Introducing Aldebaran Eagle

Australia has arguably the best access in the world to quality trotting bloodstock, and in no small part due to the vision of Aldebaran Park near Nagambie in Victoria’s Goulburn Valley region. Our trotting mare, Aldebaran Maori has a colt at foot by Andover Hall USA, this year she is in foal to one of Aldebaran Park’s own stallions – Aldebaran Eagle USA.

Unlike pacing sire, Always B Miki USA, Aldebaran Eagle is permanently based in Victoria at the stud farm near Nagambie, but that’s not always been the case – his entire racing career took place in North America, though he did trial and win in New Zealand for star trainer Mark Purdon before being retired to stud in Australia. He was bred by Diamond Creek Farm – that’s right, the same farm where Always B Miki is based when he stays in the USA! – and was foaled in March of 2012, then bought at the Harrisburg Yearling Sales in Pennsylavania in November 2013 for $70,000 USD.

As a racehorse Aldebaran Eagle recorded a best time of 1:52.2 when he was just 3YO in a race at The Meadowlands in New Jersey USA – very, very fast for a trotter! He has a full-brother – Walk The Walk – who stands at stud in Sweden (trotting is incredibly popular in Scandinavia) and he has a half sister, Haughty, who won seven times as a 2YO in the USA and in excess of $330,00USD in her early years, and also a half-brother in Talk the Talk, who won 11 times in Europe and in excess of $192,000USD. Aldebaran Eagle's first season as a stud was in 2017. He is notable around the barn as being a very laid-back character and a well-natured and kind stallion - hear you can see him quite happily being rugged up for the night by Aldebaran studmaster, Danny Thackeray:

Care to take a ride with Aldebaran Eagle?

This video is taken using bike-cam, where a camera was mounted on the sulky (cart) of Aldebaran Eagle in a race that he won at The Red Mile in Kentucky in the USA, so you can see the driver, champion Tim Tetrick, and the rest of the field around Aldebaran Eagle as the race pans out. Notice that the driver doesn’t use the whip to make contact with the horse, but to make a noise against the sulky or touch the tail to ask him to run on.

And for a more traditional view of your trotting foal’s sire, you can watch his brilliant win as a 2YO in the International Stallion Stake, also at The Red Mile in Kentucky USA: