The second heat of the Nutrien 2yo Fillies Classic at Ballarat on Thursday night was won in impressive fashion by the Captaintreacherous filly Miss Australiana for trainer Clayton Tonkin and driver Mark Pitt.

Making her racetrack debut, Miss Australiana led throughout and sprinted home the last half in 55.4 seconds (28.6, 26.8) and was nine metres clear of her nearest rival at the finish.

Lot 198 in Sunday’s Nutrien Yearling Sale at Oaklands Junction is a three-quarter brother to Miss Australiana being being by another son of Somebeachsomewhere in Stay Hungry from the Bettors Delight mare Bettor Downunder.

Being offered by Wayne Ronan, Lot 198 is now out of a 100% Producer as Bettor Downunder has now had three foals of racing age and all three are winners.

Bettor Downunder was a smart race-mare and her 13 wins included an Ararat Cup and stakes of $134,067 while Stay Hungry has made an impact with his first crop racing as 2yos this season.

Stay Hungry is now the sire of seven individual 2yo winners this season including the Group Two WA Sales Classic runner-up Louie Vee p,2,1:55.8 $31,092.

There are four lots in Sunday’s sale by Stay Hungry and all four are colts.

In addition to Lot 198 they are Lots 218, 273 and 290 and the quartet will be available for inspection on Saturday prior to the sale on Sunday.

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

By Alan Parker

When the 4yo Captaintreacherous mare Lanning won the opening event at the Warragul meeting on Monday she gave her dam Trojan Fire her fifth individual winner.

Driven by trainer Kyle Marshall, Lanning led for the bulk of the 1790 metres and rated 1:58.1 with a last half in 58.3. It was Marshall’s 18th win as a trainer from 78 starters at an excellent winning percentage of 23%.

Trojan Fire’s first foal died but since then she has five from five headed by Group Three 2yo Australasian Breeders Crown Silver winner Concealment p,3,1:55.3 $106,257, Fleetwood Rock p,1:55.7 $79,889 and Bao Nien p,1:55.2 $77,038.

Trojan Fire has a current 2yo by American Ideal in work with trainer Ricky Debono and she is also the dam of Lot 351 in the Nutrien Melbourne Yearling Sale set down for April 12th to 14th.

Being offered by Grenada Park, Lot 351 is a filly by former Australian 3yo Colt of the Year Poster Boy p,1:49.1 $803,310.

Poster Boy whose first crop commenced racing as 2yos only a matter of a week or so ago is already the sire of the smart Western Australian winning filly Delulu p,3,1:58.3.

Although unraced herself, Trojan Fire is a half-sister to nine winners including four $100,000 earners which include the Victorian Youthful Stakes winner Garnet River p,1:50.0 $555,822, Western Blaze p,1:53.7 $171,220 and Zante Beach p,1:59.0 $115,160.

Zante Beach is now the dam of the Group One WA Mares Classic winning mare Savvy Bromac p,1:54.3 $307,445 and she is also the grand-dam of Zeuss Bromac p,1:49.4 $494,965.

Such is the depth of this filly’s pedigree Lot 351 has only two dams appearing on the catalogue page.

Dr Kath McIntosh from Llowalong Farms is preparing this lot and Dr McIntosh can be contacted on 0427 497 429 to arrange a pre-sale inspection.

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

By Alan Parker

Tomorrow afternoon at 5:52pm Australian Eastern Standard Time eight horses, representing the cream of Australasian trotters, will line up in the $600,000 TAB Trot at Cambridge with not only a lot of money on the line but a lot of bragging rights at stake.

On Sunday at 11:00am auctioneer Darren Macaulay will get the 2024 Nutrien Melbourne Yearling Sale underway with Lot 162.

This Pastor Stephen filly, from the outstanding maternal family of Australian Trotter of the Year Sumthingaboutmaori, will be the first of 66 trotting bred lots offered on Sunday.

Five of those 66 lots have close relatives in the TAB Trot and everybody involved in Sunday’s Sale will have their fingers crossed for a good result.

There is no better advertisement for the trotter in the Southern Hemisphere than Friday’s race and then Sunday’s Sale.

Lot 168, on account of Aldebaran Lodge, is a filly by the highly successful French stallion Brillantissime from the Muscle Hill mare Aldebaran Aliza.

Aldebaran Aliza’s first foal, Aldebaran Abel, made his debut last night at Bendigo and finished fourth behind Rainbow Jester in the second heat of the 2yo Nutrien Sales Classic.

