Boosted Numbers for Emerging Sires at National Standardbred Yearling Sale
9 February 2021
Increased offerings from the emerging stars of the standardbred breeding world are set to provide more opportunities for buyers at NZB Standardbred’s 2021 National Yearling Sale in Auckland and Christchurch.
Captaintreacherous, Always B Miki and Father Patrick will each be represented by their largest drafts of yearlings in New Zealand to date.
Both Captaintreacherous and Father Patrick have made excellent starts to their Southern Hemisphere siring careers, with their stock already in hot demand in the Northern Hemisphere.
Always B Miki is set to make his mark as a sire with his first crop of Australasian two-year-olds debuting this season. Their North American counterparts skyrocketed the sires breeding career after a brilliant start in their recently completed rookie season.
Rare Gem Captaintreacherous
Buyers are for choice after a big boost in yearling numbers by exciting sire Captaintreacherous at the NZB Standardbred’s 2021 National Yearling Sale.
With only a small crop of New Zealand foals, just 16 of the star North American sires stock were sold the NZB Standardbred’s 2020 National Yearling Sale.
This year the number of Captaintreacherous yearlings has almost doubled to 31 with four offered at Karaka and a further 27 set to go under the hammer in Christchurch.
As the leading sire of three-year-old prizemoney earners in North America last season and second only to his champion sire the late Somebeachsomewhere in two-year-old stakes earnings, Captaintreacherous is the pacing world’s emerging siring star.
The $US3,000,000 earning former racehorse is making his mark on Australasian racetracks represented by his Group One winners, NZB Standardbred graduate It’s All About Faith (NZ), as well as Treachery and Tough Tilly.
Buyers sent a clear message that the sires yearlings were in hot demand, after Captaintreacherous’ 16 lots sold for an average price of $62,469 at the 2020 NZB Standardbred National Yearling Sales, highlighted by Master Stride (NZ) who was purchased for $250,000 and Montana DJ (NZ) a $175,000 purchase.
Word Record Holder Always B Miki
World record holder Always B Miki will also be represented by his biggest offering of yearlings to-date at NZB Standardbred’s 2021 National Yearling Sale.
His progeny have had just one opportunity on racetracks around the world in the recently completed 2020 North American season.
They hit the track running, winning feature races across the United States, which saw Always B Miki start his career as a racetrack sire in brilliant style producing the USA’s Champion Two-Year-Old Male Pacer in the unbeaten Perfect Sting.
The freshman sire finished third to titan stallions Somebeachsomewhere and Captaintreacherous in both total and average earnings for two-year-old pacers in his progeny’s outstanding first season on the track.
Anticipation is growing throughout Australasia ahead of his two-year-olds appearing on racetracks in the Southern Hemisphere this season.
That is set to see Always B Miki’s yearlings highly sought after at this year’s National Standardbred Yearling Sale, with eight yearlings on offer in Auckland and a further 15 in Christchurch.
Trotting's Titan Father Patrick
Just thirteen yearlings by trotting stallion Father Patrick have passed through the NZB Standardbred National Yearling Sale ring in the past two years.
Ahead of this year’s sale, the US$2,500,000 earner has now produced the last two champion Three-Year-Old Male Trotter of the Year winners in the United States in Amigo Volo and Greenshoe.
Father Patrick has been a massive hit at North American yearling sales and his son, a brother to Greenshoe, became the first-ever yearling to sell for US$1,000,000 or more.
Father Patrick’s progeny made their debut on Australasian racetracks last season and created an immediate impact.
His small initial crop produced Australian Group One winner Sangreal as well as smart New Zealand performers Son Of Patrick (NZ), La Reina Del Sur (NZ), Have No Fear (NZ), Desbois (NZ) and Mufasa Metro (NZ).
A total offering of 18 yearlings is set to be highly sought after at the 2021 NZB Standardbred National Yearling Sales, with six offered at Karaka with a further 12 catalogued to sell at Christchurch.
Bettor's Delight King of the Ring
Bettor’s Delight, the undisputed king of the standardbred-siring world, is set to be in hotter demand than ever as he enters the twilight of his breeding career.
A dominant force in sales rings and on racetracks through his champion progeny, the sire needs no introduction to prospective buyers.
Bettor’s Delight has sired served smaller books of years in recent breeding seasons, resulting
in the most select collection of 26 yearlings being offered in Auckland and 32 more going through the sales ring in Christchurch.
Progeny by the super sire still enjoy unrivalled success in Open Class and Age Group races throughout Australasia.
The results from last season’s New Zealand Harness Racing Awards demonstrate exactly that.
Bettor’s Delight again produced another high class of age-group champions including Champion Two-Year-Old Pacing Colt or Gelding Krug (NZ) , Champion Three-Year-Old Pacing Filly Amazing Dream (NZ), Four-Year-Old Pacing Mare Belle Of Montana (NZ), Co-Champion Three-Year-Old Colt or Gelding One Change (NZ), Champion Four-Year-Old Pacing Colt or Gelding Ultimate Sniper (NZ), Champion Five-Year-Old & Older Pacing Mare Bettor’s Heart (NZ).
Ultimate Sniper’s New Zealand Horse of the Year title capped an incredible year for Bettor’s Delight who has added more Stallion of the Year titles in both New Zealand and Australia to his glittering resume.
Group One wins by Self Assured (NZ), Spankem (NZ), Amazing Dream and Bettor Twist (NZ) have the star sire well on the way to dominating Australasia’s siring ranks again at the end of the current season.
Depth to Sale Stallion Ranks
More of Australasia’s leading sires add to the incredible depth of NZB Standardbred’s National Yearling Sale catalogue.
Perennial high achiever Art Major, the sire of current stars Beyond Words (NZ), Princess Tiffany (NZ) and Ride High, will be represented by another quality line up with 19 yearlings in Auckland and 52 in Christchurch.
Sweet Lou, the sire of the $200,000 Harness Million Listed 3YO Colts & Geldings Pace (2200m) (Series 1) winner Aladdin (NZ), Spirit Of St Louis (NZ) and Fabrizio (NZ) will also be back with another exciting crop of yearlings, with 28 up for grabs in Auckland and a further 41 in Christchurch.
American Ideal, the sire of leading three-year-old colt American Dealer (NZ) and leading three-year-old filly Enjoy Me (NZ), both Group One winners, also has a strong draft next to his name in the sales catalogue. There are two yearlings on offer in Auckland and seven for sale in Christchurch.
The dominant forces of trotting sires will also to be to the fore a the 2021 NZB Standardbred National Yearling Sale.
USA’s leading stakes-earning trotting sire Muscle Mass will offer just one yearling in Auckland and four in Christchurch, while Australia and New Zealand’s leading stakes-earning trotting sire Majestic Son has a quality line up of five yearlings at Karaka and seven based at Canterbury Agricultural Park.
Buyers are encouraged to visit standardbred.bidonline.nzb.co.nz to register and verify their accounts 24 hours prior to the Sale, which begins at 12PM (NZT) on Sunday 14 February at Karaka.
2021 National Standardbred Yearling Sale Calendar
- Auckland Parade at Karaka: Saturday 13 February 2021, 1PM (NZT)
- Auckland Sale of Pacers & Trotters: Sunday 14 February 2021, 12PM (NZT)
- Christchurch Parade & Sale of Trotters: Monday 15 February 2021, 1PM (NZT)
- Christchurch Sale of Pacers: Tuesday 16 & Wednesday 17 February 2021, 1PM (NZT)
All broadcast live on Freeview channel 200, on nzbstandardbred.co.nz and NZB Standardbred’s facebook page.