over 300 horses go through the ring on Wednesday (Nov. 4). And as the last of the yearlings go through the auction, broodmares, and racehorses will begin shipping in and walking through the halls of the Farm Show Complex for a heavily anticipated catalog of the Mixed Sale that includes 2025’s champion pacing 2-year-old Beau Jangles.

“We’re starting to get a lot of interest in the Mixed Sale now,” Welk said, adding with a laugh, “Of course, everyone is wondering about when Beau Jangles in going to get here. He’s coming in late tomorrow afternoon, so he’ll be here tomorrow evening.”

Wednesday’s session will begin at 10 a.m. (EST).