Aldebaran Aliza’s dam Kyvalley Aldebaran is a half-sister to the seven times winning Cabaletta which is the grand-dam of the Greg and Nina Hope trained Midnight Dash which will start from barrier five in Friday’s $600,000 race with legendary driver Tony Herlihy at the reins.

Lot 242, on account of Yabby Dam Farms, is a colt by Australian 2yo Trotter of the Year Always Ready from a Majestic Son half-sister to the millionaire Just Believe in the Group Three RC Freestone Trotters Cup winner Heavenly Sister which won 11 raced and took a record of tr,1:56.5 and earned $129,745.

The truly remarkable Just Believe, which will start from barrier three tomorrow night, has won 28 races including two Inter Dominions and a total of six wins at Group One level on his way to earnings of $1,131,523 and a record of tr,1:54.9.

Lot 242 is Heavenly Sister’s second foal and her first was the 2023 3yo winning filly Keep Believing.

Lot 255, on account of Robert Ashley Haynes and Christopher Anthony Shaw, is a colt by Australia’s and New Zealand’s Leading Sire of Trotters in Majestic Son from the four time winning Sundon mare Justa Phoenix.

This colt is a half-brother to a rising star in the trotting ranks in Arcee Phoenix which has drawn ideally in barrier two on Friday and will be out to repeat his last start when led throughout at Melton to down a gallant Just Believe and rated a career best 1:53.5 over the 1720 metres.

Arcee Phoenix has now won 11 of his 33 starts and has a further 11 placings for earnings of $271,805.

As if that isn’t enough credentials, Lot 255 is bred on the same cross as 29 $100,000 earners including the millionaire Sundees Son tr,1:56.4 $1,401,248.

Lot 275, on account of Alabar Bloodstock, is a colt by Australian 3yo Trotting Colt of the Year Elite Stride from the Group One placed Pegasus Spur mare Miss Blissful tr,1:58.5 $118,728.

Miss Blissful is out of the Majestic Son mare Paramount Bliss which is a half-sister to Paramount Faith (by Pegasus Spur) – the dam of Muscle Mountain which won his second Group One New Zealand Trotting Championship at his most recent start on 30th March.

Muscle Mountain will be driven by Ben Hope tomorrow night and will start from barrier seven over the 2200 metres.

Lot 294 is another on account of Yabby Dam Farms and this filly is out of a seven race winning half-sister to the imported star Callmethebreeze which won at Group One level as a 2yo, 3yo and 4yo in Italy and in the past couple of months has become a multiple Group One winner in Australia.

Possessed of a blistering turn of foot, Callmethebreeze has run sub 1:54 times at each of his three wins in Australia since January and is drawn in barrier four tomorrow night.

Lot 294 is out of the Italian bred Cantab Hall mare Onestar LB whose seven European wins earned $144,271 and her yearling filly is a half-sister to the Scotch Notch Mile winner Courmayeur which won six races as a 3yo including a heat of the Need For Speed in 1:58.4.

As a music guru once said “Do yourself a favour and tune in tomorrow night, or better still, watch the best field of trotters ever assembled and dream about what you will witness on Sunday at the Nutrien Sale.

The depth of trotting blood in the catalogue is quite remarkable.

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

By Alan Parker

The win of My Ultimate Sassy at Albion Park on Tuesday gave her sire Stay Hungry his seventh individual 2yo winner in the 2024 season and cemented his position at the head of the First Season Sires List.

From an Australian crop of 46 foals, Stay Hungry has sired 11 starters which have had 23 starts for the seven winners and he leads in terms of winners from a pair of colonial-bred sires in The Storm Inside and Poster Boy.

The Storm Inside, from a crop of 62 foals, has sired eight starters with 28 starts and four individual winners while Poster Boy’s crop of 73 foals has provided 11 starters with 21 starts and three individual winners at this early stage of the season.

The Nutrien Melbourne Yearling Sale on Sunday 14th April will see four yearlings, all colts, by Stay Hungry offered for sale.

They are Lot 198, on account of Wayne Ronan and out of the Bettors Delight mare Bettor Downunder p,1:53.2 $134,067. This colt is being prepared by Dunroamin Standardbreds who can be contacted on 0417 066 933 to arrange a pre-sale inspection.

