NA Standardbred Mixed Sale entries open Sep. 5

Robert Hershberger, owner-operator of Dublin Valley Farms, is hoping that his latest endeavor, the first annual North American Standardbred Mixed Sale, set for Dec. 17, 2024, at the Mt. Hope Event Center, in Mt. Hope, OH, will be a hit.

Entries for the harness racing sale open online or by calling that sale office on Thursday, Sep. 5, 2024, and will close on Monday, Oct. 21, 2024, or until full.

“Our mission is to provide a live auction where people can get together to socialize and view high quality horses with industry leading pedigrees,” Hersberger stressed. “I felt that there was a need out there for a live auction that afforded people looking for a place to sell their horses—specifically commercial Standardbreds—not buggy or grade horses.

“As it stands right now, the only place to get quality Standardbreds out of a mixed sale is at Harrisburg,” he continued. “I felt that because of Ohio’s central location and proximity to many of the racetracks, that we could fill a need.”

The North American Standardbred Mixed Sale will include offerings of broodmares, broodmare prospects, racehorses, and stallion shares of both gaits. Hershberger stressed that online bidding will be offered, along with up-to-the-minute updated pedigrees, so that buyers will have the latest information available to them.

“A lot of the online purchasing sites have done really well, and undoubtedly there’s a place for them in our business, but I still think a lot of people like to see horses in the flesh, and prefer to bid on them that way,” he said.

Hershberger has also enlisted the expertise of seasoned pedigree analysts Ed Teefey and Gabe Prewitt, and agents who have already jumped on the North American Standardbred Mixed Sale bandwagon include Anvil & Lace Farm, Dublin Valley Farms, Spring haven Farm, and Winter Wood Farm.

“Having a sale in December has its pros and cons but it’s a time of the year where the least number of things are going on in the business,” Hershberger stressed. “The sale date of December 17 is at a unique time of the year for buyers and sellers. Some people may have had a good year and will be looking to add a mare to their broodmare band. I feel like this sale could really work from that angle.

“I also think there will be a lot of young mares coming off the track, and mares who will be in foal, as well as racehorses looking for a new barn,” he added.

Hersberger says that in 2025, the Mt Hope Event Center will be expanding in order to provide new opportunities for the sale and consigners.

“They are spending millions of dollars to expand another addition to the grounds,” Hershberger explained. “By next year’s sale, there will be opportunities for farms and vendors to set up displays about their products, their stallions, and their training centers.”

Hersberger says that entries for the sale will top off at 300 horses.

“We have gotten a lot of interest from all over the country, from Canada, and already several from overseas,” he acknowledged. “So far, we’ve gotten requests for catalogues from every state where there are breeding farms, and the Burke Brigade has committed to bringing horses to our sale. All of that interest is very encouraging.

“Checks will be mailed within seven days of the sale to the consignor,” Hershberger offered. “The Mt. Hope facility is a state-of-the-art facility. It’s heated and clean, there’s an Amish kitchen, spotless restrooms, and a hotel on the grounds. The sale couldn’t be set up at place any more perfect.”

For more information, contact Robert Hershberger and Thurman Mullet, sale managers at the office at 330.201.5679. Their website is North American Standardbred Mixed Sale.

by Kimberly Rinker, for Harnesslink