Cluster Hanover tops Thursday yearlings at Harrisburg
November 8, 2012,by Ellen Harvey, Harness Racing Communications
Harrisburg, PA — With only 68 cataloged yearlings left to sell Thursday at the 2012 Standardbred Horse Sale, and over 1,100 changing hands, Sales Manager Murray Brown summed up the day. “It was strong right to the end, I thought. Again, if you had what they wanted, you did real well. If you had the right horse, they were willing to bid on it.”
USTA/Ellen Harvey photo
Cluster Hanover sold for $95,000 on Thursday morning.
Asked if he thought the day was characterized by high bids and low bids, with not much in between, Brown said, “Correct. Obviously on a relative basis, highs on Monday are in the $300,000s, highs here are in the $50, $60 and $70,000 range.”
Asked if he anticipated the strong showing by progeny of Somebeachsomewhere, who averaged about $53,100 last year at Harrisburg and $84,465 this year, Brown said, “It’s like I’ve said several times, the expectations were enormous – he exceeded them.” Brown noted that Somebeachsomewhere could change the face of pacing in the future, “At this point, it looks like a great possibility. I always quote the analogy of Edward Bennett Williams, who owned the Washington Redskins. He said he gave George Allen an unlimited budget, he exceeded it. Relative to the expectations of Somebeachsomewhere, you can see the connection.
Brown expects this will be his last year in his current role as vice president and general manager of the Standardbred Horse Sale. “I will still stay on with both companies (Sale and Hanover Shoe Farms) in whatever use they would have me do. I doubt (I will be at this desk), I hope I’m over at the Hanover consignment. I have two jobs; the Hanover job’s the fun job, this is the work job. That’s as close to a guarantee as I can make.”
The sale resumes on Friday, November 9 with bloodstock the primary offering of the day.
Comparison Yearling Averages through four days of yearlings sales – 2011 vs 2012:
Category-Sold-Gross-Average
12 Pacers-653 -$19,254,500 -$29,486
11 Pacers-594-$16,819,300-$28,315
12 Trotters-509-$14,314,000-$28,122
11 Trotters-502-$17,347,700-$34,557
12 Pacing Colts-345-$13,241,000-$38,380
11 Pacing Colts-334-$11,008,400-$32,959
12 Trotting Colts-275-$7,830,000-$28,473
11 Trotting Colts-266-$9,323,700-$35,052
12 Pacing Filles-3080-$6,013,500-$19,524
11 Pacing Filles-259-$5,807,400-$22,422
12 Trotting Fillies-234-$6,484,000-$27,709
Eligibility Yearling Averages/Comparison through four days of yearlings sales – 2011 vs 2012:
Category-Sold-Gross-Average
12 Pennsylvania-493-$16,251,000-$32,963
11 Pennsylvania-454-$15,085,700-$33,228
12 New York-229-$6,985,500-$30,504
11 New York-271-$7,693,400-$28,389
12 New Jersey -207-$5,848,000-$28,251
11 New Jersey-190-$5,857,400-$30,828
12 Ontario-224-$4,338,000-$19,366
11 Ontario-151-$4,719,500-$31,255
12 Indiana-9-$146,000-$16,222
11 Indiana-3-$41,000-$13,667
- Opening session at Harrisburg: four pacing colts break $300,000 plateau (Monday, November 5, 2012)
The opening session of the Standardbred Horse Sale is in the books in Harrisburg, Pa., where a quartet of yearling pacing colts were hammered down for more than $300,000.
- Marc Hanover tops Harrisburg Day 2 at $275,000 (Tuesday, November 06, 2012)
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.
- Ontario-breds at Harrisburg get a boost from government panel (Wednesday, November 07, 2012)
Things are looking up in Ontario for the first time in a long time, as a government-appointed panel announced the continuation of the sire stakes program at current levels.