With the harness racing yearling sales just a few weeks away in New Zealand, Harnesslink is profiling some of the stallions represented throughout the New Zealand National Standardbred Yearling Sales of 2022.

Today it is the turn of the champion pacer Sweet Lou. Here is a little history on his racing career.

Bred by Birnam Wood Farms of Boca Raton, Florida and foaled on March 4, 2009, in Milton, Pennsylvania, Breeders Crown winner and two-time world champion pacer Sweet Lou has a lifetime race record of 74-33-11-10 with $3,484,251 in the bank. He ranks as the 9^thleading money winning pacer of all time.

Trained by Ron Burke and driven by Dave Palone and Ron Pierce, Sweet Lou was owned during his racing career by Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi, Lawrence Karr and Phillip Collura.

Sweet Lou making a real impact where it counts 1 — **Sweet Lou**

In 2011, two-year-old Sweet Lou won 10 of his 12 starts with 2 seconds, earning $686,647. Victories included the Breeders Crown (in a world record 1:49 for two-year-old colt pacers on a mile track), Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Championship and the Elevation. He was voted 2011 Dan Patch Two-Year-Old Pacing Colt of the Year.

Sweet Lou in the $652,535 Breeders Crown in a world record 1:49 for a two-year-old

Three-year-old Sweet Lou earned $1,082,176 in 2012, finishing on the board in 15 of 20 starts. His major win was the $510,300 Tattersalls Pace. Watch this spectacular race with a first half in :52. Sweet Lou was parked out the entire trip.

In the following year, four-year-old Sweet Lou earned $348,638 in 23 starts, including a victory in the Meadowlands Maturity.

In 2014, five-year-old Sweet Lou won 11 of 19 starts, which included a 10-win streak with 6 consecutive sub-1:48 times. Victories included the Ben Franklin in a world record 1:47f and still stands as the fastest Standardbred mile on a five-eighths mile track, The William Haughton Memorial, U.S. Pacing Championship, Dan Patch Invitational and the Roll With Joe.

Sweet Lou wrapped up his racing career by winning the $500,000 TVG Pace at the Meadowlands. In addition to earning $1,361,433, Sweet Lou was voted 2014 Dan Patch Pacer of the Year and Dan Patch Older Pacing Horse of the Year.

Watch Sweet Lou’s last start in the $500,000 TVG Pace at the Meadowlands.

This field of horses in this race is one of the all-time great fields. Every horse had won over $1 million in earnings. Look at this group of eight champion pacers, 1st Sweet Lou ($3,484,251), 2nd Foiled Again ($7,676,047), 3rd Clear Vision ($2,752,258), 4th Thinking Out Loud ($1,957,217), 5th State Treasurer ($2,072,450), 6th Bettor’s Edge ($2,211,211), 7th Warrawee Needy ($1,255,138) and 8th Modern Legend ($1,009,105).

Has there ever been a better group of horses in one race?

Total race earnings of this group is an astounding $18,933,427.

Now on to Sweet Lou’s stallion career that is taking off in spectacular fashion.

First of all, at the first yearling sale of 2022, yesterday the 23rd of January, in Brisbane, Australia, a Sweet Lou filly out of Muscle Beach sold for $100,000 and was the top price of the day. The only other Sweet Lou yearling that was sold on the day, was a colt that sold for $50,000.

Sweet Lou making a real impact where it counts 2 — **This Sweet Lou x Muscle Beach filly topped the APG Sale at the Gold Coast.**

And then the night before at Ballarat in Victoria in the $110,000 Ballarat Cup, a very good son of Sweet Lou, Spirit Of St Louis, made it three Cups in a row winning in sensational fashion over a top field, taking his earnings to $302,000 to date. Could he be the best current FFA star in Australasia?

And the week before the outstanding two-year-old (now three) Sweet Lou colt Duke Of Cornwall was sold to North American interests (but will race in Australia initially) for a reported $500,000. You can say it has been a great few weeks Down Under for the progeny of Sweet Lou.

Considering Sweet Lou initially only had small crops to the races in Australia and New Zealand in his first three years at stud his sire statistics in both countries are exceptional when shown against other leading stallions.

Sire statistics in 2021 for three-year-old progeny in New Zealand.

Sire statistics in 2021 for three-year-old progeny in Australia.

And it can only get better as his first decent crop of 148 two-year-olds in New Zealand hit the racetrack in 2022 with an even bigger yearling crop of 168 following up right behind. Same in Australia, Sweet Lou only had 18 live foals born in his first crop, 24 in his second crop and 65 in his third crop. His first decent crop in Australia total 135 now two-year-olds followed by 142 yearlings. One can imagine that Sweet Lou progeny will make a substantial impact on the racing scene over the next few years in Australia and New Zealand.

