After 35 years working in the banking sector, Melbourne breeder-owner Graeme Riley had no qualms about finding a suitable hobby when he retired in 2009.
“I had raced a few horses while I was still working, but when I retired it was always breeding that was going to be my hobby,” Riley said.
Riley has been one of the mainstays of the John Justice stable since the decorated former Adelaide horseman moved to Victoria in 1994.
Among his best performers have been the cups-winning trotter Hatchback and the smart pacers Black Dundee, Luv Tha Aces Lombo, Run Riley Run, Bonriki, Shakti Bromac and Long Weekend.
“John and I then started breeding together. We had plenty of winners from the ones we bred, but none were standouts,” Graeme stated. “Blake Bolac, who won the Tontine, was probably the best.
“About six years ago I decided to just stick with the trotters and breed them by myself.”
Riley’s first foray as a sole breeder was with the trotting broodmares Our Sunny Rose and Fiery Mountain Girl, which he bought from the Australian Pacing Gold online mixed sale in 2019.
“I liked that Our Sunny Rose was by Muscles Yankee. She was in foal to Pegasus Spur and was from a great New Zealand family. She was unraced, but her mother won the Rowe Cup,” Graeme said.
Fiery Mountain Girl’s 11 successes included the NSW Trotters Derby and the NSW Foundation 3YO Trot.
“She was in foal to Love You. But the foal was born prematurely and died, so I switched the service to Our Sunny Rose and the resultant foal is Muskee.”
Trained by Justice, Muskee has notched up eight wins to date, including four at Melton, and was placed in last year’s Group 1 Need For Speed Prince series.
Our Sunny Rose’s third foal is the talented three-year-old Timmy Whiz, the impressive winner of the IRT Graduation Series Trot Final at Melton last Friday night.
“I’ve been so happy with Muskee and Timmy Whiz. They are both going really well,” Riley said.
“I’ve got a nice King Of The North yearling colt out of Our Sunny Rose with Anton Golino in Sydney. He’s been broken in and Anton’s pretty happy with him. He’s spelling at the moment.
“Our Sunny Rose is due to have an early foal to Tactical Approach.”
Riley gave Fiery Mountain Girl away to Sunraysia breeder-studmaster Robert Talent about 12 months ago.
“She’s now in foal to a non-Standardbred stallion,” he said.
“I sold her first foal, Voltain, to Queensland and she’s now earned over $80,000. Her second foal, Please Layla, is a winner, and she has a two-year-old filly by Majestic Son and a yearling filly by Classic Connection.”
- Australian Pacing Gold has received more than 80 entries for the Online Winter Mixed sale. Bidding opens on Sunday, August 16 at 12 noon and closes on Monday, August 17 at 5pm
- The four-year-old Fairplay, a convincing end-to-end winner at Melton last Saturday, is the 11th foal and 10th winner of the Artiscape mare Illustrator, owned by Bruce and Vicki Edward of Durham Park Standardbreds
- Talisker Skipper, who scored at Melton on Friday, was bred and is part-owned by long-time industry participants Peter and Kathleen Ward
