Monthly Archives: January 2024

There are a total of eight yearlings by What The Hill across the Nutrien Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne yearling sales.

One would expect the majority of that number to be in Victoria given that Victoria conducts the most trotting races of any State in Australia.

In fact five of the eight yearlings by What The Hill that will be sold by Nutrien in 2024 will go through the Sunshine Stars sale at Albion Park on the weekend of the 10th and 11th of February.

A son of Muscle Hill, What The Hill won both the Breeders Crown and Canadian Trotting Classic on his way to USTA 3yo Colt Trotter of the year honours and earnings of $1,263,864.

He retired to stud in 2018 and is now the sire of 143 winners in North America with 21 winners of $100,000 headed by the 2023 3yo gelding Jet Hill tr,3,1:51.8 $546,525.

Standing at New Zealand’s Woodlands Stud, his first Australasian foals were born in 2019 which means they have just turned 4yo.

What The Hill is already the sire of 29 Australasian winners headed by the 2023 New Zealand Northern Trotting Derby winner Lovemeto tr,3,2:00.1 $123,812 and another New Zealand filly in Kiss And Run tr,2,1:59.7 $65,586.

His Australian bred colt Dreambigaimhigh tr,2,1:57.9 $65,176 won the Group One NSW 2yo Trot Final in 2022.

Michael Taylor’s Trotters Australia have four of the five What The Hill yearlings in next week’s sale with a colt and three fillies making up their draft.

Taylor has been a supporter of the trotting gait over many years and among the many outstanding trotters he has bred and raced was the gelding Empire Bay.

Lot 55 in the upcoming Sunshine Stars sale is the first foal, a filly, from Kyvalley Hiphop which is a lightly raced half-sister to Empire Bay.

Empire Bay won 25 races took a record of tr,1:55.7 and banked $270,622. The gelding’s wins included  the Group Two NSW Breeders Challenge as a 2yo and the Group Three Bulli Trotters Cup as an aged horse.

Lot 15 is the first of the What The Hill fillies being offered by Trotters Australia and this filly is a half-sister to the Group One 2yo Vicbred Home Grown Classic winner Viksun tr,1:57.2 $188,558 being out of the smart racemare Summerline which won 11 races.

Summerline is a half-sister to 2yo Cambridge Trotting Stakes winner Summer Man tr,2:02.7 $152,246 and 2yo New Zealand Trotting Sales Classic winner Brighton tr,2:00.8 $83,495.

Lot 19 is the Trotters Australia colt and he is a half-brother to the 2023 2yo winner Majestic Avenue tr,2,2:04.0.

He is the third foal from the Sundon mare Sunny Avenue which is a lightly raced half-sister to Ushaka Bromac tr,1:59.3 $144,985 which is now the dam of NSW Trotters Oaks winner Aldebaran Ursula tr,2,1:55.7 $129,294.

Sunny Avenue’s second foal has just turned 2yo and has been named Sunny Majesty and is in work with trainer Chris Angove.

The fourth of Trotters Australia’s quartet of What The Hill yearlings is Lot 58 and this filly is out of the 2yo winning mare Lime And Lemonade tr,2,2:09.0.

This filly is a half-sister to three winners including Major Creation tr,2,202.0 which won a 2yo heat of the NSW Trotters Foundation before finishing third in the final.

While Trotters Australia have four What The Hill yearlings on offer, the first of the What The Hill’s to enter the Brisbane sale ring is Lot 8, a colt being offered by Greg Mitchell’s GSM Racing Pty Ltd.

This colt is a half-brother to the 2yo QLD Trotting Final winner Okanagan and the 3yo winner Banff tr,3,2:02.4.

Lot 8 is out of the Queensland Gold Rush and Queensland Marathon winner Sharons Millicent tr,2:00.6 $99,675.

The news that super sire American Ideal died on January 28th has rocked the breeding sector in Australia, New Zealand and the USA.

The shuttle stallion was in quarantine awaiting his return to North America when he developed severe colic and during emergency surgery numerous cancerous masses were revealed which resulted in his humane euthanasia.