In North America his first crop to the races were five-year-olds in 2021. He produced 99 eligible to race, 82 race winners to date including the world champion mare Warrawee Ubeaut ($2,002,455), the fastest two-year-old filly in history at 1:48.3 (She took this record off her father Sweet Lou himself), and Dancin Lou ($1,119,848) with a winning time of 1:47.2 and now standing at stud. In 2019, these two won the Breeders Crown Finals, the 3-year-old filly and colt pace respectively.

Total earnings for this crop to date is $12,527,047 and that equals $126,536 for each live foal born.

Warrawee Ubeaut seen here winning the $714,286 Breeders Crown Final for three-year-old fillies.

Dancin Lou seen here winning the $779,221 Breeders Crown Final for three-year-old beating home Bettors Wish and Captain Crunch

In North America his second crop to the races were four-year-olds in 2021. Two top boys No Lou Zing and Fortify finished first and second in the $325,000 Progress Pace in 1:48.2. Fortify paced a mile in 1:47.3 at Hoosier Park starting from the second-tier post 11. This crop of 93 eligible to race has produced to date 66 winners of $6,455,881. His progeny from this crop has averaged $69,418 per live foal born.

His third crop to the races were three-year-olds in 2021 and this crop produced the super colt Lou’s Pearlman, the slayer of the three-year-old colt pacer of the year Perfect Sting in the 2021 Little Brown Jug. Lou’s Pearlman won both heats of the Little Brown Jug. Here is his win in the $397,000 Final.

Lou’s Pearlman

This third crop had 82 eligible foals to race for 55 race winners to date. Average earnings per live foal is $56,101 to date. The other very good colt in this crop was the $375,000 Adios winner Hellabalou pacing his mile in 1:48.4.

Sweet Lou’s fourth crop to the races were two-year-olds in 2021 and this crop has produced seven $100,000 plus winners including four $200,000 plus winners. In North America Sweet Lou, in this writers’ view has produced his best ever-bred crop ready for racing as two-year-olds in 2022.

North American two-year-old money winning sires in 2021 with a $1m plus earnings

CAPTAINTREACHEROUS             63       $3,448,224
ALWAYS B MIKI                  60       $3,343,766
DOWNBYTHESEASIDE               72       $3,228,012
SWEET LOU                      65       $2,298,933
HUNTSVILLE                     70       $1,936,945
AMERICAN IDEAL                 75       $1,775,273
SUNSHINE BEACH                 73       $1,400,862
JK ENDOFANERA                  51       $1,234,815
SPORTSWRITER                   68       $1,234,320
ROCKIN IMAGE                   60       $1,233,514
BETTING LINE                   72       $1,144,406
BETTORS DELIGHT                58       $1,082,481

North American three-year-old money winning sires in 2021

ALWAYS B MIKI                  77       $5,049,704
SOMEBEACHSOMEWHERE             81       $4,731,233
CAPTAINTREACHEROUS             67       $4,558,553
AMERICAN IDEAL                 73       $3,411,188
SHADOW PLAY                    55       $3,357,268
SWEET LOU                      57       $3,257,288
BETTORS DELIGHT                78       $3,124,896
BETTING LINE                   78       $2,731,851
ART MAJOR                      54       $2,405,900
ALWAYS A VIRGIN                62       $2,195,693
ROCKIN IMAGE                   66       $2,175,071
JK ENDOFANERA                  67       $1,959,043
RACING HILL                    61       $1,928,533
ROLL WITH JOE                  58       $1,860,556
SUNSHINE BEACH                 76       $1,655,011
SPORTSWRITER                  101       $1,607,089
MCARDLE                        28       $1,528,741
BETTERTHANCHEDDAR              74       $1,438,312
SO SURREAL                     36       $1,225,494
WELL SAID                      47       $1,061,386

Overall, in North America with four crops to the races Sweet Lou has produced progeny earnings of $26 million to date with two millionaires, four $500,000 plus winners, 76 $100,000 plus winners and his average earnings per foal eligible to race is $54,217 to date.

Here are some trainers and drivers recent thoughts on Sweet Lou and his progeny

There are 19 yearlings by Sweet Lou (15 colts and 4 fillies) in the Northern Sale at Karaka on the 13th of February and there are 29 yearlings by Sweet Lou (15 colts and 14 fillies) at the Southern Sale in Christchurch from the 14th through to the 16th of February.

A total of 48 yearlings in New Zealand from 168 live foals that year. This is Sweet Lou’s second big crop. His first major crop are current two-year-olds and they total 148 live foals. How will that change the New Zealand Commercial Breeder’s perception when these two crops are on the racetrack?