Purchasers at the Australian Pacing Gold Yearling Sale at Oaklands Junction on Sunday, February 4 will have an extra incentive in 2024.  Credit vouchers worth $4,000 each, provided by Harness Racing Victoria as part of their promotion of the sale, will be won by 10 registered bidders on the day.

“Every person who registers to bid will be eligible to go into the draw. We will draw five names out before the sale starts and then another five half-way through the sale,” APG consultant John Coffey said.

“The lucky bidders will receive a $4,000 credit to spend at the sale on the day.  Then if they spend it buying a horse, APG will throw in the first sustaining payment of $770 for their purchase.” 

Fully sustained yearlings will be eligible for the APG sales races to be held at Melton in 2025 with separate $150,000 Finals for colts and geldings and fillies.

A yearling parade, sponsored by Harness Breeders Victoria and BetaVet Australia, will be conducted at the William Inglis complex on Hunter Cup eve, Saturday, February 3 from 12 noon.

Rebecca Lund, who founded the Standardbred Pleasure and Performance Horse Association in Victoria, will judge the best presented colt and filly of each gait at the parade.

The four winning preparers will receive a trophy from HBV and the vendors a prize pack from BetaVet.

The sale was provided with a timely boost following the effortless win of Inter Dominion champion Leap To Fame at Albion Park last Saturday night. A three-quarter-brother-in-blood by Bettor’s Delight to the pre-post favourite for the Hunter Cup will go under the hammer as Lot 161 at the Melbourne sale.

In further good news for the APG sales round, the winners of this year’s Shepparton Cup (Curly James), Bendigo Cup (Max Delight) and Hamilton Cup (Fides) were all sold through the APG sales.

A feature of this year’s Melbourne sale is the first Australian crop of eight new sires debuting at the live auction.

The list is headed up by the USA 2YO and 3YO Colt of the Year and recent Hall of Fame inductee Tall Dark Stranger (2 colts and a filly), Bettor’s Wish (2 fillies), Capt Midnight (2 fillies), Ride High (3 colts and 1 filly), Lochinvar Art (1 colt) and the trotting sires Bold Eagle (1 colt), Europe’s first 1:50 trotter, Elite Stride (1 colt and 1 filly) and Helpisontheway (1 filly).

The Artsplace mare Sapphire Lil, owned by Dean and Blanche Poole of Rhiannon Park, left winners in two different States last weekend. The three-year-old Buddy To Base notched his first success at Melton, while Sapphire Gambler scored at Elwick, Tasmania

South-of-the-border breeder-owners produced important winners in consecutive races at Menangle last Saturday. Its Ebonynivory, owned by John and Christine Yeomans, took out the Adore Me Stakes in 1:51.4 and Sahara Sirocco, bred and raced by Peter Watkinson and Bruce Paul, emerged successful in 1:51.7

Sew What, a very impressive winner on Ballarat Cup night, is proving a great money spinner for a quartet of well known Melbourne harness identities in John Hawke, Rob Merola, Sam Godino and Dianne Giles

The opinions expressed in The Forum are those of the author and may not be attributed to or represent policies of Harness Racing Victoria, which is the state authority and owner of thetrots.com.au.