Fire Start Hanover lights up Harrisburg

Harrisburg, PA — Fire Start Hanover (Somebeachsomewhere-Fit To Frame) took center stage on the final day of the Standardbred Horse Sale on Friday (Nov. 11), selling for $550,000 to lead four horses that reached the half-million-dollar mark during the second session of the event’s mixed harness racing sale at the Pennsylvania State Farm Show Complex.

Joining Fire Start Hanover in the top-selling group — all at $500,000 — were Selfie Queen, Bare My Soul, and Double Deceiver.

Four-year-old pacing mare Fire Start Hanover and 3-year-old filly trotter Selfie Queen sold to Cindy Stewart.

Fire Start Hanover was a Dan Patch Award winner as a 2-year-old when her victories included the Breeders Crown. She has won 16 of 45 career races and earned $1.27 million.

Her family includes O’Brien Award-winning mare Glowing Report as well as Must See, the dam of 2009 Pacer of the Year Well Said.

Selfie Queen, a daughter of Muscle Hill-Lady Lakewood, captured the 2021 Kentucky Championship Series final at age 2. She has won seven of 23 career starts and earned $479,882. Among seven additional top-three finishes was last month’s Kentucky Filly Futurity, where she was third behind Jiggy Jog S and Joviality S.

Her third dam is multiple Dan Patch Award-winner Cameron Hall, who produced Grand Circuit winner Ultimate Cameron. The family also includes Canland Hall, the dam of Hall of Fame stallion Cantab Hall, and Hall of Fame broodmare Amour Angus.

Three-year-old filly trotter Bare My Soul (Chapter Seven-Celebrity Angel) sold to Eric Crocker. She has won three of 22 lifetime races and earned $278,518. All three of her victories came in the New York Sire Stakes and she was second in this year’s Empire Breeders Classic. She was third in this season’s NYSS championship.

She is a half-sister to O’Brien Award-winner Will Take Charge and her family also includes Dan Patch Award-winner Almost An Angel.

Double Deceiver (Cantab Hall-Sarcy), who won the Matron Stakes for 3-year-old male trotters on Thursday, sold to Brixton Medical. The gelding has won 11 of 25 lifetime races and earned $768,816. He won the Kentucky Championship Series final at age 2 and was this year’s runner-up in the Breeders Crown and MGM Yonkers Trot.

Four more horses sold for at least $350,000. Three-year-old filly trotter Peyton Hanover went for $430,000 to agent Robert Lindstrom, who also signed for 4-year-old trotting stallion Venerate at $410,000. Five-year-old trotting mare Next Level Stuff went for $350,000 to Crocker and 3-year-old pacing gelding Energetic Hanover went for the same price to Tony Alagna.

Preferred Equine Marketing consigned all the above-mentioned horses except Venerate, who was consigned by Diamond Creek.

The two-day mixed sale totaled $25.69 million, the third-highest gross in Standardbred Horse Sale history, and averaged a record $52,224 for 492 horses and stallion shares. The 2019 mixed sale grossed a record $27.02 million and averaged $40,756 for 663. The 2021 mixed sale totaled $27.01 million and averaged $51,846 for 521.

For complete results, visit The Black Book.

by Ken Weingartner, for the USTA