Next week’s Nutrien’s Ladbrokes Sunshine Stars Yearling Sale includes four lots by American Ideal as breeders in the northern state have always been good supporters of the stallion.

The first of the American Ideal yearlings to go through the ring in Brisbane will be Lot 16 which is a filly from the winning Mach Three mare Tout Le Monde and this filly is a half-sister to six winners headed by 3yo Qbred For Life winner Chamonix p,1:53.8 $178,520.

This filly also happens to be bred on the same American Ideal x Mach Three cross as last Friday’s Group Two New Zealand Premier Mares Championship winner Allamericanlover p,1:53.0 $238,175.

The next American Ideal to enter the ring will be Lot 18 which is a colt from the Fake Left mare Timeless Appeal p,1:52.9 $81,240.

This is the first foal from the multiple 2yo Group One placegetter which is a half-sister to last Saturday night’s Albion Park winner Bombadier Jujon p,1:53.8 $177,484, Group One 3yo Queensland Triad winner Talent To Spare p,1:51.9 $136,517 and three-time 2023 2yo winner Missed Consequences p,2,1:56.4 $24,585.

The third of the Queensland American Ideal yearlings is Lot 45 is a filly out of the 100% Producer Emerging Force p,3,1:58.7.

Emerging Force has already produced last season’s Nutrien Sales Classic heat winner Force Full p,2,1:57.1 and another 2yo winner in Keayang Santiago p,2 1:57.9.

Like the previously mentioned Lot 16, this filly is bred on the same American Ideal x Mach Three cross as last Friday’s Group Two New Zealand Premier Mares Championionship winner Allamericanlover p,1:53.0 $238,175.

The last of the quartet of American Ideal yearlings in Nutrien’s Brisbane Sale on February 11th is Lot 64 which is also out of a 100% Producer.

Lot 64 is a colt from the 2yo New Zealand Sires Stakes heat winner Millwood Manhattan p,3,1:59.5.

Her seven foals of racing age have all been winners including sub 1:50.0 performer Kingslayer whose 11 wins in North America include two divisions of the Borgata Pacing Series.

Millwood Manhattan is also the dam of 2023 2yo winner Millwood Brooklyn p,2,1:56.0 which won at Riverina Paceway in December.

The updated pedigrees can be found at Nutrien Live – Online Catalogue (nutrienequine.com.au) and pre-sale inspection of the American Ideal yearlings and any of the other yearlings in the catalogue by calling the preparers whose numbers appear at the bottom of each yearling pedigree.

Medowie Lodge Harness Racing Stud is located in the Port Stephens area and is run by Darren Reay and family.

Darren is a licensed trainer and Studmaster and Medowie Lodge currently stands four stallions including the Inter Dominion winning Australian Harness Horse of the Year Tiger Tara.

Medowie Lodge will offer six of their own yearlings along with three others for stable clients at the 2024 Nutrien Sydney Yearling Sale and 2024 has started in spectacular fashion for Lot 161.

Lot 161 is a filly by 2yo Governors Cup winner Papi Rob Hanover p,3,1:47.2 $927,979 from the nine times winning Bettors Delight mare Glory Daze p,1:55.7 $76,805.

Glory Daze’s first three foals are all winners and her fourth foal is a 2024 2yo by Captain Crunch.

At Brisbane’s Albion Park circuit on Tuesday Khulan Kid became Glory Daze’s second winner for the first month of 2024 with his sixth career victory.

His Sweet Lou half-brother My Ultimate Harry won his fourth race in his seven race career at the Riverina Raceway on January 5th rating a career best 1:53.9 for the1740 metres.

Glory Daze’s first foal Sharmey p,1:58.9 $99,478 was a close up third at Hobart on Sunday and the mare may well get her third winner for the month in the next fortnight.

Medowie Lodge will also be offering fillies by young up and coming sires in Captain Crunch (lot 87), Bettors Wish (lot 60) and Stay Hungry (Lot 136) along with a colt by Bettors Wish (Lot 42) and a gelding by proven sire Sweet Lou (Lot 107).

