The Grinfromeartoear broodmare Kateeshar pulled off a rare feat for Melbourne breeder Kevin Clark, producing three winners in the space of 48 hours including a double at Melton last Saturday night.

Shaq, who was bred and is raced by Kevin and trained by good mate John Tormey, opened the batting for his dam, winning at Kilmore and sending his stake earnings over the $100,000 plateau.

A horse out of a mare who was given away with a free service is proving one of the emerging success stories of the Vicbred scheme.

The top three breeders in Victoria last season and who are all nominees for the Woodlands Stud Victorian Breeder of the Year Award – Pat Driscoll, Anne and Bill Anderson and Bruce and Vicki Edward – produced Vicbred winners of $5,434,873 between them.

Promising pacer Ooh Ah Listah’s fighting win in a heat of the VHRC Country Clubs Championship at Maryborough on Easter Monday brought back memories for a prominent veterinarian and two of Victoria’s best-known harness racing families.

The ranks of Victorian sires were given a terrific boost with the announcement that the 2022 USA and Canadian 3YO Pacing Colt of the Year Pebble Beach 3, 1:48.2 ($1,720,875) will do stud duties at Alabar Bloodstock, Echuca.

A fresh Australian record for a yearling sold at auction of $270,000 was established for the Captaintreacherous colt from the top racemare Carla’s Pixel on the opening day of the Nutrien Equine Melbourne Yearling Sale at Oaklands Junction.

The Nutrien Equine Melbourne Yearling Sale is just 48 hours away on Sunday, April 2 at the Oaklands Junction Sales complex which means that the many of the country’s owners and trainers are watching videos and studying the catalogue looking for that next champion horse.

Purchasers of Vicbred horses at this weekend’s Nutrien Equine Melbourne Yearling Sale at Oaklands Junction will be eligible for a range of rich incentives should their purchase win as a two, three or four-year-old in Victoria.

The Nutrien Equine Melbourne Yearling Sale is always a great showcase for first season sires and this year’s group of freshman sires – both North American and colonial bred – is one of the best ever.

Classic-winning and winner-producing dams adorn the catalogue for the 2023 Nutrien Equine Melbourne Yearling Sale to be held at Oaklands Junction on April 1, 2 and 3.

A mouth-watering line-up of 304 lots with dam side pedigrees representative of some of the best maternal families in Australia, New Zealand, North America and Europe will go under the hammer at the Inglis Sales Complex.

One of the features of the sale is the progeny of no fewer than 39 Group winners, including 22 Group 1s.

One hundred trotting yearlings – one-third of the catalogue – will go up for auction at the Nutrien Equine Melbourne Yearling Sale at Oaklands Junction on April 1, 2 and 3.

The sale will see the progeny of 28 trotting sires represented including established stallions such as Majestic Son, Muscle Hill, Love You, Father Patrick, Quaker Jet, Peak, Angus Hall, Skyvalley, Sebastian K, Trixton, Used To Me, Yield Boko, The Best Madrik, Tennotrump and Dream Vacation.

The Nutrien Equine sales round will make its final stop at the Melbourne Yearling Sale on April 1, 2 and 3 at Oaklands Junction, where most of the heavyweights of Victorian breeding will showcase their best offerings.

Victoria’s position as the hub of Australia's breeding industry was amplified when the field for Saturday night's $1 million Garrard’s Miracle Mile at Menangle was released.