by Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications

Harrisburg, PA — Dustin Jones came up empty in his first several attempts at buying a yearling at the Standardbred Horse Sale, but the third time was a charm.

After being the underbidder on colt pacer Joost Hanover, who sold for $300,000 on Monday, and colt trotter Shift Into Glide, who went for $250,000 during Tuesday’s (Nov. 6) session, Jones came away with colt pacer Marc Hanover for $275,000 as the auction’s second day came near an end.

Marc Hanover (Cam’s Card Shark-Maremma Hanover) topped day two of the Standardbred Horse Sale’s Yearling Sale when R. Dustin Jones purchased the colt for $275,000 for owner Serge Godin.

Jones bought the yearling for owner Serge Godin.

Marc Hanover is a son of Cam’s Card Shark out of the mare Maremma Hanover. He is a half-brother to Martini Hanover, who won this year’s consolation for the Metro Pace. The family also includes stakeswinner Under Your Spell.

“When I went to Hanover and they got all the horses out, he’s the one I liked the best, without knowing the breeding,” Jones said. “We probably wouldn’t have gone that high, but we were the underbidder on Shift Into Glide and Joost Hanover.

“My owner, Mr. Godin, was in Europe and that was the first time we had him on the phone today and we were telling him about all the horses we were missing out on and he decided we were going to buy that one. I don’t know if we would’ve gone higher; we’ve never bought one higher than this.”

Despite the high price, Jones said there was no pressure.

“We can only do what we can do,” he said. “We’re real happy; he was my No. 1 pick.”

Marc Hanover was among 20 horses to sell for at least $100,000 on Tuesday. Last year, 14 sold for $100,000 or more on the sale’s second day.

After two days, the average price was $44,270 for 545 horses sold. Last year, the average was $44,218 for 541 horses sold. Pacing colts were averaging $59,433 this year compared to $46,982, an increase of 26.5 percent, the best gains of the sale.

“It was pretty much more of the same; the good ones were selling extraordinarily well and the ones they didn’t want were not selling well at all,” said Murray Brown, the sale’s vice president and general manager. “I thought trotters were a little better today than yesterday. Pacing colts continue to be very, very strong.

“It’s a strange sale, but overall if you had what people wanted you did extremely well.”

Shift Into Glide to Daley for $250,000

Noel Daley was looking for the best trotter in this year’s sale. If price is any indication, he found the one.

Daley purchased colt Shift Into Glide for $250,000 for owners Bill Weaver and Caviart Farms. The price was the highest for a trotter through the sale’s first two sessions.

Shift Into Glide is a son of Yankee Glide and the first foal out of the mare Arbor Hanover. Second dam Armbro Pantomime is the mother of stakes-winner Arlanda Hanover and the third dam, Wendys Joker, is the mother of stakes-winner Armbro Trick.

Shift Into Glide sold for $250,000 on Tuesday at Harrisburg.

“Bill Weaver told me to buy the best one I could find and he was the nicest one we saw here,” Daley said. “The trotting colts seemed like one area that wasn’t so strong in the sale. I didn’t think we’d go to that money to get him. To us, he was the nicest horse in the sale. By the looks of it (other people did as well).

“He was a great moving horse, good looking horse, so we took a shot. It started with the video. He had an awesome video and when you looked at him you couldn’t fault him anywhere. It wasn’t like he had a classic pedigree; he had a good enough page. He was the only one that had a video that matched his looks. Bill said he wanted the best one, and that’s the best one we could find him.”

Colt pacer Toronto Hanover, a son of Somebeachsomewhere out of the millionaire-earning mare Tricky Tooshie, sold for $177,000 to Irwin Samelman and was the second-highest sale of the early afternoon. He is a half-brother to stakes-winner True North Hanover.

“I like the fact he is by Somebeachsomewhere and I like the fact he is a beautiful, athletic looking colt,” said Samelman, who will turn over the colt to trainer Don Milby. “It was between (Toronto Hanover) and some others, but we settled on him. I’m thrilled to get him. Hopefully, we’ll catch a break.”

Scary Magic, a colt trotter by Kadabra out of the mare Give Me A V sold for $175,000 to Melvin Hartman. The colt is Give Me A V’s second foal. His second dam, Victory My Way, is the mother of stakes-winner Make You Mine. Fourth dam Matina Hanover is the mother of two-time Horse of the Year Mack Lobell.

Richard “Nifty” Norman will train the colt. Norman and Hartman teamed to win this year’s Hambletonian Oaks with Personal Style.

USTA/Ken Weingartner photos

Colt pacer Toronto Hanover brought $177,000 at the sale.

“He’s the nicest looking Kadabra colt I saw this year,” Hartman said. “I really liked him. I liked the way he carries himself and the pedigree is there too. It’s a good shot.

“Everybody’s got their own taste. I like a horse with a nice eye and he had that. You just looked at him and you could tell he has lots of class. He’s put together properly, so if you have a little luck, you could have a Grand Circuit horse and not just a good horse for Ontario.”

Late in the afternoon, news was announced that the current purse structure for the Ontario Sire Stakes program could be maintained for 2013 and beyond. The announcement was met with applause.

“The Canadian news is very welcomed,” Brown said. “It’s unfortunate that it kind of missed the first two days, but the vast majority of our Ontario-sired yearlings are selling in the next two days. Hopefully, that will help.

“The concern now, and you’re always worried about something, is that some of the Canadian buyers may have shot their bullets already and not have (money) available for the Ontario-breds. But overall it’s great news.”

Click here for complete sale results.