French Champagne became the highest-priced broodmare ever sold at auction in North America as multiple seven-figure purchases by Marvin Katz highlighted the first mixed sale session of the 2025 Standardbred Horse Sale on Thursday, Nov. 6 at the Pennsylvania State Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Katz, of Toronto, Ont., 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.
French Champagne, Hip 1199, was sold for $1.62 million ($1.15 million USD). The daughter of Muscle Hill-French Cafe won nine of 21 races lifetime, including the Elegantimage and Del Miller Memorial, and earned $739,033 with a lifetime mark of 1:51.4. The four-year-old is in foal for the first time, having been bred to Walner.
French Cafe, Hip 1198, went for $1.41 million ($1 million USD). The stakes-winning mare, who produced French Champagne, is in foal to Walner. By Father Patrick out of $3.3 million producer Creamy Mimi, she is a half-sister to 2025 Breeders Crown winner and Kentucky champion French Wine ($1.84 million - 1:50), as well as stakes winner French Laundry ($679,629 - 1:52.4). French Cafe's 2024 foal, Dejeuner, topped this year’s Lexington Selected Yearling Sale with a price of $1.38 million ($1 million USD).
French Cafe and French Champagne became the second and third broodmares, respectively, to sell for $1 million USD or more at auction in North America, joining Hot Mess Hanover, who sold for that amount at Harrisburg last year.
Katz paid another $1.41 million ($1 million USD) for Parisian Charm, Hip 1209, the fourth foal of French Cafe. She is by Muscle Hill and therefore a full-sister to French Champagne. The weanling, her dam, and her sibling, were all consigned by Preferred Equine Marketing.
Two trotting broodmares from the Fashion Farms dispersal, Fashion Schooner and Fashion Annie, brought the fourth- and fifth-highest prices of the session.
Fashion Schooner, Hip 1175, brought the gavel down for $985,915 ($700,000 USD) on a bid from Armitage Farm LLC of Wilmington, De. The 2022 Hambletonian Oaks winner earned $770,113, took a mark of 1:50, and was a New Jersey champion. She is by Walner out of Breeders Crown and Hambo Oaks champion Broadway Schooner and is a half-sister to Broadway Donna ($1.44 million – 1:51.1), another Breeders Crown winner. Fashion Schooner, consigned by Preferred Equine, is in foal to Tactical Landing.
Fashion Annie, Hip 1164, consigned by Preferred Equine, went for $718,310 ($510,000 USD) to Libfeld of Pickering, Ont. The daughter of Donato Hanover out of $1.7 million producer Fashion Athena was a stakes winner at two and three and earned $329,383 with a mark of 1:52.1. Her half-siblings include Pennsylvania champions Millies Possession ($504,787 – 1:51.1) and Fashion Green ($579,223 – 1:52.2). She is in foal to Walner.
The first mixed sale session generated gross sales of $31,321,127 ($22,238,000 USD) from 470 sale prospects for an average price of $66,641 ($47,315 USD). The average was an increase of about 1.9 per cent from the 2024 figure of $46,442 USD.
The final day of the 2025 Standardbred Horse Sale is set to begin on Friday at 11 a.m. EST.
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.
IMPORTANT LINKS
- Sale Roster
- Sale Catalogues
- Outs List
- Online Bidding (via BidSpotter)
- Live Video Stream (also available below)
- Sale Results
(Standardbred Canada)