The E Dees Cam stallion Warrawee Needy was imported from Canada in 2016 and after Tuesday’s meeting at Menangle he is now the sire of two 1:50 performers among his 63 Australian bred winners.

Warrawee Needy previously sired Uncle Shank which took a record of 1:49.4 in the USA and on Tuesday he added the gelding Bully Bourne to his 1:50 list.

Trained and driven by Seaton Grima, Bully Bourne led throughout to down the $1.90 favourite Outside Fighter and Saveeon winning by a little over three metres and stopping the clock at exactly 1:50.0 for the mile trip.

It was Bully Bourne’s fourth win and he is one of ten winners produced by his dam Mainland Banner.

Mainland Banner was a superstar in New Zealand taking out the 3yo Filly of the Year Award and following that up as a 4yo by being awarded the New Zealand Harness Horse of the Year honour on the back of four Group One wins that season including the New Zealand Cup when she beat Alta Serena and Just An Excuse.

She has been equally impressive as a broodmare and her 13th foal goes under the hammer on Sunday on behalf of Yirribee Stud as Lot 27.

Lot 27 is in fact a full-sister to Bully Bourne.

Mainland Banner’s 12th foal is a current 2yo and each of her previous 11 foals has raced and ten have been winners including the Group One NZ 4yo Diamond and Group One Victorian Ladyship Cup winning mare Rocker Band p,1:51.8 $369,442, Return To Sender p,1:51.6 $218,849, another mare in Island Banner p,1:51.4 $138,663 and Stunin Banner p,1:56.2 $131,020.

Dennis Picker from Yirribee Stud has prepared Lot 27 for Sunday’s sale and he can be found at Barn J48 and he would be happy to get the filly out of her box for inspection.

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

By Alan Parker

Arts Treasure, the dam of Lot 124 in next weekend’s Nutrien Sydney Yearling Sale, has produced a jewel in the Captaintreacherous 3yo Kabochon.

Racing first-up, the 3yo gelding Kabochon started a $1.22 favourite for trainer/driver Jocelyn Young and, after doing some work early from his outside draw, he showed his class to draw away in the concluding stages for a comfortable nine metre win rating 1:58.8 for the 2185 metres.

Kabochon was bought by Peter Gianni from the 2022 Nutrien Sydney Sale for $85,000.

Being offered by I D & K Sutherland, Lot 124 this weekend is a three-quarter sister to Kabochon being by Captaintreacherous’s son Captain Crunch from Arts Treasure.

Captain Crunch has his first downunder crop racing as 2yos in 2024 and yesterday, also at Pinjarra, produced his first Australian bred winner when Captain Paprika spiced up his rivals for a ten metre win at just his second start in a race for trainer/driver Dylan Egerton-Green.

Arts Treasure won the 2yo Queensland Triad on her way to a record of p,1:50.9 and stakes of $152,542 and Kabochon is her first foal.

Her second foal, a current 2yo filly by Captain Crunch, called Golden Shooz, qualified in January for trainer Jess Tubbs.

Arts Treasure is a half-sister to Chariots of Fire winner Expensive Ego p,1:48.6 $987,407 which just failed to qualify for this week’s Miracle Mile when he finished fourth to Hi Manameisjeff in the Allied Express Sprint at Menangle last Saturday night.

Expensive Ego will start in the $100,000 Group Two Australian Light Horse FFA at Menangle this week on the eve of the Yearling Sale.

Lot 124 is being prepared by Benstud Standardbreds NSW and can be found in Barn C64 on the weekend.

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

By Alan Parker

The 5yo Rock N Roll Heaven mare Rocknroll Sass brought us successive wins when she led throughout to win at Pinjarra on Monday.

It was her 12th win overall and her earnings are now $97,667 for owner/trainer Nathan Turvey and driver Gary Hall Jnr.

Just A Bit Sassy, the dam of Rocknroll Sass, took a record of p,1:55.8 and won ten races and $68,175 before being retired to stud.

