White Bliss brings $240,000 bid in Harrisburg
November 5, 2013,by Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications
Harrisburg, PA — It will be a white Christmas for the Sjoberg family.
Tristan Sjoberg purchased the white colt named White Bliss for $240,000 on Tuesday on the second day of the Standardbred Horse Sale at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex.
White Bliss was the day’s top-priced yearling. Bjorn “Bernie” Noren signed for White Bliss, who is an early Christmas gift for Sjoberg’s mother, Eva.
A son of stallion Art Major out of the mare Coochie Mama, both bays, White Bliss is a rare all white Standardbred. The last time two bays produced a white Standardbred in North America was in 1998.
White Bliss brought a winning bid of $240,000 on Tuesday at the Standardbred Horse Sale.
“(Sjoberg) wanted to buy this horse for his mom,” Noren said. “She has always been looking for a white Standardbred. She went to Russia to buy some white horses, but couldn’t find any really purely white. When this horse came up for sale, he got really excited and his mom got really excited. He wanted to go for it. He bought it for his mom as a Christmas present.”
Ake Svanstedt, who is coming to the U.S. after a successful career in Sweden, will train the colt.
“He’s going to take him to Florida and train him and race him in the New York Sire Stakes program hopefully,” Noren said. “Then he will go to Sweden and get the chance to breed some trotting mares.”
Noren added with a laugh, “He’s not going to get castrated.”
The colt was among three horses to sell for at least $200,000 on the second day and a total of 14 sold for at least $100,000.
After two days, the average price was $50,486 for 515 horses sold; an increase of 14 percent compared to 2012. Last year, the average was $44,270 for 545 horses sold.
On the pacing side, yearlings sired by Somebeachsomewhere were going for an average of $84,243 – the top mark of the sale. On the trotting side, Credit Winner-sired foals were leading with an average of $83,636.
Mohegan Blue Chip and Apple Bottom Lindy were tied for the No. 2 seller, both bringing $215,000. Mohegan Blue Chip, a son of stallion Somebeachsomewhere out of the mare Casino Miss, went to trainer Tony Alagna. Casino Miss finished second in the finals of the Tender Loving Care and Blossom series in 2003 and earned $431,698 lifetime.
USTA/Ken Weingartner photos
Mohegan Blue Chip was purchased for $215,000 by trainer Tony Alagna.
“I trained the first foal out of the mare, Ryder Blue Chip, and I liked her,” Alagna said. “She was just a nice sire stakes filly, but I liked her a lot. This was the first colt the mare had, the first Somebeachsomewhere, so he kind of fit the profile for what we were looking for. “There’s enough maternal pedigree to be a home run. He was a great individual with a lot of presence. He passed all the tests.” Apple Bottom Lindy, a daughter of stallion Cantab Hall out of the mare Lindy’s Got Back, was purchased by Robert Lindstrom for owner Lennert Agren. Paul Kelley will train the filly. “She’s got size, she’s got great conformation, she’s got a pretty darn good family, and she gets over the ground really good,” Kelley said. “Hopefully those are all the qualities you’re looking for to start out with.”
Migrate Blue Chip, a son of stallion Rock N Roll Heaven out of the mare Gro sold for $180,000 to Synergie Montreal. Gro was second in the 2006 Tender Loving Care Series final and earned $454,135 in her career.
He will be trained by Luc Blais.
“I liked the animal, the conformation; he’s a nice looking horse,” Blais said. “We went to the farm a week before the sale. When we saw him, we just liked him. I liked what I see and what I feel about the horse. I report that to the owner and the owner looked at the video and made the decision after that.
“Rock N Roll Heaven was a great horse and had a great attitude. That’s what I feel about this yearling. I think he’s got a nice attitude. I was impressed.”
Following is the list of horses to sell for at least $100,000:
Hip-Name-Sex-Sire-Dam-Price
305 – White Bliss – Colt – Art Major-Coochie Mama – $240,000
Rare white Standardbred; half-brother to Western Posse (1:50.4s; $155,818)
428 – Mohegan Blue Chip – Colt – Somebeachsomewhere-Casino Miss – $215,000
Half-brother to Ryder Blue Chip (1:50.3; $190,825)
504 – Apple Bottom Lindy – Filly – Cantab Hall-Lindy’s Got Back – $215,000
First foal for Lindy’s Got Back; third dam is world champion Anamosa Hanover
346 – Migrate Blue Chip – Colt – Rock N Roll Heaven-Gro – $180,000
First foal for Gro, who had a mark of 1:50.3 and earned $454,135
459 – Severine Hanover – Filly – Donato Hanover-Secret Credit – $175,000
First foal for Secret Credit, who had a mark of 1:59.2h and earned $133,811; half-sister to Berto Primo (1:54.2; $296,298)
390 – Mullet Blue Chip – Colt – American Ideal-Babe Watching – $160,000
Half-brother to Baberhood, who is the dam of New York Sire Stakes champ He’s Watching
480 – Whataworkout – Colt – Muscle Hill-Southwind Sofia – $155,000
First foal for Southwind Sofia, who is half-sister to Southwind Serena (1:55.2; $385,088) and Southwind Spirit (1:54.1; $310,925)
348 – Adama Hanover – Filly – Camluck-Always True – $140,000
Half-brother to Dynamic Youth (1:48.1f; $822,957)
499 – Mentzer Hanover – Colt – Donato Hanover-Mayday Hanover – $120,000
Dam is half-sister to Macaria Hanover (1:55; $292,337)
498 – Magic Marker – Filly – Andover Hall-Susie’s Magic – $110,000
Dam won 2006 Breeders Crown for 3-year-old filly trotters; mark of 1:52.4 and earned $700,946
276 – Badiou Hanover – Colt – Well Said-Blind Ambition – $105,000
Dam is half-sister to Cheyenne Rei (1:51.1; $729,933)
279 – By Chance Hanover – Colt – Cantab Hall-Box Of Dreams – $105,000
First colt for Box Of Dreams, who had a mark of 1:58.1f and earned $86,100.
386 – Minix Hanover – Colt – Lucky Chucky-Madam Hooch – $105,000
First foal for stakes-winner Madam Hooch, who had a mark of Q1:58.3s and earned $181,843.
478 – Sobti Hanover – Filly – Cantab Hall-Sounds Swell – $105,000
Half-sister to Spellbound Hanover (1:54.3; $962,395) and Up Front Ben (1:54f; $381,326); full sister to Symphonic Hanover (1:53.4; $265,116)
412 – Mypaparox Bluechip – Colt – Rock N Roll Heaven-Musical Tone – $100,000
Half-brother to Big Al’s Delight (1:52; $385,154)
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