Harrisburg, PA – Trotting filly Climatic Hanover, a half-sister to 2024 Dan Patch and O’Brien Award-winning colt Maryland, sold for $725,000 to Tor Hagmann as agent for Kjell Andersen to top Monday’s opening session of the 87th annual Standardbred Horse Sale at the Pennsylvania State Farm Show Complex.
Climatic Hanover, a daughter of Walner out of the mare Crucial, is also a full sister to colt Cambridge Hanover, who topped last year’s yearling portion of the Standardbred Horse Sale when he sold for $1 million. The family also includes 2021 Dan Patch and O’Brien Award-winning filly Venerable and Grade 1 stakes-winner Voguish.
Bred and consigned by Hanover Shoe Farms, Climatic Hanover is New Jersey eligible.
“She’s the one we came for,” Hagmann said. “It’s a very good family and she’s a beautiful filly. I think she’s going to be a great racehorse, and hopefully a great prospect as a broodmare.”
Next on the list of best sellers was trotting colt Seven Pledges, a son of Chapter Seven-Clockwork Orange, who went for $700,000 to Andrew Harris. He is the first foal out of Clockwork Orange, but his family includes 2024 Dan Patch Award-winning filly Allegiant and Ontario standout Beer Budget. He was bred by Jonas Schlabach and consigned by Concord Stud Farm. He is New York eligible.
“I love the colt,” Harris said. “He was my pick of the sale. What an awesome family, and the individual matched. Apparently, everybody else thought the same thing, because when I looked around and saw who the underbidders were, it made me feel good about why we paid that price. Not that you ever want to pay that price, but everyone is paying a premium for Chapter Sevens right now. His name is Seven Pledges, and we had to pay seven hundred (thousand).”
Harris also purchased the session’s top-priced pacer, filly Sootie Hanover, for $485,000. She is a daughter of Bulldog Hanover-Shining Beauty, and her second dam is Dan Patch and multiple O’Brien Award-winner American Jewel. The family also includes Grade 1 stakes-winner Odds On Platinum. The Ontario and Kentucky eligible was bred by Brittany Farms and consigned by Hanover Shoe Farms.
“She had a royal family and to me she was the best pacing filly in the whole sale,” Harris said. “We’ll take a shot and see what happens. You don’t get those types of families very often.”
Landing between Sootie Hanover and Seven Pledges in price was trotting colt Command Center, who was purchased for $500,000 by Robert Lindstrom as agent. He is a son of Gimpanzee-Mission Brief and three-quarter brother to multiple Grade 1 stakes-winning 2-year-old colt Apex. Marcus Melander, the trainer of Apex, will also train Command Center, who was bred by the Mission Brief Stable and consigned by Hunterton Sales Agency. He is Kentucky and Kentucky Stallion Bonus eligible.
Overall, the first session of the sale had 170 horses go through the auction ring, bringing a total of just less than $16.3 million and average of $95,841. Last year, the opening day saw 150 horses sell for $16.5 million, an average of $110,387. In 2023, 153 horses sold for $15.2 million, an average of $99,497.
This year’s sale saw 53 horses sell for at least $100,000 and 18 go for at least $250,000.
“It was a strange day; talk about a roller coaster,” said Dale Welk, the Standardbred Horse Sales Company president and director of operations. “There were a lot of good buys for the buyers, but the best sold the best. As was talked about at Lexington and other sales, the middle market is virtually not there. People have spent over $100 million on yearlings already at other sales. It’s a little depressing but it’s the market.
“When you sit back and think about it, there are over 500 yearlings yet to go, and we’ve got 50 in the mixed sale. Tomorrow we’ve got a ton of real good Captain Coreys, so hopefully tomorrow will be OK.”
Trotters averaged $123,372 for 78 yearlings, with fillies averaging $126,220 for 41. Pacers averaged $72,500 for 92 yearlings, with colts averaging $81,455 for 44.
Walner led trotting sires with an average of $192,692 for 13 horses, followed by Chapter Seven at $186,947 for 19, and King Of The North at $156,667 for six. On the pacing side, Cattlewash averaged $197,500 for two horses, followed by Captaintreacherous at $102,778 for 18 and Bulldog Hanover at $91,883 for 12.
The second session of the three-day yearling portion of the Standardbred Horse Sale will begin at 10 a.m. Tuesday. The final yearling session will begin at 10 a.m. Wednesday.
A two-day mixed sale will be held Thursday and Friday, with sessions beginning at 11 a.m. on both days.
Find the sale’s yearling catalog here and mixed sale catalog here. For the livestream, visit the sale’s company website here, and for complete results, click here.