Her first foal, Cee Cee Armbro won ten races and $122,483 and her first four foals have all been winners and she is the dam of Lot 11 at this weekend’s Sydney Yearling Sale.

Lot 11, on account of R & W Sullivan is a colt by Captain Crunch from Just A Bit Sassy.

Captain Crunch has his first downunder crop racing as 2yos in 2024 and yesterday, also at Pinjarra, produced his first Australian bred winner when Captain Paprika scored ten metre win at just his second start in a race rating 1:58.6 over the 1684 metres.

Captain Crunch is also the sire of the New Zealand 2yo Ukraine which won on debut at Wairio on February 11th in a time of 1:59.1 for the mile.

Lot 11 is being prepared for this weekend’s sale by Robert and Wayne Sullivan and he is located in Barn C33 at the Riverside Complex.

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

By Alan Parker

Last Saturday night at Menangle was Chariots of Fire night and one of the supporting events was the $25,500 Waratah Stakes which was won by the beautifully named A Rocknroll Dance mare Pas De Cheval for trainer Steve Turnbull and driver Amanda Turnbull.

The win in a time of 1:51.2 for the mile lowered the 5yo’s record and raised her career earnings to $153,337 from her 13 wins.

Pas de Cheval is a ballet step that resembles the pawing of a horse and Pas De Cheval the horse has a double dose of dance being by A Rocknroll Dance from the Art Major mare Then We Dance.

Brooklyn Lodge Standardbreds as agent will offer a half-sister to Pas De Cheval as Lot 27 at the 2024 Nutrien Bathurst Yearling Sale on March 24th.

This filly is by former Australian Harness Horse of the Year Tiger Tara from Then We Dance and is a half-sister to three other winners including the 2024 3yo Dancebytheseaside p,3,1:58.1 which won at Newcastle in January.

Then We Dance is a full-sister to 2yo Vicbred Super Series winner Our Femme Fatale p,1:55.3 $210,080 and the pair are out of the winning Armbro Operative mare Aluring p,2,2:02.8 which is a full-sister to 2yo Vicbred Super Series winner Full Pleasure p,2,2:00.8 $106496.

Full Pleasure is the dam of Australian 3yo Filly Pacer of the Year Kept For Pleasure p,1:56.0 $542,343 which is in turn the dam of Australian 3yo Colt/Gelding Pacer of the Year Vincent p,3,1:50.2 $598,803.

Lot 27 in Bathurst is being prepared by Brooklyn Lodge who can be contacted on 0438 683 280 to arrange inspection.

For those who don’t want to wait for Bathurst, Lot 97 in next weekend’s Nutrien Sydney Yearling Sale is a close relative.

Lot 97 in Sydney, being offered by Nixon Bloodstock, is the second foal from the Somebeachsomewhere mare Trinity Dreaming p,1:54.3 which is a half-sister to Then We Dance.

By Bettors Delight Lot 97 next week is a colt and is bred on a cross that has already produced 13 winners in Australasia including Ardens Horizon p,3,1:58.1 $176,840.

Lot 97 in Sydney is being prepared for next weekend’s sale by Craig Judd who can be contacted on 0458 658 273 to arranged for inspection.

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

By Alan Parker

As if her record of seven winners from nine starters wasn’t good enough the Presidential Ball mare Miss Hazel p,1:57.0 $310,063 notched her eighth winner when Little Arty Miss won her first race at Friday’s meeting at Wagga.

Little Arty Miss rated 1:56.6 over the 1740 metres with the final half in 57.3 as she cruised home seven metres clear of runner-up Wot Dya Reckon.

Her final sectional would have been considerably faster than the official race time as Little Arty Miss came from last at the 800 metre mark to score an impressive win for trainer Paul Tonkin and driver Ellen Tormey.

Lot 37 in next week’s Nutrien Sydney Yearling Sale is a Captaintreacherous half-brother to Little Arty Miss and seven other winners including the Group One placed Hazelnuts p,1:52.7 $137,553 and Victorian Country Clubs Championship winner Christian Sloy p,1:53.8 $95,027.

