The second 2020 Australian Pacing Gold sale will be held at the Inglis complex, Oaklands Junction, Melbourne on Sunday 2 February 2020 commencing at 10am (yearling parade from 6pm Friday 31 January 2020). This sale is being held the day after the 2020 Del – Re National AG Hunter Cup (A$500,000), run at TABCorp Park (Victoria), Melton, Saturday 1 February 2020, part of the APG Grand Circuit for pacers. The Melbourne sale consists of both pacing and trotting sections (APTS), an evening session following the pacers sale – this particular preview deals solely with the pacing yearlings – a further article will look specifically at the trotter’s sale in Melbourne.
The Melbourne, Victoria sale (200 lots) represents the second Australasian sale at which Always B Miki’s Southern Hemisphere yearlings will be sold. As outlined in fuller detail in the article on the Brisbane APG sale (refer harnessbred.com article of 13 January 2020), Always B Miki (2011 Always A Virgin/Artstopper) :
- winner of thirty of fifty three race starts for stake earnings of US$2,715,368
- winner on four occasions in better than 1:47.0
- winner of fifteen group races; seven at Group One level – Tattersalls Pace -3, Open Paces at four and five : Breeders Crown (twice, back to back), Allerage Farm, William R Haughton Memorial, TVG (Sam McKee), Ben Franklin. Seconds in elimination and final of Meadowlands Pace (Hes Watching) and to Wiggle It Jiggleit in Canadian Pacing Derby and Dan Patch Invitational
- set best times of 1:53.1US (two), 1:47.4US (three), pacers mile/race mile world record of 1:46.0US (five) at The Red Mile, Lexington
- in 2016 aged five set Canadian record of 1:47.1 (Mohawk), world record for five year old pacer on 5/8ths track of 1:47.0US (Pocono Downs), world record for 9 furlongs of 2:01.1US (1:47.6 mile rate) and world record for one mile of 1:46.0US at the Red Mile
- in 2016 awarded USA Dan Patch 4yo+ H&G Pacer, Pacer, Fastest Pacer and Harness Horse of Year
recently announced that Always B Miki will be inducted into the USA Harness Racing Living Horse Hall of Fame in July 2020
Always B Miki bred by Roll The Dice Stable, Wilmington, Delaware, represents the Western Ideal/Western Hanover/Meadow Skipper paternal line being out of an unraced Artsplace mare Artstopper, 2016 USA Broodmare (Pacer) of Year, dam of two sub 1:50.0 pacers, both millionaires – Always B Miki and Yagonnakissmeornot. Both his grand dam Ain’t No Stopn Me (Big Towner/Suave Almahurst) and third dam Suave Almahurst (Bret Hanover/Savilla Song) are well proven and very successful broodmares.
His maternal family is that of AB (U14) whose major Australasian credits are trotters Sheezadoosie (twice NZ Broodmare of Year), dam of champion I Can Doosit plus NSW pacer Shannonsablast. Always B Miki is notable for the total absence of Cam Fella and Direct Scooter in his pedigree making him an excellent outcross for many possible sire lines.
Always B Miki’s Melbourne yearlings total sixteen, split evenly between colts and fillies. They include :
- a colt (lot 135) and a filly (lot 173) from family of Lady Antrim (N31) represent this family among Always B Miki progeny at the APG Sales
- a filly (lot 71) out of speedy sub 1:50 Elsu mare Arms Of An Angel, 1:49.5, $221,866. This is the NZ family of Wild Ivy (N46) – Franco Ledger, Ohoka Arizona, Late Bid most recently and good mare Lancia back in 1970’s
- a filly (lot 63) from outstanding Bettors Delight mare Aussie Made Lombo, 1:55.1, $578,456, Bathurst Gold Tiara and Bracelet, WA Empress Stakes; dam of Soho Interceptor, 1:55.9, $170,461, WA Sales/Westbred Classics – 2f. This is the Australian family of Alice H (A65) notable for millionaire Tailamade Lombo (grand dam of this filly) and Trunkey String
- a colt (lot 145) from Christian Cullen (brings Direct Scooter blood of which Always B Miki has none) mare Jazzam (U302), 1:53.6, $231,415, dam of six live foals, two race winners including Rocknroll Pearl, 1:52.8, $77,860. This is the US family of Fanny Fern, recent stars include Let It Ride, Yayas Hot Spot, Major Secret
- broodmare sires with a number of Always B Miki foals in Melbourne are Bettors Delight (three) and Art Major (three). Whilst both represent appropriate breeding crosses, with the number of Bettors Delight (brings Cam Fella blood of which Always B Miki has none) and Art Major mares (brings additional Big Towner presence on maternal side) available, it is hardly surprising they are represented by a good selection of Always B Miki foals
The final Always B Miki yearling foals to sell at the 2020 APG Sales go under the hammer at Perth (7) and Sydney (10 includes a filly, lot 576 whose grand dam is Self Denial, VSS/APG/Breeders Crown – 2f, NSW Oaks) in early March.
