NEMHS Benefit Auction A Huge Success
Monday, August 14, 2006
By Sadie Killian Fowler
NORTHAMPTON, Mass. – Following an evening full of top notch classes, exhibitors and spectators alike didn’t have far to go to keep the party going.
Raising an incredible $54,425, about twice as much as last year’s auction, the New England Morgan Benefit Auction kicked off immediately following the East Coast Park Harness Championship on Friday evening in the indoor arena. Morgan fans were already revved up from watching JW That Special Flaire and Judy Witness Harris, reigning world champions, close out the evening performance after defeating a field of very strong entries.
Following the entertaining class, the excitement remained in the arena as exhibitors enjoyed delicious food and drink provided by the show while witnessing some of the highest bidding in years past. Peter Fenton and Bill Carrington kept the momentum going by offering their services as the auctioneers.
The talk of the night had been the 19th item up for bid, a breeding to the legendary Mizrahi, donated by PlayMor Farm. Many remained at the auction into the late hours of the night to get their bids in on a breeding to the 2006 New England Grand Champion Stallion and sire of numerous winning show ring performers. Bill Carrington’s hammer finally fell after bidding reached an extraordinary $10,000. Misty Meadows’ Robert Neimeth was the top bidder for this highest selling item of the night.
“I’m thankful and astonished, as are all of us on the Show Committee, by the success of the auction this year,” said Molly O’Brien on behalf of the New England Morgan Horse Show Committee. “Both the donors of the wonderful items that were available, and of course the purchasers of those items, deserve a huge thanks. Hats off especially to Bob and Loek Neimeth for their unprecedented support during the sale.”
Neimeth had the highest bid in 2005 as well when he purchased the cover for the 2006 New England combined prize list for $5,700. Neimeth has been a great supporter of New England and specifically this auction. In addition to having the winning bid for the Mizrahi breeding, Neimeth went home with the “Northampton 2007 Package,” in which he bid $4,200. This package includes such perks as VIP infield parking, two ringside seats, a golf cart for the entire week, and a week’s stay at the Clarion Hotel, among several other fun and useful items.
Neimeth, whose bid tally for the night reached $21,300, also purchased a Houghton pleasure cart, a stay in a Naples, Fla., home, and a silver and gold horse head.
Other bidders went home with the second and third highest items auctioned off Friday night, breedings to two additional top stallions. Kohler Stables paid $6,300 for a breeding to DBA Street Talk, graciously donated by Ann Hailey of Copper Beech LLC, while Peter Hendrick had the winning $6,000 bid for a breeding to And The Beat Goes On, thanks to the donation by the Fu family of Dragonsmeade.
While breedings to some of the industry’s top stallion brought in the most money, many useful and enticing items also raised thousands of dollars. For $5,100, Sammi Hazen purchased next year’s New England combined prize list, which includes Vermont Spring Classic, Connecticut Morgan, Granite State, Maine Morgan, New England and Massachusetts Morgan.
Other items donated included a Radon classic sheet and winter blanket, an Ariat hunt outfit, a Marsha D’Arriaga custom made suit, a Pennsbury jog cart, a pair of New England Patriots tickets, a Vermont Morgan getaway, a Jeanne Mellin oil painting, Red Sox tickets, and more.
This year’s auction was indeed a huge success. The show committee appreciates everyone coming out to bid on the large array of items, which raised such an impressive amount of money. All of the money raised, aside from the combined prize list cover (this money is applied directly against the cost of printing and distributing the cover) will go toward funding the general expenses of the New England Morgan Horse Show.
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