Harrisburg, PA – Female trotters French Champagne, French Cafe and Parisian Charm, selling as part of the final dispersal to dissolve the partnership of breeder/owners Al Libfeld and Marvin Katz, were each purchased back by Katz for a minimum of $1 million on Thursday during the opening session of the Standardbred Horse Sale mixed sale at the Pennsylvania State Farm Show Complex.
French Champagne, a 4-year-old daughter of Muscle Hill out of the aforementioned French Cafe, led the way at $1.15 million, besting last year’s top broodmare price of $1 million for Hot Mess Hanover. Nine-year-old French Cafe and her weanling filly Parisian Charm returned to Katz for $1 million each.
The next three on the top-selling list were trotting broodmares Fashion Schooner, for $700,000 to Armitage Farm; Fashion Annie, for $510,000 to Libfeld; and Slip Sliding Away, for $500,000 to Katz. Fashion Schooner and Fashion Annie sold as part of the complete dispersal of Fashion Farm, as did weanling filly Fashion Daniela for $450,000 to John Bax, as agent, and broodmare Misswalner Fashion for $400,000 to Armitage Farm.
All were consigned by Preferred Equine Marketing.
Overall Thursday, a total of 470 horses and stallion shares sold for $22.2 million, an average of $47,315. Last year, the opening day of the mixed sale saw 344 horses and stallion shares purchased for nearly $16 million, an average of $46,442.
French Champagne, who is in foal to Walner, won last year’s Grade 1 Elegantimage Stakes, a division of the Grade 2 Del Miller Memorial, and the New Jersey Sire Stakes championship for 3-year-old female trotters for Katz and Libfeld.
French Cafe, also in foal to Walner, is a daughter of Father Patrick out of the 2008 Hambletonian Oaks (G1) winner Creamy Mimi. French Cafe’s first foal was French Champagne. In September, her third foal, the Walner-sired Dejeuner, became the highest-priced yearling filly ever purchased at auction when she sold for $1 million to Noel Daley as agent for Winning Key at the Lexington Selected Yearling Sale.
Parisian Charm, by Muscle Hill, is French Champagne’s full sister. The family also includes recent Breeders Crown Open Trot champion French Wine and Grand Circuit winner French Laundry.
Fashion Schooner, a 6-year-old daughter of Walner out of 2009 Hambletonian Oaks winner Broadway Schooner, was herself a Hambletonian Oaks champ in 2022. She is in foal to Tactical Landing. The weanling Fashion Daniela, by Muscle Hill, is her first foal.
Fashion Annie, a 5-year-old daughter of Donato Hanover-Fashion Athena, sold in foal to Walner. A multiple stakes winner during her racing career, Fashion Annie’s first foal, the Tactical Landing-sired weanling Tactical Annie, sold for $165,000 to Armitage Farm.
Stakes-winner Slip Sliding Away, a 4-year-old daughter of Father Patrick-Ice Attraction, also sold from the Libfeld/Katz dispersal. Her family includes 2018 O’Brien Award-winner The Ice Dutchess, who is the dam of graded-stakes winner R Dutchess. Slip Sliding Away is in foal to Chapter Seven.
Misswalner Fashion, a 6-year-old daughter of Walner-Sweet Love, was a 2021 Kindergarten Classic Series champion. She sold in foal to Sig Sauer.
The second-and-final day of the Standardbred Horse Sale’s mixed sale begins at 11 a.m. Friday.
Find the mixed sale catalog here.
For the livestream, visit the sale’s company website here, and for complete results, click here.