NZ representation at the Melbourne sale is guaranteed based on a number of NZ mares (dams/grand dams and further back) in many yearlings pedigree, success of previous year’s sales purchases, APG Sales series qualification for purchases made and the very attractive programme scheduled for Melton the evening before the sales (Hunter Cup, Dullard Cup for trotters, Pure Steel, Rising Stars Pace Final).
Another new stallion of interest with just the one yearling (lot 130) catalogued with APG this year appears at the Melbourne sale and that is Guaranteed, the superbly bred son of Artsplace and outstanding mare Jadah Rose, 1:49.3US (Totally Ruthless/Karamea Toastime by Armbro Aussie). Guaranteed is the fastest and richest son of Artsplace in Australasia out of Australia’s second fastest ever mare (Tell Me Tales 1:49.3AUS fastest). Guaranteed’s paternal line represents the Electioneer line through Adios and Artsplace’s sire Abercrombie. His maternal side forms part of the family of Esther (U11 – Volomite, Speedy Scot, Pershing, Jaguar Spur, Goalie Jeff, McArdle, Revenue, Giant Diablo, Vivid Photo, Jilliby Kung Fu etc).
Dam Jadah Rose won on thirty one occasions (twenty eight Australia : 13 Moonee Valley, 1 Globe Derby; three in North America) from fifty three starts, pacing 1:58.2AUS, 1:49.3US, $465,424 and winning VSS – 2f and 3f, SA Oaks (third Australian, fourth Victoria Oaks) at Group One level; awarded four year pacing mare of year. From seven live foals, Jadah Rose has produced five race winners from five to have raced, four in two minutes, two $100k earners – most notable being Guaranteed and Jadahson (twenty six wins, 1:53.9, $277,390).
Guaranteed, 1:55.8 at two and three, 1:50.4 (4yo, Menangle), $856,316, the winner of twenty four races from forty six starts together with twelve placings, racing from age two to seven years. These included twelve Group wins, four at Group One level : VSS 2c and 3c, Chariots of Fire (1:50.4), SA Cup plus eight Group Two/Three successes. Placed second in Victoria Derby, VSS – 4, Coca Cola Amatil with a third in Miracle Mile and fourth in Victoria Cup, all having Group One status. His first crop of foals now yearlings consist of twenty six registered foals (fifteen colts).
In the Melbourne sale, he has a solitary filly foal (lot 130) out of Browning Blue Chip (Cam Fella line) mare Goodtime Ruby, she from race winning What’s Next mare Next Strike, dam of four winners including ten race winner Goodtime Marjie, 1:54.4AUS. This filly is a further representative of the New Zealand family of Lady Antrim (N31) responsible for current standout Spankem as well as previously Armalight and her dam Ar Miss, plus more recently Good Looking Girl, Excel Stride, Ohoka Punter, Majestic Mach, Colt Thirty One and the first sub 1:50 three year old in Australasia in Muscle Factory (1:49.6). This filly is from a very nice family with deep NZ roots back to Lady Antrim through Browngate Girl, Trixie Milne and Lady Milne.
Peter Craig
20 January 2020
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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