Benstud Standardbreds is well versed in breeding and raising Group winning pacers and trotters...

But the second weekend of April saw the stocks of one of the country’s leading harness racing nurseries go to another level - both on and off the racetrack and on both sides of the Tasman.

The homebred Kitzbuhel Delight, a son of the 2021 Australian Broodmare of the Year Beninjurd, started the ball rolling on Friday with a thrilling come-from-behind win defeating Pure Grunt and the Benstud-bred Letsstartinheaven in the $200,000 Nutrien Equine Classic Final for two-year-old colts and geldings at Melton.

The Bettor’s Delight colt, who was knocked down for $200,000 at the Nutrien Melbourne sale in 2024, became the sixth two-year-old winner produced by Beninjurd, the dam of Tough Tilly, Centenario, Lightning Dan and co.

Another two Benstud bred runners in Fiction File (2YO filly) and Seathestars (3YO gelding) finished runner-up in their divisions.

On the same night the Benstud born and raised We Walk By Faith came from second last to down a top field in the time-honoured Group 1 $93,000 Taylor Mile in 1:51.6 at Alexandra Park, Auckland.

It was the Bettor’s Delight four-year-old gelding’s third victory at Group 1 level, having previously captured the $310,500 New Zealand Derby and the $110,000 Ace Of Spades.

Then, 48 hours later, Benstud Standardbreds was one of the pivotal forces behind the successful Nutrien Equine Melbourne Yearling Sale at the Inglis Stables, Oaklands Junction.

The Katunga-based nursery prepared five of the nine highest priced lots including the two leading pacing colts – both by Bettor’s Delight – one out of Reachforthetill NZ at $110,000 and the other from Amelia Rose at $100,000 as well as the leading trotting colt, a Trixton brother to Arcee Phoenix for $75,000.

“Going to the races and seeing horses perform well that were born and raised on the farm is the reason why we do what we do,” Benstud Standardbreds general manager Craig Judd said.

The Woodlands Stud flagship Bettor’s Delight exerted his influence on the Nutrien Equine Classic Series at Melton. He sired the winners of the two-year-old male feature in Kitzbuhel Delight and the three-year-old fillies’ race in Ivseenheavenslight and the dams of the winners of the two-year-old fillies’ and three-year-old males’ divisions in Delizioso and Path To Greatness respectively

The stunning last-to-first win of the three-year-old filly Let Her Roll at Melton was the lynchpin of a big weekend for breeder-owners Bruce and Craig Cameron. The following day the brothers sold three fillies and a colt - all closely related to Let Her Roll - at the Nutrien sale for a gross of $230,000

Sky Spirit, a trotting winner at the Kilmore midweek meeting, was bred and is raced by Colin Rees, a long-time stalwart of the Lang family