Lot 218, on account of Ian Montgomery, is the first foal from the winning Art Major mare Ellenkate a daughter of 16 time winner Kissmecatie p,1:56.3 $125,344. This colt is being prepared by Ian Montgomery who would be happy to arrange an early inspection on 0413 216 625.

Ian is also offering Lot 273 which is by Stay Hungry from the Christian Cullen mare Marissima p,1:55.1 $80,166. This colt is a half-brother to the multiple 3yo winner Esterna p,3,1:54.9.

The fourth of the quartet of Stay Hungry yearlings on offer is Lot 290 which is being offered by Dean and Blanche Poole’s Rhiannon Park.

This colt is from the lightly raced Rocknroll Hanover mare Nicki Rocks which is a half-sister to Nikkis Delight – the dam of last Friday’s smart Gloucester Park winner Dominus Factum p,1:55.4 $151,308.

Dean and Blanche can be contacted on 0418 582 825 to arrange inspection.

By Peter Wharton

Sydney lawyer and horse racing enthusiast Terry Reid has bred and owned numerous winners – galloping and harness racing.

His biggest ever success was with Etah James, a galloping mare he co-bred and owned who won the $1million Sydney Cup at Randwick in 2020, while Bainbridge, the winner of last year’s Bathurst Gold Chalice, is by far the best pacer he’s been associated with.

“I’ve won 125 races in both codes over the years,” Terry said.

“I’ve always bred them to race myself or bought them as yearlings.”

However, Reid will be wearing a new hat at the 2024 Nutrien Equine Melbourne Yearling Sale at Oaklands Junction on Sunday, April 14 when he will present his first yearling as a vendor.

It is Lot 237, a strongly built bay colt by the much vaunted American first season sire Tall Dark Stranger (1:47.2), the USA 2YO and 3YO Colt of the Year and Horse of the Year and winner of $2million.

On his distaff side, the colt can claim equal distinctions.

He’s the first foal of the fast New Zealand bred mare Gooddealehemily (1:52.9), a winner of nine races in NZ, NSW and Victoria including three at Menangle and one at Melton and $82,039 in stakes.

“I bought her as a three-year-old from Auckland horseman Brian Hughes,” Terry said.

“I loved her family.”

By the great American Ideal, Gooddealehemily is a half-sister to the multiple NZ Group placegetter Miki Montana 1:54.1 ($137,598), the dual Gloucester Park winner Gooddealehmaddie (1:57.9) and the promising three-year-old Lincoln La Moose (1:58.9), a winner by open lengths at his debut at Cambridge Raceway recently.

Their dam, Cullen’s Princess (by Mach Three), was out of the NSW and NZ Great Northern Oaks winner Tosti Girl ($196,761), who became the dam of the NZ Cup winner and Inter Dominion Final and Miracle Mile placegetter Thefixer 1:50.7 ($1million), the multiple Group 1 placegetter The Honey Queen 1:50.3 ($177,447) and Sir Tosti Mach (104,543).

Furthermore, the colt is bred on the same cross as horses the calibre of the NZ 2YO Colt of the Year Don’t Stop Dreaming ($724,245), Braeview Kelly 1:49.5 (NSW Ladyship Mile) and Republican Party (Hondo Grattan Sprint).

He’s being prepared for the Melbourne sale by Benstud Standardbreds.

The loss of the young stallion Aldebaran Eagle three years ago will be felt in the next twelve months as the supply of his foals dries up.

The imported son of Muscle Hill has just 17 current yearlings on the ground plus just three current weanlings so the 2024 Nutrien Melbourne Yearling Sale represents one of the last opportunities to buy an Aldebaran Eagle yearling.

Aldebaran Eagle is the sire of 21 winners in Australia and New Zealand including the Australian 2yo Trotting Filly of the Year Rockinwithattitude and Dichotomy which was placed at Group One level as both a 2yo and a 3yo.

There are two on offer on April 14th and both of these colts have classic trotting pedigrees.

Lot 271, on account of Aldebaran Lodge Pty Ltd, is a colt from the Kadabra mare Mason Magic and he is a half-brother to three sub 2:00 trotting winners.

Aldebaran Misty won 11 races including the Group One Vicbred Platinum Home Grown Classic as a 2yo on her way to earnings of $116,076 while Aldebaran Miley won five races and $105,490 and was placed in both the Vicbred Platinum Home Grown Classic and Vicbred Super Series at Group One level as a 2yo before finishing third in the NSW Trotters Oaks as a 3yo.

