Keeping it in the family for Thursday sales toppers
November 7, 2014,by Ellen Harvey, Harness Racing Communications
Harrisburg, PA — The two highest priced fillies in Thursday’s (Nov. 6) Standardbred Horse Sale, one trotter and one pacer, grew up about a mile from each other in western Monmouth County, New Jersey. They were together again atop the leaderboard.
The Bettor’s Delight–Bridesmaid Hanover daughter named This Day Forward (Hip No. 1083), sold for $95,000 and topped the day’s yearling offerings. This Day Forward was bred and raised at the Dey family’s Heritage Hill Farm in Allentown, N.J., in the same neighborhood as the second highest yearling of the day, the Conway Hall–Talktalktalk filly Time To Talk, who sold from the Fair Winds Farm consignment for $75,000.
“I knew she was a real nice filly but that late in the sale….,” said Dr. Steve Dey. “I bought her mother (Bridesmaid Hanover) privately out at The Meadows when she was racing; she’d kind of gotten to the end of it and needed to be a broodmare. I remembered seeing her at Harrisburg as a yearling. I’m a big fan of Bettor’s Delight and I look for mares that I think are going to cross well and look the part and it worked out.
“She was a really, really nice filly and the mare is nice looking. I’ve got a full brother to that filly by her side, and he’s a dynamite looking colt, so hopefully and praying that whoever bought the filly will have a lot of success and there will be someone back looking at her brother next year.”
Bryan Montgomery signed the sales slip on the filly.
“I bought her for a partnership of Tony O’Sullivan, Domenic Chiaravalle and John Fielding,” he said. “When I went to Steve Dey’s to look at his other yearlings, she was on our list and we liked the pedigree. When they’re selling late in the book, you might think they’re not 100 percent, but when they pulled her out, we couldn’t find anything wrong with her. Everything was where it was supposed to be.
“I had a couple other trainers come up to me afterwards and say she was the best horse, conformation-wise, in the sale. Tony O’Sullivan will train her out of Classy Lane Farm in Ontario.”
- Brooklyn Hill at $390,000 tops opening session in Harrisburg (Monday, November 03, 2014)
Buying a yearling is just one step in the process of getting a racehorse, or perhaps more accurately getting a horse to the races, as trainer Jonas Czernyson is well aware. Czernyson, acting on behalf of Swedish interests, bought colt trotter Brooklyn Hill for a sales-topping $390,000 at the opening day of the Standardbred Horse Sale on Monday.
- Tailgunner Hanover is a ‘miracle baby’ (Tuesday, November 04, 2014)
When trainer Ray Schnittker looked at yearling pacer Tailgunner Hanover, he saw a resemblance to half-brother Riggins. Schnittker trained Riggins, who earned $924,758 during a stakes-winning career. But the fact he saw anything at all was something of a miracle.
- Smedshammer, Svanstedt are busy during second session at Harrisburg (Tuesday, November 04, 2014)
Trond Smedshammer bought only two horses during Monday’s opening round of the Standardbred Horse Sale, but came away with eight in the second session. Smedshammer was not alone in increasing his productivity Tuesday. Trainer Ake Svanstedt signed for seven horses in the second session, including the day’s sales topper, colt trotter Gotalottacredit, who sold for $225,000.
- Numbers improve on Wednesday at Harrisburg (Wednesday, November 05, 2014)
Through the close of sales on Wednesday, the cumulative yearling average at the Standardbred Horse Sale made up some ground from losses against 2013 as the average of all horses sold is down about 5.1 percent. However, comparing Wednesday against Wednesday from last year to this, the day was up about 5.1 percent, which helped make up ground from the previous two days.
- Filly’s two ‘moms’ produce winners (Thursday, November 06, 2014)
When it comes to her family, yearling filly pacer A List Hanover is related to some of harness racing’s top talent. But A List Hanover’s a-list connections go beyond the pedigree page. A List Hanover was raised at Hanover Shoe Farms by “nanny mare” Lilting Laughter following the death of her dam, Allamerican Nadia, in April 2013.
- Fair Winds Farm keeps it in the family (Thursday, November 06, 2014)
The Conway Hall–Talktalktalk filly named Time To Talk sold from the Fair Winds Farm consignment for $75,000 on Thursday at the Standardbred Horse Sale.