A feature of the first crop sires’ statistics to date this season is the strong showing by colonial bred sires in the two-year-old racing.

Poster Boy, who is standing at Llowalong Farms, Kyabram, sits atop the stakemoney list with $429,357, which is more than $130,000 ahead of the second sire, the American horse Stay Hungry (Empire Stallions), as at August 28.

Alabar Bloodstock’s import Captain Crunch is third on the table, followed by McWicked, Poster Boy’s studmate Soho Tribeca, The Storm Inside (Alabar), Lather Up (Woodlands Stud) and Soho Lanikai (Michael Stanley).

On the score of winners, Poster Boy and Captain Crunch are tied on 14 apiece, followed by Stay Hungry (10), Soho Tribeca (7), McWicked (6), The Storm Inside (5), Lather Up (3) and Soho Lanikai (2).

The biggest contributors to Poster Boy’s tally are the Nutrien Equine Classic and Shakamaker Classic winner The Highlight Reel ($241,400) and the Nutrien heat winner Cigano ($43,320).

Stay Hungry’s first crop are headed up by the Australian Pacing Gold Brisbane Graduate winner Hunger Strike ($110,398), Louie Vee ($33,562) and London Baby ($32,062), while Captain Crunch’s stock includes the WA Pearl victor Sebastian James ($92,711) and Captainshavtime NZ ($42,522).

Interestingly, no fewer than 30 of the 82 starters in tonight’s Vicbred Super Series heats for two-year-old pacers at Bendigo were sired by colonial bred stallions.

Poster Boy, Soho Tribeca and The Storm Inside all have seven representatives, Soho Lanikai has four (from a foal crop of 13), Ultimate Machete NZ has two and Guaranteed, Restrepo and Tiger Tara have one each.

John Coffey, the president of Harness Breeders Victoria, said: “There is no doubt that the quality of horses bred in Australia over the past 10 years has put our breed on equal footing with the North American industry. This has resulted no doubt by the importing of stallions and the very best racehorses from North America.
 

“Art Major in 2005 led the way and was quickly followed by Bettor’s Delight and then every leading North American stallion since has been available to Australian breeders either by frozen semen or by shuttling ‘down under’. 

“We are now seeing the results of these better performed stallions and horses such as Lazarus, Poster Boy, Soho Tribeca and Vincent for example have proven they would have taken 1:48 records or better if they had raced in the Northern Hemisphere under their race conditions. 

“They have been well supported since retiring to stud duties and now pleasingly our Industry is seeing their prowess as stallions. 

“That is an incredible statistic that 30 of the 82 starters in tonight’s Vicbred heats for two-year-olds were sired by our home grown stallions,” Coffey stated.

Yabby Dam Farms’ principal Pat Driscoll took the breeding honours at Melton last Saturday with a winning treble in Derek The Jet (The Holmfield), Im Ready Jet and Keayang Chucky

Generally Speaking, a three-year-old Swedish born son of Australasian trotting mile record holder Maori Time, won in 1:54.6 at The Red Mile on Monday. The gelding was bred and is part-owned by Aldebaran Park’s Duncan McPherson

The online edition of the 2024/25 IRT Australasian Standardbred Stallion Guide, published by Harness Breeders Victoria, is now available at https://hbv.org.au/2024-australasian-standardbred-stallion-guide       

Super Code, a winner at the midweek Hamilton meeting, was bred and is raced by former Harness Racing Victoria board member and APG chairman Peter Bourke               

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.