11 January 2024 | APGold
The Australian Pacing Gold sale at Magic Millions, Gold Coast on Sunday, January 28 features the progeny of 33 individual stallions including three exciting first season sires.
The trio of newcomers are the 2019 USA 2YO of the Year and 2020 3YO Colt of the Year and Horse of the Year Tall Dark Stranger (1:47.2), the wickedly fast Captaintreacherous import Capt Midnight (1:48.6) and the outstanding colonial bred Ride High (1:49).
A $330,000 yearling, Tall Dark Stranger won 19 of his 22 lifetime starts and $2.3million including the Metro Pace, Breeders Crown and International Stallion Stakes at two and the Meadowlands Pace, North America Cup and the Cane Pace at three.
The Bettor’s Delight horse, whose initial American crop are rising two-year-olds, had 85 head sell at last year’s sales and they averaged a hefty $80,683 with 27 selling for $100,000 or more.
Tall Dark Stranger will be represented by two colts at the Gold Coast and both are the first foals of their dams.
Lot 15 is out of the Rocknroll Hanover mare Chevron’s Reward NZ (1:51.1), a winner of 19 races and $152,649 including the Newcastle Oaks and Queen of the Creek and a half-sister to the SA Derby winner C C Chevron. He belongs to the same family as the USA Hall of Fame Immortal Jate Lobell.
The second colt, Lot 72, is from the prolific Menangle winner Reaza Grunter 1:50.8 ($110,047), a Christian Cullen half-sister to the talented racemare Sister Cherie, a winner of four of her five starts in WA. He’s from the same tribe as the NZ 2YO Filly of the Year Seaswift Franco, Our Jimmy Johnstone ($802,399) and the top Queensland pacer Majestic Major.
Capt Midnight, a $350,000 yearling, was clearly the dominant two-year-old in North America in the first half of the 2019 season with his list of successes including the Dream Maker Series, Champlain Stakes and Nassagaweya Stakes.
In all, he won eight races and was seven times placed from 25 starts for $551,567.
Capt Midnight has two colts and a filly entered for the Gold Coast sale.
The first of the two colts is Lot 30, a half-brother to the dual Group placegetter Karloo Threeothree and the Breeders Crown heat winner Big Lucy and from the top American family founded by the 2YO Filly of the Year Hazel Hanover.
The second colt, Lot 36, is a three-quarter brother to the Menangle winner Spirit King and is closely related to the great Lazarus, Stars And Stripes, Light And Sound and so on.
The Capt Midnight filly, listed at Lot 12, is the first foal of the NSW Ladyship Mile placegetter Bridget Blue Chip 1:51.4 ($177,946) and a member of the same family as Christian Cullen and Kate’s First.
Ride High, a son of Art Major from the prolific Larrakeyah Lady tribe, won 16 of his 18 starts and $289,427 in a brilliant career cut short by injury. Among his victories were the Breeders Crown at three, the Victorian 4&5YO Championship and the Shire of Melton Sprint.
His single entry at Magic Millions is Lot 31, a bay filly from the unraced Gleniss Mama NZ, a half-sister to four sub 2:00 performers including the WA Oaks winner Our Major Mama 1:55.6 and the NZ Kurow Cup winner Bite The Bullet
The filly’s grand-dam, Pistol Packing Mama, ranks as a half-sister to Cash N Flow 1:49 ($694,235), the winner of a record 28 races at Menangle, and the outstanding NZ filly Katy Perry 1:51.1 ($550,093).
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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