Three of the best from Heath Bourke

Boutique Portland breeder Heath Bourke is one of a group of emerging, young broodmare owners in Victoria.

A member of a well known Western Districts harness racing family, Heath has bred several smart performers from his small, select broodmare band.

They include the Victoria Premiere Stakes winner and NSW Pink Bonnet placegetter Remi Lou, Will He Reign, who finished runner-up in the $150,000 Gold Bullion Final, Yappas Courage (8 wins), the dual Melton winner Pippo Nien, Northern Terror and last season’s Victorian two-year-old winner Jeremy Lou, who he sold at the 2021 Nutrien Equine Sale.

Heath Bourke Bloodstock will be represented by three colts at the Nutrien Equine Melbourne Yearling Sale on April 1, 2 and 3 and all have plenty in their favour on the score of blood.

The pick of the Bourke draft could be Lot 647, a brown colt by the Top Ten sire A Rocknroll Dance from the Melton winner Metromint (1:54.7), dam of the promising Jilliby Fernando (1:53) and a member of the family that produced the Australian 2YO Filly of the Year Nostra Villa.

“He’s a large framed, athletic colt with a beautiful temperament. He has a huge appetite and a great work ethic,” Heath said.

Lot 624, a strongly built colt also by A Rocknroll Dance, ranks as a half-brother to three sub 2:00 winners including Jeremy Lou, being out of a What’s Next mare from the famed Parisienne tribe. He is thus closely related to the Bathurst Gold Chalice winner Northern Frontier and the good Melton victor Truth And Courage.

The third of the Heath Bourke Bloodstock draft is Lot 384, a handsome Sportswriter colt from the same family as Lot 624.

To view the Heath Bourke Bloodstock yearling draft, click here.

by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink