Hundreds of horsemen and women from around the tri-state region flocked to the spacious Mark Ford Training Center on Sunday, September 13 to purchase the next crop of Standardbred champions.
Sunny skies and a cheerful outlook prevailed as 113 colts and fillies passed through the auction ring for a gross of $1.423 million, averaging $12,600 per offering.
Held on the day immediately following the three-year-old divisions of the New York Sire Stakes Night of Champions at Yonkers Raceway, harness horse owners and trainers from New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania took the passing lane to the ‘Cradle of the Trotter’ to witness the first of what promises to be an excellent regional sales venue. A handful of horsemen from the Woodbine Entertainment Group circuit chartered a plane to take a chance on the lucrative NYSS program eligibles. Savvy horsemen from Delaware and the New England states also made their presence known.
The sales topper was a Rock N Roll Heaven colt (Hip#65) from Armbro Savannah consigned by Blue Chip Farms and purchased by Joseph Bellino for $67,000. A total of five yearlings by Rock N Roll Heaven were sold for an average of $32,840, who led all pacing stallions. Roll With Joe and Art Major sons and daughters were nearly a dead heat for second and third, with $19,167 and $19,000 averages, respectively.
The highest priced trotter sold was a filly by Chapter Seven (Hip#57) out of the Credit Winner mare Gluteus Maximus. Gene Kurzrok was the successful bidder at $47,000 for the first-crop prospect consigned by Blue Chip Farms. Four foals by Chapter Seven topped the trotting ranks for an average of $32,000, followed closely by Credit Winner at $31,500.
The leading consignor by average was Blue Chip Farms, Wallkill, NY at $24,500, followed closely by Steve Jones’ Cameo Hills Farm, Montgomery, NY at $23,600. Thirty one pacing colts led the way overall with a $16,097 average, followed by trotting colts (27) at $14,079.
An entire set of sales results sheets, including sire averages and other statistics, can be accessed online here.
(Goshen Yearling Sale)