One day after French Champagne became the highest-priced horse sold in the 2025 Standardbred Horse Sale in Harrisburg, Pa., the regally-bred Kadena claimed ownership of that honour.

In the second and final mixed sale session of the 2025 Standardbred Horse Sale on Friday, Nov. 7, three-year-old Kadena fetched a final bid of $1.69 million ($1.2 million USD) as the overall North American sale topper in 2025.

Selling as Hip #1613 in the racehorse section, Kadena (Gimpanzee - Mission Brief) was purchased by Armitage Farm LLC of Wilmington, De. The sister to 2025 Mohawk Million winner Apex was consigned by Preferred Equine. This is the second sale session she's topped after fetching a $800,000 final bid in the opening session of the 2023 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale. She's a six-time winner with $287,790 in earnings and a mark of 1:51 taken at The Red Mile.

Date Night Hanover, Hip #1603, also went from the Preferred consignment to the Armitage armada after selling for $1.39 million ($985,000 USD). The four-year-old daughter of Chapter Seven - Dont Wait Up sports a summary of 12-4-6 from 40 career starts with a mark of 1:49.2 and more than $1.16 million in earnings.

The highest priced pacer of the fifth session was 2025 Jugette winner Rodeo Drive Deo, selling as Hip 1581, fetching a final bid of $915,493 ($650,000 USD) from Hunterton Farms' Cindy Stewart. A three-year-old daughter of Captaintreacherous-Miss L A, Rodeo Drive Deo boasts $1.3 million in earnings and a mark of 1:50f after hitting the top three (11-9-4) in 24 of her 30 career starts. Alliance Bloodstock consigned.

Matching that price tag was Hip #1630, three-year-old trotting filly What A Bid Hanover. A five-time winner with a mark of 1:51.4 and more than $630,000 in earnings, The 2024 Goldsmith Maid winner, What A Bid Hanover (Muscle Hill - What A Knockout) was purchased from the Preferred consignment by Kountry Lane Standardbreds of Indiana.

Rounding out the top five from Friday's sale session was 2024 Metro Pace winner Fallout, Hip #1702, also consigned to the sale by Preferred Equine. The three-year-old son of Captaintreacherous-Aria Hanover, a five-time winner with more than seven figures in earnings and a sub-1:49 mark taken as a two-year-old, was collared by Burke Racing Stable LLC for $704,225 ($500,000 USD).

Over two days of sales through the mixed session at the Pennsylvania State Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 699 horses and stallion shares were sold bringing an overall total in excess of $54.3 million ($38,554,000 USD), with an average price of $77,685 ($55,156 USD). Both the gross and average bested the previous records of $43.8 million ($31.6 million USD) for total sales and $73,535 ($52,945 USD) for an average, both established in 2024.

Bidding reached atmospheric heights during the opening day of the 2025 Standardbred Horse Sale on Monday, with Climatic Hanover topping the first yearling session. Selling as Hip 94, Climatic Hanover was the day's sale topper with bidding soaring to $1,021,127 ($725,000 USD) for the Walner-Crucial filly, a half sister to O'Brien and Dan Patch Award winner Maryland ($2,354,088 - 1:51.2). The winning bidder was Torgeir Hagmann of Cambridge, Ont. The filly from the Hanover Shoe Farms consignment is the third foal out of her multiple stakes-winning dam and a full brother to Grand Circuit starter Cambridge Hanover ($49,387), last year's sale topper for $1,388,889 ($1 million USD).

Dance Of Victory brought the highest winning bid of day two of the Standardbred Horse Sale on Tuesday. Dance Of Victory, Hip 190, went for $352,113 ($250,000 USD) to Ake Svanstedt of Wrightstown, New Jersey. The filly, consigned by Concord Stud Farm, is a daughter of Walner out of the Kadabra mare She Rocks Kemp, who took a mark of 1:54.3 and won an Ontario Sires Stakes Gold division. The dam is a half-sister to Yannick G Kemp, who won a Kentucky Sire Stakes final at Oak Grove this year.

The yearling portion of the 2025 Standardbred Horse Sale concluded on Wednesday, with Custom Content topping the third session. Custom Content, Hip 713, brought a winning bid of $183,099 ($130,000 USD) from Noel Daley of Chesterfield, New Jersey. The colt, consigned by Hunterton Sales Agency, is a son of Cantab Hall-Custom Model. He is a half brother to Indiana champion Custom Cantab ($1,036,152 - 1:52), who produced stakes winner Kountry Tab.

Thursday's mixed session kicked off with some sales history. French Champagne became the highest-priced broodmare ever sold at auction in North America as multiple seven-figure purchases by Toronto's Marvin Katz highlighted the first mixed sale session of the 2025 Standardbred Horse Sale on Thursday, Nov. 6. Katz purchased French Champagne and her dam, French Cafe, as well as French Cafe's weanling from the dispersal of his partnership with Al Libfeld — all for seven figures.

IMPORTANT LINKS

• Sale Roster
• Sale Catalogues
• Outs List
• Online Bidding (via BidSpotter)
• Live Video Stream (also available below)
• Sale Results

(Standardbred Canada)