January/February 2012 Update
Summer racing
We have witnessed some great racing over December and January. On December 2 we saw the running of the Harness Breeders (Vic.) Tailamade Lombo and once again the champion mare Make Mine Cullen proved too good in a stirring finish to hold out Pacific Playgirl in a 1:55.2 mile rate.
On December 17 the Group 1 Australian Trotting Grand Prix was won in fine style by I Didnt Do It and on the same night the Group 1 Victoria Cup was run and won by Smoken Up in 1:53.4. What a champion racehorse he has been for trainer-driver Lance Justice and connections; the son of Tinted Cloud has now amassed over $2.8million in winnings.
On December 23 the Harness Breeders (Vic.) Gold Chalice for three-year-old fillies was run and the Art Major filly Louvre proved too good. Louvre was bred and is raced by our members Sloys Company Pty Ltd.
On January 28 we saw the running of the Group 1 Ballarat Cup and the long awaited clash between the up-and-coming Sushi Sushi and the champion Smoken Up. However, once again it was the Kiwis that were the party poopers with the despised 100 to 1 shot Highview Tommy prevailing by a short half head over a gallant Sushi Sushi with Smoken Up third.
On February 3 we witnessed one of the great nights of the Harness Racing calendar with three Group 1’s being contested. The Inter Dominion Trotting Championship Grand Final of $250,000 was won by the Muscles Yankee gelding I Can Doosit for trainer-driver Mark Purdon. New Zealand bred trotters dominated the series and in the final the first five horses over the line were all Kiwis.
The Alabar Victoria Derby of $200,000 was taken out by the Live Or Die colt Scandalman, who led all the way in an impressive 1:57.5 mile rate. The big race of the night was the $425,000 A. G. Hunter Cup and once again the Kiwis took home the cash with the five-year-old Courage Under Fire gelding Choise Achiever squeezing through for Tim and Anthony Butt to edge out Auckland Reactor on the line. The first six horses over the line were New Zealand bred. On the same night we also witnessed Smoken Up smash the Melton track record for 1720 metres when he stopped the clock at 1:51.1; what an unbelievable time!
Yearling sales
In Victoria we have also now had our major yearling sales with the Davidson Cameron & Co Victorian Premier Sale being held at Shepparton on January 22.
The catalogue for this sale was probably the best selection of yearlings put together by this company for many years however, the sale results were disappointing as demand was sluggish at best. The sale toppers were an Art Major colt out of Island Dreamer which fetched $20,300 and a Four Starzzz Shark colt out of Savannah Lombo which made $18,250.
So it was with baited breath we awaited the APG Melbourne sales which were held on February 3 and 5. The APG Premium sale was first up on February 3 with 43 yearlings going through the ring and 33 actually being sold at an average price of $36,030 which is an increase of 20 percent over last year.
This sale produced a good result with some spirited bidding, the highlights being $95,000 being paid by Mark Purdon for the Art Major colt out of Mesmerizing, $90,000 for the Somebeachsomewhere colt out of Full Pleasure, $70,000 for the Rocknroll Hanover colt out of Aston Villa and $65,000 for the Art Major colt out of All Eyes On Me. The highest priced fillies were a Bettors Delight filly out of Listen To The Rhythm which sold for $47,500 and a Bettors Delight filly out of Innocent Eyes which fetched $35,000.
After the dust had settled I think this sale performed better than expected with strength in the middle and top end yearlings.
The Sunday APG sale was held on February 5 and the figures tell the tale. A total of 203 yearlings went through the ring with 138 being sold, 65 yearlings were bought back and the sale average was $11,964 -- down 11.2 percent on the previous year.
It was a disappointing result with many breeders left wondering why they bother to breed yearlings when they are offered less than their breeding costs at sale time. A number of vendors approached me voicing their concerns over the future APG sales and the sale structure. I think some serious thought must go into the structure of future sales.
The highlights of the Sunday sale were a Bettors Delight colt out of Heartbreak Hotel fetching $37,000, a Major In Art filly out of Leica Dancer sold for $35,000 and a Real Desire colt out of Luvin Success was knocked down for $31,000.
Over the three yearling sales I have noted that the prices for fillies have been again very disappointing despite the added racing and bonus win opportunities now available to fillies.
New website
Harness Breeders (Vic.) new website is proving a hit with many people visiting the site from around the world.
The site can be accessed on www. vicharnessbreeders.org.au and for any Membership enquiries contact The Secretary, P. O. Box 211, Fitzroy, Vic. 3065 or email to iankitchin@bigpond.com
