Trond Smedshammer bought only two horses during Monday’s opening round of the Standardbred Horse Sale, but came away with more than a handful in the second session.

Smedshammer on Tuesday purchased eight yearlings at the sale, with one being tied for eighth highest in price.

“The ones that I really wanted yesterday just went too high,” Smedshammer said. “There were more horses today, and more opportunities. I’m not a big fan of buying those $200,000 ones. There were a couple yesterday that I wish I would have gotten that went for that kind of money, but you’ve got to try to keep it down a little bit.”

Smedshammer was not alone in increasing his productivity Tuesday. Trainer Ake Svanstedt signed for seven horses in the second session, including the day’s sales topper, colt trotter Gotalottacredit, who sold for $225,000. He had three in the top 20 after not having any of the top sellers Monday.

“We were active yesterday, but we didn’t get the horses,” said Bjorn “Bernie” Noren, who is Svanstedt’s assistant. “We put a price on them and they went a little higher than we wanted. We got outbid on the expensive one (Brooklyn Hill at $390,000) and a couple other ones.”

A total of 314 horses sold Tuesday for an average of $36,748, a 7.5 percent decrease from the $39,710 average for 298 yearlings sold in the second session of 2013. The 2014 average is nearly identical to 2012, when 307 horses sold for an average of $36,821.

Through two days, a total of 535 horses were sold at an average of $46,748, a drop of 7.3 percent from the average of $50,426 for 516 yearlings in 2013. Compared to 2012, this year’s sale is up 5.8 percent.

But this year’s averages in Harrisburg have been perplexing when put against the recently completed Lexington Selected Sale, which enjoyed a 10.6 percent increase compared to 2013.

“(Today) was consistent with yesterday,” Standardbred Horse Sale President Pete Spears said. “You’d have to ask the (buyers). There are some folks that normally buy a little heavier that haven’t bought as heavily and I can’t really explain that.

“Trying to explain the difference between here and Lexington, I think we would have to dig down a lot deeper than I’m able to do right now.”

Two sessions remain for the yearlings, Wednesday and Thursday, at the Pennsylvania State Farm Show Complex.

“I just don’t have a read on this. I really don’t,” Spears said. “It looked like people had done an extraordinary amount of homework and it really seemed like there were a lot of people who just simply needed animals. If that analysis still holds true, there are only two more days to do it. That’s a very simplistic argument, I think, but we can all hope that’s the case.”

Smedshammer, for one, was surprised by the numbers.

“I think (the sale) is strong,” he said. “I know it was down a little bit (Monday) but it certainly didn’t feel that way because it was difficult to buy.”

Gotalottacredit was the only horse to sell for at least $200,000 during the second session this year, compared to three horses to reach that level in 2013. But a total of 15 horses sold for at least $100,000, an increase of one compared to last year.

A son of Credit Winner out of the mare Valotta, Gotalottacredit’s family includes 1999 O’Brien Award winner for best two-year-old male trotter Uhadadream.

“He was a very good looking colt,” said Noren, indicating the horse was purchased for Mellby Gard. “The conformation was perfect. He looked like a real colt.”

Filly trotter Explosive Lynn was the day’s second-highest seller, at $140,000, and went to trainer Jimmy Takter. Explosive Lynn, a daughter of Explosive Matter-U Wanna Lindy, is a three-quarter-sister to Takter-trained Wild Honey, who has won eight of nine races this season at age two. Wild Honey is the fastest two-year-old trotter on a half-mile track in history, with a time of 1:55.2.

“I was happy to get her,” Takter said. “Wild Honey is a very, very good horse. The only drawback is she could have been a little bigger and this filly is a good sized filly. Does she have the same determination as her sister? We’ll find out.”

Autotune Hanover, a colt whose family includes millionaire Aracache Hanover, was the top-priced pacer, selling for $120,000. A son of Art Major out of the mare Anderosa Hanover, he was purchased by Mark Harder.

(Harness Racing Communications)

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