Miss Hazel won both a New South Wales Oaks and final of the Australian Pacing Gold as a 3yo and such is the strength of this pedigree the second dam of Lot 37 had to be pruned back to fit the first two dams on the page.

Miss Hazel is a half-sister to three other $100,000 earners in 2yo and 3yo NSW Breeders Challenge winner Louvre p,3,1:54.5 $402,665, 2yo NSW Sires Stakes winner Renaissance Man p,1:53.1 $297,904 and NSW Treuer Memorial winner My General Lee p,1:52.2 $261,897.

Miss Hazel is also a half-sister to the dams of Benicio p,1:50.2 $303,817, Promiseland p,3,1:53.9 $134,487 and Barrett p,3,1:52.7 $120,107.

Scott Robertson is preparing Lot 37 for the vendors Sloys Company Pty Ltd and Scott can be contacted on 0400 331 386 to arrange a pre-sale inspection but you will need to be quick as the sale is next weekend.

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

By Alan Parker

The 2024 Nutrien Sydney Yearling Sale gets under way at the Riverside Complex at Warwick Farm on Sunday 10th March and vendors are full of anxious anticipation as the day draws near.

On Saturday night at Elwick in Tasmania, site of the 2024 Nutrien Tasmanian Sale a little over five weeks ago, that State’s only Group One race was run and produced a fairytale result when 21yo Ewa Justice steered Modern Bliss to victory in the $150,000 Tasmania Cup for trainer Ash Warton.

Modern Bliss is a 12yo gelding by Modern Art and is only nine years younger than his talented driver. It was a first Group One win for all three – trainer, driver and horse.

Runner-up to Modern Bliss was the Art Major gelding Star Major whose first Group One placing lifted his earnings past the $200,000 threshold to $208,175.

Brooklyn Lodge will offer a full-sister to Star Major as Lot 102 next weekend.

Lot 102 is by Art Major from the 2yo NSW Breeders Challenge winner Vertigal p,1:55.5 $317,380 which also won the NSW Breeders Challenge as a 3yo.

Vertigal is a half-sister to three other $100,000 earners inc Hilly p,1:55.6 $122,901, Comigal p,1:54.7 $114,782 and Heavenly Wisdom p,1:55.2 $132,022.

The cross of Art Major over a Western Terror mare has already produced a dozen winners headed by Star Major and including Galante p,1:52.2 $200,339 and Kasbah Kid p,1:53.1 $185,520.

To inspect Lot 102 or any of the 21 yearlings being prepared for next week’s sale contact Brooklyn Lodge on 0438 683 280.

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

By Alan Parker

The opening race at last Friday’s Wagga meeting was a 2yo race and it was taken out in impressive fashion by the Sweet Lou colt Springfield Amore for trainer/driver Brad Hewitt and owners Boots Properties Racing Pty Ltd.

The colt rated 1:55.4 over the 1740 metres at his debut and sprinted the last half in 57.5 seconds.

Lot 297 in next month’s Nutrien Melbourne Yearling Sale is a half-sister to Springfield Amore being by A Rocknroll Dance from the winning Bettors Delight mare Our Under Cover Art which after Friday’s win now ranks as a winner producer.

Our Under Cover Art is one of three winners produced by her dam Our Art Lover including Our Classical Art p,1:52.5 $141,058 while her grand-dam is the outstanding race-mare and producer Under Cover Lover p,3,1:51.8 $864,923.

Under Cover Lover was awarded both New Zealand 2yo Filly of the Year and New Zealand 3yo Filly of the Year and her six winners since retiring to stud include My Exotic Lover p,2,1:59.5 $110,336 and Grand Cru p,1:55.8 $109,603.

Daughters of Under Cover Lover have already produced the likes of the tough as nails West Australian star Vampiro p,1:52.9 $697,673, Underthesouthernsun p,1:47.8 $291,780 and the West Australian Derby winner Major Trojan p,3,1:54.1 $204,689.

