In a coup for the Australian breeding industry, Maharajah and Calgary Games, two of the greatest trotters ever produced in Sweden, will be available to breeders via frozen semen this season.
The deal has been clinched by the Nagambie (Vic.) based nursery Aldebaran Park with the giant Swedish conglomerate Menhammar Stuteri, who are standing the celebrated duo at stud.
“Aldebaran Park is excited to announce the availability of two of the greatest Swedish stallions to stand Europe in Maharajah and Calgary Games, who is now also available in USA,” Aldebaran Park principal Duncan McPherson OAM said.
“In collaboration with Menhammar Stuteri over a number of years we have together achieved the first ever import of frozen semen from Sweden to Australia.
“This represents a unique opportunity for breeders in the 2025 season to access the world’s best genetics and continue our efforts to ensure the trotting breed here in Australia is globally relevant into the future.”
Maharajah, a son of the Italian-bred star Viking Kronos, won 31 of his 59 starts including eight Group 1’s and four Group 3’s and $3.8 million in stakes.
Among his successes were the European and Swedish Derbies, the Grand Prix d’Amerique, the Grand Prix de Belgique, the Olympic Trot and the Swedish Travkriterium.
At stud, Maharajah has enjoyed spectacular success ever since his first crop raced in 2013. Last season he topped the Swedish sires’ list for the sixth consecutive year and set a new benchmark for progeny earnings in a single season with a record $8.4 million.
He is again the leading sire this year by a wide margin with $7.7 million.
Maharajah was also the leading sire in 2024 in Italy for the second consecutive year after Varenne won the title 13 times in a row, and climbed to the top in Norway and Finland.
He has sired no less than 10 millionaires and the winners of a multitude of open age features and major age classics throughout Europe.
Acclaimed as the “best trotter ever bred in Sweden”, Calgary Games was undefeated in 10 appearances in his homeland as a three and four-year-old.
Unbeaten in three starts at three, Calgary Games took his career to a whole new level at four, winning his only six appearances and he was subsequently voted the 2021 Swedish Horse of the Year and 4YO of the Year.
He put an exclamation mark on his career when he captured the $800,000 Swedish Derby at Jagersro, covering the 2640 metres in a 1:55.2 rate – a new world record for a four-year-old trotter on a five-eighths track.
One month later, Calgary Games defeated the top four-year-olds in Europe in the Group 1 $400,000 European Trotting Derby at the Aby track in Sweden.
The total margin of victory in his 10 winning appearances was an incredible 51 lengths!
One of the first crop of the dual Swedish Horse of the Year and sensational sire Readly Express, Calgary Games is out of the dual Swedish Breeders Crown winner Olympia Tilly and is a close relative of Victory Tilly, Sweden’s richest trotter of all-time with a bankroll of $6 million and a world champion and twice European Grand Circuit Champion.
Calgary Games served 33 mares in North America in 2022 and left 24 foals, of which 18 have started and nine are winners with six in 2:00.
He has served full books in his first three seasons at Menhammar Stuteri.
The service fees for Maharajah and Calgary Games are $25,000 plus GST.
Their progeny will be eligible for the Vicbred and NZ Sires Stakes series.
The frozen semen of Dancinginthedark M, who stood his first three seasons at Aldebaran Park and has since returned to Sweden, and Aldebaran Eagle, the sire of the outstanding fillies Rockinwithattitude and Gatesy’s Gam, can also be accessed through Aldebaran Park.
Dancinginthedark M and established sire Skyvalley’s semen are available in Australia only, while Aldebaran Eagle is available in NZ only and exciting newcomer Aldebaran Zeus can be accessed in both countries.
- Lochinvar Art, the A. G. Hunter Cup and Victoria Cup winner, was credited with his first winner when the two-year-old filly Atworthy Rocker saluted at Leeton recently.
- A pair of greys in Trottersmakemegrey and the pacer Indi Party Mood, both by Soho Tribeca from the same maternal family, finished first and fourth at Cranbourne on Sunday. They were both bred by Laurel Miles and her late husband Marty.
- The three-year-old Jet To Heaven, who posted his first success at the Bendigo midweek meeting, was bred by former Harness Breeders Victoria and Bendigo HRC president Dr Tony Britt and his wife Helen Sweeney.
