While she may have passed earlier this year, Two Steppin Sally could leave quite a legacy in the Breeders Crown both this year and for years to come.
The man responsible for making that happen, Fred Hertrich III, says he isn’t a seller or a buyer.
“I’m a trader,” said Hertrich about his activities surrounding any horse sale. As the owner of Allamerican Harnessbreds, Hertrich’s yearlings go to auction every year and sell fairly well.
“We had a great sale this year,” Hertrich said.
In 2009, after his yearlings had sold, Hertrich stayed a while longer to attend the Harrisburg mixed auction that included racehorses and breeding stock. From that large group he was able to come away with a $20,000 purchase by the name of Two Steppin Sally.
“I liked the pedigree. She was from a Winbak Farm family that had done well. Robert Tribbett looks at all of the mares for me and he thought she had a solid family and stood correctly,” Hertrich recalled.
By Western Hanover, Two Steppin Sally was out of the Direct Scooter-sired mare Happy Doris. She had completed her racing career with a 1:55.2 mark taken at two with earnings of $44,910. Western Hanover leads all sires in Breeders Crown earnings with $7.2 million.
“I own shares in about 90 percent of the major pacing and trotting stallions,” said Hertrich, who left Tribbett in charge of selecting the right stallion to match with his newly acquired mare.
Two Steppin Sally’s first foal is Breeders Crown three-year-old pacing filly finalist Major Dancer. A $47,000 yearling purchase by Casie Coleman for her clients West Wins Stable, Mac Nichol and Adriano Sorella, Major Dancer was lightly raced as a two-year-old but blossomed this season, finishing first or second in 13 of 18 starts leading up to Friday’s $593,750 final. Major Dancer’s career earnings to date are a healthy $284,934.
Major Dancer has shown the ability to tough it out and she may get a lot of that from a strong maternal line where a large majority of the foals blossomed into hard-hitting raceway stock.
Two Steppin Sally was next bred to Bettors Delight, keeping the mare’s foals eligible to the rich New York Sire Stakes program. Trainer Joe Holloway had to pay $70,000 to bring home Bettor Be Steppin for his ownership team of Ted Gewertz, Rojan Stable and Val D’Or Farms, but much like Coleman’s purchase the year prior, that price appears to be a bargain.
Holloway liked the filly from the start, and was hoping to take it easy with her early in the season and keep her primed for a long and prosperous campaign. The plan has worked out well with Bettor Be Steppin, a finalist in Saturday’s $500,000 Breeders Crown for juvenile filly pacers.
“She was really sharp at Hoosier (Kentuckiana Farms Stallion Management Pace) and raced very well at the Red Mile,” said Holloway. “I wasn’t happy with her race in the Matron but I believe she choked down in that race. Sometimes it takes a few races to get over that.”
With $238,643 banked in 2014, Bettor Be Steppin appears to have a very bright future that could exceed her half-sister.
“I think she’s in the top three or four fillies in the country,” said Holloway.
Interestingly, Two Steppin Sally’s third foal, a Roll With Joe-sired colt named Roll With Fred, sold earlier this month at the Harrisburg sale and created quite a stir.
“He was a very good looking colt,” said Hertrich. “Probably the best looking Roll With Joe [of the ones I saw],” Hertrich stated.
The bidding was fast and furious when Roll With Fred came into the ring and by the time the horse was hammered down it was Holloway “in the back” with the final bid of $135,000.
“I had looked at the colt a few times and I was kind of torn,” said Holloway. “He had this bow in his neck and I was kind of concerned about what his attitude would be like.”
Perhaps Holloway had also done his homework and noticed that there were plenty of geldings in the pedigree and very few, if any, colts.
“I usually stay in the front at Harrisburg to see who I’m bidding against,” said Holloway, “But in this case I wanted to see the colt in the back.”
As it turns out, Holloway was in the right place at the right time.
“This other yearling in the back ring was acting out, a real bully. When he came up to Roll With Fred, he just held his ground and acted like if the colt wanted to start something he would take care of him.”
Holloway was no longer concerned about Roll With Fred’s attitude and bid aggressively to get him.
“Casie (Coleman) came up to me after the sale and said ‘How much would you have bid on that colt if you had liked him?’” said Holloway.
Val D’or Farms, Rojan Stables and Ted Gewertz, all owners of Bettor Be Steppin now also own Roll With Fred.
Sadly, Hertrich revealed that Roll With Fred will be the last foal from the mare. Two Steppin Sally’s life ended, along with the foal she was carrying by Bettors Delight, earlier this year during the foaling process.
No doubt her name will live on with two fillies of Breeders Crown quality on the racetrack and as future broodmares, along with a pacing colt who already appears to have the toughness required to excel on the racetrack.
For Friday’s entries, click on one of the following links: program pages -- overnight sheet
For Saturday’s entries, click on one of the following links: program pages -- overnight sheet
(Breeders Crown)