Ian Douglas is both the consignor and preparer of Lot 297 in Melbourne and he can be contacted on 0417 509 633 to arrange to inspect his filly.

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

By Alan Parker

The leading First Season 2yo Sires in North America in 2023 were Captain Crunch (103 foals, 62 starters which earned $1,336,853) and Bettors Wish (39 foals, 25 starters which earned $1,211,481).

Captain Crunch’s first Australasian foals commenced racing in February and he is already the sire of eight Australian 2yo starters and the New Zealand 2yo winner Ukraine which won on February 11th in a time of 1:59.1 for the mile with a last half in 57.6 seconds and final quarter in 26.0 seconds.

There are 12 yearlings by Captain Crunch in the Nutrien Sydney Sale.

Bettors Wish’s first crop are the current batch of yearlings and his first North American crop raced in 2023 and he produced four $100,000 earners including the stakes winning colt Better Is Nice which took a 2yo mark of 1:50.6 and banked $510,120 while his leading filly was another stakes winner in Pulp Fiction p,2,1:52.4 which ended 2023 with earnings of $189,400.

Bettors Wish has six yearlings in the Sydney Sale.

Stay Hungry is another of the sons of Somebeachsomewhere making an impact as sires and he has seven yearlings in the Sydney sale.

His first Australian crop commenced racing in January and he already has star colt Louie Vee p,2,1:55.6 making waves at Gloucester Park.

Louie Vee will start favourite in the $125,000 WA Sales Classic at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

Tall Dark Stranger was USTA and Canadian 2yo Colt Pacer of the Year Tall Dark Stranger and there are nine yearlings by this son of Bettors Delight in the Sydney sale.

Tall Dark Stranger’s first North American foals went under the hammer in the 2023 North American yearling sales were highly sough after.

In the 2023 Lexington Sales there were 60 lots by Tall Dark Stranger on offer and they brought a total of $5,549,000 with three of his lots selling for $300,000 or more.

He had more than 30 lots sell for $50,000 or more and 23 sell for $100,000 plus.

McWicked retired as the world’s richest pacing stallion with career earnings of $5,103,271 and his first Southern Hemisphere foals began racing this month.

He sired his first winner when Wicked Susan, shes not really, won at Newcastle last Friday and there are two yearlings by McWicked in the Sydney sale.

Another stallion represented in the Sydney sale and with his first crop racing as 2yos in 2024 is former star pacer Poster Boy which is now the sire of the 2yo winning filly Delulu which made a winning debut at Pinjarra on 12th February and couldn’t have been any more impressive.

Poster Boy has one yearling in the Sydney sale so purchasers need to stay alert you will only get one chance.

Sons of Somebeachsomewhere are dominating Leading Sires lists all over the place and the largely unheralded Papi Rob Hanover has two yearlings from his first Australian crop in the Sydney Sale.

Papi Rob Hanover set a World Record of 1:47.2 on a five furlong track as a 3yo on his way to earnings of $927,979.

With a record of 1:46.0 Lather Up was a bonafide speed machine on the track and he had his first Australian starter Bjorn Bee Vance which finished fifth at Menangle on February 27th.

Lather Up’s first American crop of 2yos raced in 2023 and from 55 starters there were 29 winners with three $100,000 earners headed by the Ohio Breeders Championship winning filly Rose Run Zoey p,2,1:51.4 $199,430.

There are three yearlings by Lather Up in the 2024 Nutrien Sydney Yearling Sale.

The online catalogue for that sale is available at Nutrien Live – Online Catalogue (nutrienequine.com.au) and it can be sorted in any number of ways including by sire to make it super easy to check out the pedigrees of any or all of the sires mentioned above.

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

By Alan Parker

The Nutrien Sydney Yearling Sale on March 10th provides potential purchasers with a choice of yearlings by 35 different sires and those sires represent the cream of stallions.

For example there are eight yearlings by the super dual-hemisphere sire Bettors Delight and in 2023 he was Leading Sire in Australia, New Zealand and the USA.

