Ontario harness racing trainer Dave Menary has a lot of horses to be thankful for, but not many come close to He’s Watching, the pacing speedster-turned-stallion that Menary surprisingly plucked out of the 2012 Standardbred Horse Sales Company yearling sale in Harrisburg, PA for just $3,000. He’s Watching went on to earn 366 times that amount, a cool $1.1 million.

“He really helped put me on the map. I had a lot of fun with the horse,” Menary said. “Between racing him and selling pieces of him, it put me in a lot better position in business and in life. It was just a fun ride. I really look forward to seeing his offspring.”

He’s Watching, a son of American Ideal out of the Real Desire mare Baberhood had 13 wins in 21 starts and equaled the 1:46.4 three-year-old world record while winning the $776,000 Meadowlands Pace in 2014.

“He has raw speed,” Menary said. “When I bought the colt, I thought he was above my budget for what I wanted to pay for him. I kind of pegged him as like a $30,000 June, New York-bred. I was lucky enough to open my book and when he was in the ring I thought they were on the wrong horse. He was way below the budget I would have set for him. Two bids and I owned him. I sold a quarter the next day at par.”

He’s Watching was initially owned by Ontarians Menary, Brad Gray and Mike Guerriero. When Menary finally got around to working with the colt as a baby, He’s Watching opened the trainer’s eyes immediately.

“He was the last one to come in that year to break. We had quite a few to do and because he was the cheapest and I owned the majority, he came in really late,” Menary said. “We had some expensive Somebeachsomewheres and Camlucks that year, including the highest-priced colt in Canada. There was a handful of expensive ones and when we brought He’s Watching in, the second day in the cart, we kind of giggled that the colt could go as much the ones that had been in for two months. He was just good all winter training down. He never made a mistake. He was always buried up in the top set and once we started to go fast, once we broke 2:14 he started to really shine. The two-year-old year was super impressive and I had a lot of fun in his three-year-old year. He gave me some of the highest highs you could have in the business.”

Muscara Racing Trust of Ivyland, PA bought in before the start of He’s Watching’s three-year-old season which included the colt and Menary’s career highlight — the world record Meadowlands Pace victory orchestrated by driver Tim Tetrick.

2014 Meadowlands Pace Final – He's Watching – July 12, 2014

“To go that kind of mile and come home the way he did with a lot more in the tank that day, on the big stage, that was super exciting. But I go back as pick-me-ups a lot of times and watch previous replays. Some of my favourite replays of him are some of his two-year-old replays, like Saratoga when he ran twice and spotted them over 30 lengths and won. I get as much enjoyment watching that replay as I do the Meadowlands Pace,” Menary said.

He's Watching, NYSS Saratoga 28th June 2013

He’s Watching now stands at Tara Hills Stud in Port Perry, ON and in New Zealand at Alabar Stud and his impact is still being felt by Menary and his fellow owners.

“It really helped out all the partners — me, Mike Guerriero and Brad Gray. We were able to go out and spend extra after that. Some have gone well and some have gone badly, but now that He’s Watching is a stallion we’re still enjoying the ride and I’m looking forward to the next chapter of his life,” Menary said.

The above article was written by Dave Briggs for Ontario Racing in March 2017.

The first yearlings to be sold anywhere in the world by He's Watching will feature at the Australasian Classic Yearling Sale at Karaka, in New Zealand on the 12th of February 2018. There are only four entered, two fillies and two colts.

Breckon Farms have entered one outstanding filly with a pedigree full of speed, speed and more speed.

The best a man can get……..yes, that is the name given to the dam of the first yearling filly ever to be sold by He's Watching in the world and that is in the Australasian Classic Yearling Sale at Karaka on the 12th of February.

It is Lot 30, a filly called Em I Six, by He's Watching from Thebestamancanget by Mach Three from the good Sokys Atom race mare Ciccio Star ($102,499). Ciccio Star is the dam of 9 to the races for 9 winners.

Thebestamancanget is a full-sister to Dana Duke ($73,000 to date) and a half-sister to 8 other winners including Major Star ($212,228) and Idancedallnight ($103,655)..

Lot 30, Em I Six is a half-sister to Vasari ($80,000) and to Nolessthanperfect a filly that has only had the three starts in Australia to date including a fourth in the $100,000 Group 1 2-year-old Diamond Classic.

The sire of Em I Six, He's Watching and the dam-sire Mach Three both won the Meadowlands Pace in record time. When He's Watching won the Meadowlands Pace in a world record 1:46.4 he was only four weeks into his 3-year-old season and this race is still the equal-fastest mile ever run at The Meadowlands but the fastest for a 3-year-old. When Mach Three won the Meadowlands Pace in 1:49 in 2002, that was the 3-year-old record at that time.

And please do not forget that Mach Three is the sire of both Somebeachsomewhere 1:46.4 and the emerging sire Auckland Reactor.

He's Watching broke the track record for a 3-year-old and equaled the all-aged world record of 1:46.6 at The Meadowlands in 2014 while Somebeachsomewhere broke the world record for a 3-year-old and all-aged record of 1:46.4 at The Red Mile in 2008. The Red Mile is regarded as the fastest track in the world, where records are traditionally broken.

Lot 30 – Em I Six (black filly He’s Watching / Thebestamancanget)