First season sires are poised to make a strong impact at the 2024 Australian Pacing Gold Yearling Sale at Oaklands Junction with eight new stallions testing the water.

Several Victorian sires lead the way in terms of representation with solid drafts by Tall Dark Stranger (3 lots), Ride High (4), Bettor’s Wish (2) and the trotter Elite Stride (2).

Bettor’s Delight’s champion son Tall Dark Stranger is the new big gun in the sale ring for leading Victorian stud Empire Stallions.

He brings to the market some impressive credentials including an impeccable pedigree and a race record that reads 19 wins and two seconds from 22 starts for $2.3 million in stakes.

His draft is long on quality, featuring a colt from the Tasmanian Sweepstakes and Blue Bonnet winner Vouvray Beach, a colt out of a half-sister to the Group winners Livingontheinterest and Fearless Leader and a filly from the Gold Chalice winner Sparkling Tachyon.

Bettor’s Wish, a $2.7million winning son of Bettor’s Delight, and the wickedly fast colonial bred Ride High (by Art Major) will both make their debut for Alabar Bloodstock.

Bettor’s Wish will be represented by two fillies, one from the Breeders Crown 2YO Silver victor Lynniemach and the other from Goodtime Grace (1:54.6), while Ride High’s entry includes colts from the handy racemares Hear No Secret, Arakbell and Our Front Page and a half-sister to the SA Kindergarten winner Bayview Harbour.

The fast American import Capt Midnight (by Captaintreacherous) has a pair of highly appealing youngsters including a half-sister to the NSW Breeders Challenge winner Tay Tay and a filly out of a half-sister to the top flight racemare Tell Me Tales (1:49.3).

Among the new trotting sires, the 3YO of the Year Elite Stride has two entries, while Bold Eagle, the first 1:50 trotter in Europe, and the Chapter Seven horse Helpisontheway are both singly represented.

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.

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.