Will Wicked Liquor’s longest 21st Century losing streak at 41 go the board? Who will win at their first start to join a select list? Who will be the next cup or classic winner?
The answers to these questions may be revealed at the 13th annual Humbletonian Day meeting to be held at Maryborough on Friday, December 22.
Sponsored by Harness Breeders Victoria, Harness Racing Victoria and the Maryborough club, Humbletonian Day provides an opportunity for owners and breeders of maiden Vicbred pacers and trotters to register their first win and claim some of the nice booty.
At least 10 horses will break their maiden status on the day and, in some cases, launch very successful careers.
All races carry basic stakemoney of $10,000 as well as a range of bonuses for breeders and owners, with extra bonuses for those on course.
There’s $7,000 Vicbred First Win Bonuses, 10 percent Vicbred Breeders Bonuses on two, three and four-year-old only races, cash bonuses to every winning breeder from HRV and HBV and cash bonuses for winning breeders on track from the Maryborough Harness Racing Club.
All races are drawn bottom-up with preference for selection and draw given to horses with the highest number of lifetime starts.
The most successful Humbletonian graduates have been the 2021 Inter Dominion Trotting champion Maori Law ($361,204) and this year’s Victoria Oaks winner Sweet Bella ($220,200).
Among others on the Humbletonian honour roll are Solid As A Rock ($221,098), Majestic Ess Jay ($193,565), Professor Tom ($193,401), Bullion Harry ($178,090), the Breeders Crown champion Kyvalley Kyrie ($100,251), Illawong Stardust ($146,965) and the Vicbred trotting champion Queen Of Crime ($125,095).
All told, Humbletonian graduates have won 715 races between them and more than $6.4million in stakes to date. The average number of starts they have had before winning a Humbletonian race is eight.
Nominations for Humbletonian Day close at 12 noon on December 18.
Vicbred performers have captured three heats of the Brisbane Inter Dominion to date. Just Believe, bred by Pat Driscoll’s Yabby Dam Farms, has won twice, and Better Eclipse (Joe Bajada) won on opening night.
Victorian breeders produced the winners of both $30,000 fillies’ Finals of the Southern Cross series at Globe Derby Park. Miss Idaho, winner of the two-year-old division, was bred by Garry and Melva Graham, while the three-year-old winner Delightfull Tammy was bred by Bruce and Vicki Edward.
A feature of the Australian sires’ statistics to date this season is the rise to the top of the three-year-old trotters’ section by Aldebaran Eagle, who is more than $40,000 ahead of the second sire Majestic Son, the leading sire on the all aged list.
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.