Siring feat by trotting stallion Peak

The Danish trotting import Peak, who was first at the stud in New Zealand, before moving to Victoria in 2021, where he is standing at Shane Murphy’s Mountain View Stud at Ballarat, has made a spectacular start to the new harness racing season with his progeny – on both sides of the Tasman.

A Group 1 winner in both hemispheres, Peak made headlines in the siring field when he left the winners of the only four trotting races held at Ashburton, New Zealand earlier this week. The winning quartet were Aiguille (1:59.1), Peaknmonkey, Maui and Vertigo.

Peaky Lou and Randel Huston P have been other NZ winners sired by Peak this season. 

In Australia, Peak has this season already sired the Menangle winner Queen Of Strathfield (1:58.3), Set Me Free, who has won twice at Albion Park from as many starts, and Baarlinee (1:58.7).

Peak, whose oldest stock are six-year-olds, has sired 44 individual winners in NZ and 10 winners from 17 starters in Australia.

All told, his progeny has earned $1.74million – an excellent total from only four racing crops.

MAUI REPLAY

Among the best performers sired by Peak have been Doff Your Cap 1:57.7 ($144,095), Queen Of Strathfield 1:55.8 ($106,484), Invictus (Cambridge Gold Cup), the Central Victorian Championship winner Peakz Luck, Gimondi (Vic. Trotters Derby heat), Aorangi, the Melton winner Chinski and Allaboutthemoment (1:56.8). 

Peak was a top racehorse himself, winning more than $320,000, and was a Danish Derby winner. After being exported to NZ, he won at two of his only three appearances including the Group 1 $80,000 NZ Trotting Free-for-all at Addington and the Group 3 Ashburton Trotters Flying Mile in a career-best 1:57.6.

Anthony Butt, who drove Peak during his NZ campaign, said: “He’s the most clean gaited trotter I have ever driven. The perfect trotter – speed, gait, heart and manners.”

Peak is a member of the noted Speedy Crown line, that which produced Muscle Hill, Muscles Yankee, Father Patrick and co, all top sires. He was gotten by the French horse Ganymede, a champion sire in France and Italy and the sire of the winners of over $150million worldwide.

by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink