7 trotting & 2 pacing yearlings will be presented by Blanche & Dean Poole of Rhiannon Park at the APTS & APG Autumn Sales on behalf of well know harness racing identity, Michael Taylor.
This is a mighty achievement for a man that has all his mares on agistment, 1000 km’s away from his base North of Sydney. It’s not stretching things to say, his life is Harness Racing and the sport needs more crazy people, just like Michael Taylor.
Michael tells me the trotting yearlings are all from the highest quality dam lines, 5 from his own stallion. He is the managing owner of the fastest trotting stallion standing in the Southern Hemisphere, Great Success, sire of Sparkling Success who staged that never to be forgotten last stride win in last year’s 4yo Vicbred Final at Tabcorp Park Melton.
Michael invested a lot time to find a stallion that he thought really matched his mares and was particularly excited about the prospect of buying Great Success deeming him as an exceptionally good fit for the likes of, Miss Adelade & Solana among others in his broodmare team.
Great Success, until this season was the only bloodline in these parts from sire of sires Self Possessed who has also become one of the world’s great broodmare sires.
Michael is over the moon with the results:
MISS ADELADE – GREAT SUCCESS colt (Lot 26)
Miss Adelade (19 wins) finished 3rd in both the NSW & VIC Oaks from difficult draws and went on to become NSW 3yo Trotter of the Year & later QLD Trotter & Trotting mare of the Year on her way to her $113,838 career earnings. Back in her dam line one spots great NZ trotting mare, Thriller Dee, former NZ 3yo Trotter of the Year. This is her 2nd foal. She has already produced last season’s NSW Breeders Challenge 2yo winner, Empire Bay. ‘This colt looks a real strong type and is a quick learner likes his mother. There’s a lot of Miss Adelade in this colt and I’m confident he’ll do really well’.
He is also rapt in his Solana – Great Success filly with prominent trotting people already declaring her ‘a cracker’. Michael commented, ‘She’ll be hard to part with & won’t be going cheap but they are all for sale’. Solana (4 wins, $30,234) was a 2yo Harness Jewels Finalist and is a ¾ sister to former NZ 2 & 3yo Trotter of the Year, Sovereignty ($780,386). This is one of NZ’s most highly esteemed trotting families which also includes close relative, Locofofo, a former 3yo Breeders Crown champion.
Her one living foal of racing age, Sun Valley Road, strung together 3 consecutive wins on his way to last year’s 3yo Breeders Crown Final. He also made the 3yo Vicbred Final & the 2yo Breeders Crown Final the season prior. ‘We have given him a long spell and he has come back better than ever. We’re looking forward to him trialling in the coming weeks.’
SOLANA – GREAT SUCCESS filly (Lot 41)
Other exciting yearlings in Michael’s squad are from dams:
Star Of Jordaine (11 wins, $67,658), a half-sister to the great NZ mare, Pure Adrenalin ($341,762). Michael expects strong interest in her colt by Majestic Son. ‘We’ve had very positive reports from all who’ve seen him’.
The family boasts 6 high stake winning relatives close up in her pedigree: Adrenalin Junkie ($92,137), Positively Dangerous ($122,071), Goldstar lnvasion ($190,880), Goldstarlook ($88,585), Im De Jazzman ($154,862) & Wild Isis ($67,537).
$100,000 plus winners continue down the dam line.
STAR OF JORDAINE – MAJESTIC SON colt (Lot 43)
Michael is also impressed with his ‘bonus buy’ filly from his Sundon mare, Poignant by Imperial Count. ‘She’s a big strong filly but also athletic. She’ll certainly be noticed in the sales ring. I bought the dam empty & it turned out she was in foal’.
Poignant is a half-sister to Posimistic ($135,758) from well performed mare, Be Positive, half-sister to Thunder Thighs, dam of Gluteus Maximus ($104,855). She is the dam of recent Maree Caldow winner, Angustine, who sold for $30,000 at the 2015 APTS.
POIGNANT – IMPERIAL COUNT filly (Lot 36)
He rounds out his trotting team with 3 more yearlings by Great Success:
A colt (Lot 7) from NZ 2yo Harness Jewels runner up, Gladys Emanuel (12 wins, $78,049) who was also an unlucky 3rd in the NZ Trotting Oaks after suffering a punctured tyre with half a lap to go.
‘Gladys had electrifying speed but her career was hampered by a suspensory problem. She did amazingly well to come back & still win a heat of the Darrell Alexander Memorial .’
A filly (Lot 47) from Dream Vacation mare, Susuwe (5 wins, $15,791), who is closely related to the mighty Sundon from a family that includes stars well known to Australian trotting enthusiasts:
VIC Oaks winners Sunning & Solar Fire. Solar Fire also won both the VIC & NSW Trotting Derbies. The family also includes stars like King Denny ($259,104) & Sheemon ($544,919.)
A filly from Brite N Lucky (7 wins, $35,700) whose dam, Speed N Luck has been something of a broodmare gem. With 11 winners from 15 foals including Brite Speed ($117,064), Challenge Opawa ($72,192), Speedy Earl ($72,099), Down Hill Racer ($61,506) & Opana Speed ($48,223). ‘She’s drawn 4 lots before the end of the sale which is not the greatest place to be but buyers should keep an eye out for her as she may just be the bargain of the sale. Her dam had loads of speed!’.
Michael then has the only 2 lots in the APG Autumn Sales by Mr Feelgood who is enjoying a great start to the current 2yo season, he was strong in his view that ‘People make the mistake of thinking I’ve gone to Mr Feelgood because he was affordable.
That’s certainly not the case with me. I think he’ll make a wonderful sire & I actually bought my Safely Kept mare, Miss Ceejay specifically to go to him.
She’s a text book match for Mr Feelgood. Blanche tells me a leading trainer went up to check out the trotting yearlings recently and was rather taken with Miss Ceejay’s filly. This trainer is a very good judge!’
MISS CEEJAY – MR FEELGOOD filly (Lot 610)
Even before the Mr Feelgood offer was announced, Michael had already selected him as the stallion he thought was the perfect pedigree match to cover his Four Starzzz Shark mare, Tiabamba.
Michael went on to say, ‘When I was contemplating retiring her I started checking out potential stallions & Mr Feelgood lept off the page at me. It’s an awesome pedigree match and it’s extremely satisfying when you trust your gut and end up with a result like this. I’m rapt in Tiabamba’s colt! He looks a real running type.’
Let’s hope Michael is right and who knows, he just could be the winner of the $50,000 APG Autumn race next year.
TIABAMBA – MR FEELGOOD colt (Lot 630)
With foal numbers always under the spot light, let’s hope breeders like Michael enjoy some well-deserved good results this Sunday.
The industry needs (these crazy) breeders just like him to continue to support Harness Racing and bring yearlings of real quality, and a variety of well selected stallions must be the way forward.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
Driving The Future Of Harness Racing