Mason Magic is an unraced daughter of superstar mare Sumthingaboutmaori which won three times at Group One level on her way to an Australian Trotter of the Year and three Australian Trotting Mare of the Year titles.

Lot 271 is being prepared by Aldebaran Lodge and inspection can be arranged by contacting the team at Aldebaran Lodge on 0412 387 062.

The second Aldebaran Eagle yearling on offer is the second foal from the lightly raced Down Under Muscles mare Owe Dee Em Phoenix and will be offered as Lot 299.

Owe Dee Emm Phoenix is a half-sister to Australian 2yo Colt/Gelding Trotter of the Year Eljaykay Phoenix, which included four Group Ones among his 18 wins and $256,877 in stakes, and she is a three-quarter sister to the 2yo Group One Vicbred Platinum Home Grown Classic runner-up Peregrine Phoenix which won eight races and won $102,160 in stakes.

This colt is from the family of last week’s Uncle Petrika Free-For-All winner Arcee Phoenix

Lot 299 is being prepared by Melinda and Danny Thackeray who can be contacted on 0458 223 819 to arrange inspection.

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

By Alan Parker

Last Saturday night at Melton two of Australia’s three representatives in the $600,000 TAB Trot at Cambridge in New Zealand clashed in the $24,000 Uncle Petrika Free-For-All and, aided by a better draw, rising star Arcee Phoenix downed the established star Just Believe.

Both trotters have confirmed slots in the rich New Zealand race where they will be joined by a third Australian-owned representative in the champion French-bred trotter Callmethebreeze as the trio take on the cream of New Zealand’s trotters.

On Easter Saturday Muscle Mountain won his second Group One New Zealand Trotting Championship from Mystic Max and Midnight Dash and that trio will be joined in the Night of Champions race by three-time Group One winning stallion Oscar Bonavena.

The race will be run on April 12th and the Nutrien Melbourne Yearling Sale gets under way the next day with inspections and the sale on Sunday April 14th.

The good news for fans of trotters the Nutrien Sale features close relatives of all three Australian bred slot holders.

Lot 242, on account of Yabby Dam Farms, is a colt by Australian 2yo Trotter of the Year Always Ready from a Majestic Son half-sister to the millionaire Just Believe in Heavenly Sister.

The truly remarkable Just Believe has won 28 races including two Inter Dominions and a total of six wins at Group One level on his way to earnings of $1,131,523 and a record of tr,1:54.9.

Heavenly Sister included the Group Three RC Freestone Trotters Cup among her 11 wins and she took a record of tr,1:56.5 on her way to earnings of $129,745.

Lot 242 is her second foal and her first was the 2023 3yo winning filly Keep Believing.

This colt can be inspected by contacting Yabby Dam Farms on 0428 792 834.

Lot 294 is also on account of Yabby Dam Farms and this filly is out of a seven race winning half-sister to the imported star Callmethebreeze which won at Group One level as a 2yo, 3yo and 4yo in Italy and in the past couple of months has become a multiple Group One winner in Australia.

Possessed of a blistering turn of foot, Callmethebreeze has run sub 1:54 times at each of his three wins in Australia since January.

Lot 294 is out of the Italian bred Cantab Hall mare Onestar LB whose seven European wins earned $144,271 and her yearling filly is a half-sister to the Scotch Notch Mile winner Courmayeur which won six races as a 3yo including a heat of the Need For Speed in 1:58.4.

Lot 255, on account of Robert Ashley Haynes and Christopher Anthony Shaw, is a colt by Australia’s and New Zealand’s Leading Sire of Trotters in Majestic Son from the four time winning Sundon mare Justa Phoenix.

This colt is a half-brother to a rising star in the trotting ranks in Arcee Phoenix which led throughout at Melton last Saturday night to down a gallant Just Believe and rating a career best 1:53.5 over the 1720 metres.

Arcee Phoenix has now won 11 of his 33 starts and has a further 11 placings for earnings of $271,805.

As if that isn’t enough credentials, this colt is bred on the same cross as 29 $100,000 earners including the millionaire Sundees Son tr,1:56.4 $1,401,248.

Benstud Victoria is preparing Lot 255 and they can be contacted on 0429 950 055 to arrange inspection.

An Aussie owned trifecta in the $600,000 TAB Trot at Cambridge two days before the Nutrien Sale would not only be a dream come true for the owners but for the vendors nervously awaiting the yearling sale.

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

By Alan Parker