His son Akuta was last week named New Zealand’s 4yo Horse and Gelding Pacer of the Year and his daughter Lady Of The Light was named New Zealand’s 4yo Mare Pacer of the Year.

His son Leap To Fame looks set to take out a swag of 2023 Australian Awards when they are eventually announced.

There are eight yearlings by eight time Australian leading sire of 2yos in Art Major.

In 2023 Art Major headed the 2yo Sires List in Australia with 38 individual winners of 83 races and $1,527,936 in stakes with average earnings per starter of $18,863.

He was second only to Bettors Delight on the 2023 All-Age Sires List with 342 winners of 861 races and $9,792,600 and average earnings per starter of $18,653.

Art Major is now the sire of 1937 Australasian winners with 399 (20%) of that figure having $100,000 in earnings to date with six millionaires headed by Miracle Mile winner My Field Marshall with $1,493,182.

There are seven yearlings by last season’s Leading Sire of 3yos in Australia in Sweet Lou.

Sweet Lou was second on the 2023 USTA 2yo Sires List with his 93 foals producing 77 starters that earned $3,433,717. His son Confederate was this week announced as both the USTA 3yo Colt & Gelding Pacer of the Year and the USTA Pacer of the Year.

There are nine yearlings by 2022 and 2021 Australian leading sire of 2yos in Captaintreacherous. He was also the North American Leading Sire of 2yos in 2023 with his 85 starters amassing earnings of $4,184,671.

His unbeaten 3yo daughter Millwood Nike dominated the 2023 New Zealand awards announced last week taking out the 3yo Pacing Filly of the Year, Pacer of the Year and capped it with the Harness Horse of the Year Award which is rare for a 3yo filly. His son Chase A Dream was named New Zealand’ 2023 2yo Pacing Colt & Gelding of the Year.

There are 12 yearlings by Downbytheseaside – the sire of the 2023 New Zealand 2yo Pacing Filly of the Year Coastal Babe. He already has three millionaire pacers in North America headed by the 2023 USTA Aged Pacer of the Year Bythemissal.

There are 14 yearlings by Always B Miki which is now the sire of 263 USA-bred winners with five millionaires headed by the stallion Perfect String p,3,1:48.2 $1,808,147.

Always B Miki is the sire of 173 Australasian bred winners with his 18 $100,000 earners headed by Tricky Miki which in December 2023 joined an elite group of four Western Australian horses to win the Group One Golden Slipper Stakes as a 2yo, the Group One WA Derby as a 3yo and the Group One Golden Nugget as a 4yo.

Always B Miki is also the sire of the WA Oaks winning filly Taking The Miki p,2,1:54.2 $365,318 and in 2023 he sired 103 winners of 262 races and stakes of $2,822,887.

There are 11 yearlings by American Ideal who unfortunately died on January 29th and his passing will leave a void that will be difficult to fill.

American Ideal has rightly earned a reputation as the leading sire of quality Cup winners

In November 2023 the win of Magnificent Storm in the WA Pacing Cup gave American Ideal his fifth WA Pacing Cup win in the past ten years – no other sire has produced more than four WA Pacing Cup wins.

That is not to say that American Ideal is only a sire of Cup horses as he finished third on the Australian 2yo Sires List in 2023 with 35 individual 2yo winners of 65 races and $1,103,742 in stakes.

 Rock N Roll Heaven has been a consistent sire of winners since his first crop began racing in 2015 and he has seven yearlings in the Sydney sale.

Rock N Roll Heaven now has 578 winners in Australasia including 130 $100,000 earners headed by the multiple Group One winner Let It Ride p,1:48.2 $1,029,475.

He continues to sire quality horses as evidenced by the 2023 New Zealand Cup winner Swayzee p,1:52.0 $899,314.

In 2023 Rock N Roll Heaven finished in sixth place on the list of Australia’s Leading Sires with 212 winners of 544 races and $5,896,410 in stakes.

The 76 yearlings representing those eight proven sires listed above account for 47% of the catalogue and then we get on to the new kids on the block.

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

By Alan Parker

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