Stallions Australasia have high class lineup

In the trotting world, the pinnacle of success is to win the Hambletonian at the Meadowlands.

It is the "Holy Grail' for trotting enthusiasts and holds the same mystique in the Northern Hemisphere as the New Zealand Cup does in New Zealand.

Ordinary horses just don't win the Hambletonian and it has proved a great siring testing ground with a lot of the winners going on to be great sires.

We are sure that is why Stallions Australasia has taken the approach it has with regards to the trotting stallions in its siring stable.

Stallions Australasia has three Hambletonian winners amongst the five stallions it has frozen semen for and looks to have most bases covered with its team of stallions.

The star of the team is undoubtedly Muscle Hill 1:50.2 ($3,318,682) who after a stellar race career when he won 20 of 21 starts including the Hambletonian, has quickly established himself as an elite sire in North America.

His first crop included last years Hambletonian winner Trixton 1:50.6 ($968,696) while his second crop included the freakish two year old filly of last year in Mission Brief 1:50.6 ($1,478,012) who went on to run second in the Hambletonian this year.

With his oldest crop coming to the end of their four year racing season, Muscle Hill has nearly $13,000,000 on his card already and is in huge demand in North America.

A newcomer to the team at Stallions Australasia this year is last years Hambletonian winner Trixton 1:50.6 ($968,696) who served his first book in North America this year.

While the race record of Trixton is outstanding, his breeding is out of this world.

A son of the hottest trotting sire in North America at the moment in Muscle Hill, Trixton is a son of the great Garland Lobell mare Emilie Cas El 1:57.1 ($454,688) who was the 1994 two year old trotting filly of the year.

Emilie Cas El is a full sister to three of the greatest trotting sires ever in Andover Hall, Angus Hall and Conway Hall while a full sister in blood to the three great sires in Canland Hall is the dam of Cantab Hall.

Another Hambletonian winner to join the team this season is Royalty For Life 1:51.6 ($1,628,649) who won the 2013 Hambletonian.

Royalty for Life is a son of RC Royalty 1:55.2 ($709,355) who after not getting much support initially, is starting to build a really good record in North America with stake earnings to date of over $7,000,000 from just 180 foals eligible to race.

Royalty For Life was a 1:54.4 two year old who got better as the season went on, running second in the Breeders Crown Final at the end of the season.

He carried that form into his three year old season winning the Hambletonian and the Canadian Trotting Classic on his way to earning $1,287,820 and being named three year old trotting colt of the year in North America.

At a service fee of $4500 for this season, Royalty For Life would seem great value for money in our view.

The other two stallions in the Stallions Australasia team are both $2,000,000 winners on the track and both have Hambletonian form to boot.

The Hambletonian runner up Lucky Chucky 1:50.8 ($2,119,958) who was the two and three year old colt of the year in North America, is available again this year at $5,000 as is the brilliant son of Conway Hall in Wishing Stone 1:51.4 ($2,361,099) who ran third in the Hambletonian Final and went on to be a great older horse on the track and he is also available at $5,000.

All in all, Stallions Australasia have put together a great lineup of some of the best trotting stallions available and have priced them at a level that is not out of reach for a lot of New Zealand breeders and for that they should be congratulated.

Harnesslink Media