Goodtime Lodge manager Ian Slater had a weekend to remember, with the Elliminyt horseman and his family cheering home the winners of five races in two different States.
Evergreen pacer Goodtime Jazzi started the ball rolling when she overcame a torrid passage to win in a new lifetime mark of 1:54.8 at Wagga on Friday afternoon.
A few hours later at Melton, the three-year-old filly Arzali Rockstar, who was bred by Slater’s daughter Courtney, and the four-year-old Goodtime Captain, a half-brother to Goodtime Jazzi and bred, raced and trained by Ian, both saluted the judge.
Then on Saturday night at Melton, the homebred Good Tobe Locksley finished stoutly along the passing lane to post his eighth success and his second at the Victorian headquarters’ track.
To complete a memorable few days for the western district breeder, Goodtime Jazzi backed up to win again at Wagga on Tuesday night.
“They were all bred off our farm. It was unreal. I just hope it keeps going,” Slater said.
Slater first delved into the breeding side of the industry in the early 1990’s.
“I bred my first winner with Little Averil at Terang,” he said.
In the mid 2000’s Ian and his wife Judi established Goodtime Lodge as a professional breeding and racing outfit.
“The first of the Goodtime horses was Goodtime Jasper. He won 13 races including two at Moonee Valley,” Ian said.
The first stallion to stand stud at Goodtime Lodge was the American import Browning Blue Chip.
Over the years Goodtime Lodge has played host to a number of stallions including Artesian, Western Edition, Tiz A Masterpiece, Shadyshark Hanover, Guaranteed, Restrepo, Goodtime Sammy, Cardigan Boko and Yankee Rockstar.
“Probably the best horse I’ve ever bred is Goodtime Sammy. When he won the semi-final of the Australian Pacing Gold at Menangle he broke his pedal bone at the 300 and still won. He never raced again,” Ian said.
“The next best were Idealsomemagic, a winner in Free-for-all company in America and who has earned over $600,000, and Goodtime Marjie, a Listed winner at Melton.”
The Slater’s are currently breeding from around 15 mares.
“I’ve retired from my earthmoving business and I’m just mucking around with the horses,” Ian stated.
“I served on the committee at the Terang Harness Racing Club for 10 years before stepping down after the new stable complex was built.”
- Popular Little River couple Danny and Gill Norris bred, raced and trained a double at Cranbourne on Sunday night with the trotters Desert Royale and Desert Assassin. Both are out of half-sisters
- Twenty two of the runners in the heats of the Nutrien Classic Sales Race Series at Wagga this Friday were bred and reared at Benstud Standardbreds. There are seven in the two-year-old colts and geldings’ heats, three in the two-year-old fillies’ prelude, five in the three-year-old colts and geldings’ heats and seven in the three-year-old fillies’ divisions
- Nonagenerian breeder Helen Head brought out a ‘new’ winner in the four-year-old Helenshope at Shepparton. She is the third winner from as many starters from the broodmare Our Star Dust