Darren Reay is preparing three yearlings by Tiger Tara for clients of Medowie Lodge including a full-sister to Tiger Tara’s multiple Menangle and Bankstown Derby winner King Tiger p,1:52.2 $82,771.

Pre-sale inspection of the Medowie Lodge draft of yearlings can be arranged by contacting Darren Reay on 0429 817 199.

For full details and catalogued yearlings in the five Nutrien Standardbred 2024 Yearling Sales, click here.

by Alan Parker – Nutrien Equine Standardbred

January 26th sees the first Tasmanian Yearling Sale run by Nutrien Equine Standardbred and a total of 23 Lots will be offered for Sale.

All 23 yearlings are eligible for the Nutrien Sales Classic and the auction will form part of the race-meeting at Carrick Park.

The sale will get under way at 7:00pm and will be streamed on TasracingTV and for those who cant attend in person online bidding will be available through NUTRIEN EQUINE TASMANIAN STANDARDBRED YEARLING SALE 2024 – Auction 899 | AuctionsPlus

Those wishing to participate on-line will need to register now with AuctionsPlus.

Tasmanian breeder Richard Hall knows just how easy it is to buy through AuctionsPlus as he bought a couple of mares with foals at foot at the 2023 Nutrien Winter Woolies Sale and he is selling those foals as yearlings next week.

Lot 13 is by Yankee Rockstar and out of the Group Two placegetter Bute Sister which is a half-sister to New Zealand 3yo Colt & Gelding Pacer of the Year Badlands Bute p,3,1:56.6 $340,357.

Bute Sister’s first 10 foals have produced nine 2:00 winners including Holdingno Currency which won its 19th race yesterday at Redcliffe for trainer Melissa Kendall and driver Zac Chappenden.

Holdingno Currency has a record of 1:55.5 and stakes of $117,197 and Bute Sister is also the dam of Shillelagh p,1:57.6 $90,848 and Bute Courage p,1:50.6 $58,875.

Another winning half-sister to Lot 13 in Be Nice Huther p,3,1:55.5 is the dam of Bee Okay which won on January 3rd at Bathurst in a career best 1:55.7 and has now earned $53,462.

Richard Hall is also selling Lot 22 which is a Franco Nelson colt out of the Dream Away mare Hey Sister p,1:57.0.

For full details and catalogued yearlings in the five Nutrien Standardbred 2024 Yearling Sales, click here.

by Alan Parker – Nutrien Equine Standardbred

Twenty five years ago races for trotters in Queensland were as scarce as hen’s teeth until respected businessman Jim McNeil took a shine to the gait and decided to do something about it.

McNeil led a group to New Zealand where they purchased several dozen trotters which were then flown to Queensland and without the contribution of those imports there would have been, in practical terms, no population of trotters in the State.

That importation fostered the interest in the gait and other Queenslanders went to Sydney, Melbourne or New Zealand to buy a trotter.

Some idea of the progress in the development of the trotter in Queensland can be gauged by the Queensland trained Not As Promised heading to Victoria and beating the best 3yo trotters in the country in both the Victoria Trotters Derby and final of the Breeders Crown.

McNeil saw interest in trotters grow before his passing but his name lives on per medium of the Jim McNeil Memorial for trotters which has been run annually since 2011.

Were he still alive McNeil would have been delighted to see 20 trotting bred yearlings among the 70 entries for the 2024 Sunshine Stars Yearling Sale set down for February 10th and 11th.

That number represents nigh on 30% of the catalogue with yearlings by some of the country’s biggest names including Majestic Son – Australia’s Leading Sire of Trotters for the past eight seasons.

Other sires sure to create interest for purchasers of trotters are What The Hill, Pastor Stephen, Wishing Stone and Sebastian K.

Sebastian K had nine 2yo starters in 2023 for six winners of 14 races and $272,066 to finish second on the Australian 2yo Trotting Sires List.

The full list of Sunshine Stars trotting bred yearlings is as follows: