Monthly Archives: February 2024

Bruce and Vicki Edward established Durham Park in 2006 and in this year’s Nutrien Melbourne Yearling Sale they have a draft of 11 – five fillies, five colts and one gelding.

Three of the fillies are described by Bruce Edward as stunners and among the best yearlings he has ever presented for sale.

Coming from the Durham Park principal the remark carries more weight than usual as Durham Park has bred some of the best young horses seen in Australia in recent years.

Horses of the quality of Australian 2yo and 3yo Filly Pacer of the Year Petacular, Australian 3yo Colt Pacer of the Year Act Now, Auckland Cup winner Turn It Up, NSW Derby winner Ideal For Real, 4yo Vicbred Super Series winner Tam Major and Group One Bathurst Gold Chalice winner Idyllic to name but a handful.

Durham Park has been set up to ensure they have the best available bloodlines in Australia, the USA and New Zealand and the benefits of their business plan are plain to see.

The three fillies that Bruce Edward is particularly taken with this year are Lots 192, 246 and 305 and all three descend from mares that Durham Park imported from the USA.

Lot 192 is a filly by siring legend Bettors Delight from the Somebeachsomewhere mare Beach Garden p,1:52.9 $135,844. It is Beach Garden’s second foal and her first is a current 2yo.

Beach Garden was bred by Durham Park and transferred to a syndicate of owners created by the Ballarat Trotting Club and before she returned to her breeders at the conclusion of her racetrack career.

Her dam is the imported Garden Gate Tina whose five winners include the sub 1:50 winner Major Major p,1:49.8 $122,845 whose six starts since the beginning of December, all at Menangle, include three wins and three minor placings including a second last Saturday night.

Lot 246 is a filly by Downbytheseaside from the imported Western Ideal mare Ideal Priority which means that she is bred on an identical cross to USTA 3yo Colt Pacer of the Year Pebble Beach p,3,1:48.2 $1,720,875.

It also means that she is a three-quarter sister to the Australian 2yo and 3yo Filly Pacer of the Year Petacular p,3,1:55.6 $454,083 and Group One Bathurst Gold Chalice winner Idyllic p,3,1:52.9 $216,440.

That pair are by Downbytheseaside’s sire Somebeachsomewhere.

Lot 305 the third foal from the Group One placed 2yo Perfect Sense p,1:55.5 $143,530 and being by Bettors Delight, she is a full-sister to 2023 2yo winner Hy On A Hill p,2,1:58.8.

Perfect Sense is a daughter of the imported Western Ideal mare O Narutac Bella p,1:51.2 $154,536 which means she is a half-sister to the Auckland Cup and New Zealand Easter Cup winner Turn It Up p,1:51.8 $846,071 and to the dam of the 2023 Victoria Oaks winner Sweet Bella p,3,1:56.6 $220,200.

In addition to being first class racing prospect all three would make valuable broodmares when their race-track careers are finished.

Jaimie-Lee King is preparing the Durham Park yearlings and she would be happy to arrange pre-sale inspections of the three fillies mentioned above or any of the others in the Durham Park draft.

Jaimie-Lee can be contacted on 0498 123 791.

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

By Alan Parker

Denis and Jo Howe from Mataranka Park Standardbreds take particular pride in producing quality stock for yearling sales and will offer seven lots at the 2024 Nutrien Sydney Sale on March 10th.

There is an important point about the Mataranka draft in that a number of the mares with yearlings in the sale have 2yos starting to trial so while potential purchasers are looking at the pedigrees they need to keep an eye on the trial results.

The pedigrees will be updated with trial information in the coming week so it will be available on the Nutrien website from next Monday and on Sale Day.

Lot 77 is a stunning American Ideal colt out of the New Zealand bred Artsplace mare Runaround Rhonda which is already the dam of three winners.

This is a cross that produced Great Vintage p,1:49.2 $1,510,226 in America but more importantly there are 15 Southern Hemisphere winners bred on the cross including three $100,000 earners headed by Lynbar Rose p,1:51.8 $250,563 and Its Mr Clooney p,1:52.3 $159,735.

Lot 84 is a Sweet Lou filly out of the Rocknroll Hanover mare Soho Montelena p,3,1:56.7. Soho Montelena is already the dam of the 2023 3yo winner Soho Matisse p,3,1:58.9.

Sweet Lou’s richest offspring in North America is Confederate which, as a 3yo in 2023, took a record of p,1:46.2 and has banked $2,077,554. Confederate is out of a mare by a son of Rocknroll Hanover in A Rocknroll Dance.

Lot 92 is a filly by Always B Miki from The Blue Lotus NZ p,3,1:56.6 and this filly is a half-sister to three winners including Amazon Lily p,1:57.6 $97,727 which had a yearling by Downbytheseaside sell at last week’s Christchurch sale for $31,000.

The Blue Lotus is a half-sister to former New Zealand Horse of the Year Tintin In America p,3,1:53.2 $934,305 and she is also a full-sister to Destination Moon p,1:52.0 $229,075.

Lot 100 is also by Always B Miki and is a colt from the Forbury 4yo Championship winner The Crystal Star which is the now the dam of five winners including My Ultimate Star which won his 22nd race at Yonkers last week and now has earnings of $235,318.

The lightly raced Sportswriter mare Bang Bang Molly is the dam of Lot 125 which is a colt by Sweet Lou.

This makes this colt a full-brother to both 2yo Group Three APG Gold Sovereign winner Smaltese p,1:51.9 $115,256 and 2023 3yo winner Kerbang p,3,1:54.7 $46,209.

Lot 137 is an American Ideal filly out of the Life Sign mare Consummation which produced her fifth individual winner when the 3yo American Ideal gelding Axe And Deez won at Melton on 24th January.

Axe And Deez became the 29th winner bred on the cross in Australia. It is a list which includes the three-time Group One winning filly Pelosi p,1:52.2 $466,602.

A half-sister to Consummation in the Bathurst Gold Tiara winner Distant Memory is the dam of Lot 145 which will be the last of the Mataranka draft to enter the ring.

Distant Memory also won the 2yo Vicbred Super Series final as a 2yo on her way to a record of p,3,1:55.1 and $173,155 in stakes.

She is the dam of four $100,000 earners which include Delightful Angel p,1:49.9 $173,578 and her full-brother Something Bettor p,1:50.6 $170,893.

Lot 145 is by Fear The Dragon which is now the sire of 14 Australian winners.

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

By Alan Parker

Star New Zealand gelding We Walk By Faith is heading back to his country of birth and is expected to start in a heat of the NSW Derby on March 2nd for trainers Mark and Nathan Purdon.

The $200,000 Group One final of the NSW Derby is set down for Miracle Mile night on March 9th.

The $150,000 Nutrien Equine Classic scheduled for decision at Melton on 20th April is also marked in on We Walk By Faith’s programme.

Bred by the Judd family and sold by Benstud to Mark Purdon for $70,000, We Walk By Faith commenced his 3yo career at Auckland on Friday night after a short spell.

With Mark Purdon at the reins, We Walk By Faith overcame a wide draw to lead before handing up to his stablemate Treacherous Baby and then using the sprint lane to draw away in the concluding stages for an impressive win.

The win took his record to four wins and two seconds in seven starts which have garnered $127,502 in stakes. His major win came in the Group One Ace Of Spades at Addington in December when he sprinted home in 26.9 seconds to take the $65,313 first prize ahead of stablemate Major Hot and Dreams Are Free.

Benstud will offer a Bettors Delight full-sister to We Walk By Faith as Lot 113 in Nutrien’s Sydney Yearling Sale on Sunday March 10th.

This pedigree, which has already been updated on the Nutrien website following Friday’s win, shows that the filly which is being sold, and We Walk By Faith, are in fact three-quarter relations to South Australian Derby winner and dual Inter Dominion placegetter Flaming Flutter p,1:49.2 $899,341.

Flaming Flutter and his full-sisters Two Times Bettor p,1:52.0 $222,555 and Fiamma p,1:53.8 $101,090 are by Bettors Delight from Twice As Hot which is the dam of We Walk By Faith’s dam Wicked Nights.

Lot 113 is being prepared for the Sydney Sale by Benstud NSW and they can be contacted on 0458 658 273 to arranged a pre-sale inspection.

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

By Alan Parker

The Karaka session of the 2024 New Zealand National Standardbred Yearling Sale was headlined when the first foal from the former Australian and New Zealand 2yo Pacer of the Year Our Princess Tiffany went under the hammer on Sunday.

The filly, by Captaintreacherous, was sold to Canterbury trainer Mark Jones for $270,000 after a spirited bidding duel with fellow South Island trainer Mark Purdon.

Nutrien’s Melbourne Yearling Sale on the weekend of the 12th through 14th April will offer a full-brother to Our Princess Tiffany as Lot 212.

This Art Major colt is being offered by Jake Stockton’s Wingate Farm and in addition to Our Princess Tiffany he is a half-brother to the Group Two WA 4yo Championship winner Rock Diamonds p,1:50.0 $796,364.

Dancing Diamonds, the dam of Lot 212, is by Bettors Delight and won at Group Three level and was twice placed at Group One level as a 2yo on her way to a career record of p,3,1:57.8 and earnings of $343,276.

Dancing Diamonds is a full-sister to the Group One 2yo WA Golden Slipper Stakes winner Ohokas Bondy p,1:53.6 $388,148.

Like Rock Diamonds, Ohokas Bondy was trained by leading WA trainers Greg and Skye Bond.

Jake Stockton would be delighted to arrange for a pre-sale inspection of Lot 212 and he can be contacted on 0428 527 998.

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

By Alan Parker

On Wednesday night at Bathurst trainer/driver Bernie Hewitt produced the unraced 3yo Novanta Rising and the Betting Line gelding coasted home a comfortable winner rating 1:57.5 for the 1730 metres.

Novanta Rising started very short in betting markets at $1.22 on the back of five straight wins in trials at Bathurst since the start of 2024.

Lot 44 in the Nutrien Sydney Yearling Sale on the weekend of March 9th and 10th is a half-brother to Novanta Rising and is being offered by Brooklyn Lodge and clients.

This colt is by A Rocknroll Dance from the Somebeachsomewhere mare My Bankers Pride which now has a 100% producing record as her first foal, Barbados, won six 3yo races in 2023.

The cross of A Rocknroll Dance over a Somebeachsomewhere mare is the same cross responsible for Curly James p,1:51.3 $211,559. Curly James won the $75,000 Group Two Shepparton Gold Cup on January 13th.

My Bankers Pride was unraced but she is a half-sister to five winners including Ideal Warrior p,1:50.9 $183,368, Bathurst Gold Crown runner-up Bebrave p,3,1:54.3 $182,620 and Perfect Penny p,2,1:58.8.

Perfect Penny is the dam of NSW Oaks winner Anntonia p,3,1:49.8 $411,835 and the 2yo NSW Breeders Challenge winner Miss Halfpenny p,3,1:55.0 $235,403.

Brooklyn Lodge can be contacted on 0438 683 280 to arrange an early inspection of Lot 44.

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

by Nutrien Equine Standardbred

Cobbitty Equine Farm may be situated in New South Wales but they have strong ties to Queensland and this weekend they will offer three yearlings at the Sunshine Stars Yearling Sale.

Luke McCarthy, a son of Queensland legend John McCarthy, and his wife Belinda established Cobbitty in 2011 and in 2021 they stood seven stallions at their stud.

Three of those stallions are represented in this weekend’s sale.

The unraced Rock N Roll Heaven mare Selfie is the dam of Lot 12 which is a colt by the McCarthys former champion Bling It On which was voted both Australian 2yo Colt of the Year and Australian 3yo Colt of the Year.

Selfie is a daughter of Australian 2yo Filly of the Year Self Denial p,2,1:57.6 $446,069 and Lot 12 is her second colt foal.

Selfie’s first colt, a full-brother to Lot 12, Mondos Bling qualified to race as a 2yo this season when third in a trial at Newcastle on 17th January.

Also hitting the race-track in 2024 are the first Australian crop of the world’s richest pacing stallion McWicked.

McWicked had his first starter Gelsomino is a 2yo race at Narrogin last night and the filly finished fourth in a 2:00.5 rate over the 1823 metres.

Cobbitty Equine Farm have a McWicked colt on offer this weekend as Lot 36 and he is a half-brother to three-time winner Dream To Dance p,1:57.0.

Lot 36 is out of the unraced Art Major mare Dreamy Art which is a half-sister to Group Two Nights of Thunder winner Soho Lennon p,1:51.0 $913,310.

The third of the Cobbitty offering is Lot 41 which is the first foal from the Rock N Roll Heaven mare Forever Rocking p,2,1:55.9.

Forever Rocking is a daughter of the Queensland Oaks winner Forever Gold p,1:51.7 $700,593 and is therefore a half-sister to 2023 Group One 2yo Qbred Triad runner-up Ever Art p,2,1:56.4 $46,620.

Lot 41 is by the well-performed US import Capt Midnight p,3,1:48.6 $662,286 whose first Australian crop are being sold at yearling sales across the country this year.

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

by Nutrien Equine Standardbred