McAlister breaks the mold

Jonathan McAlister is heavily involved with thoroughbreds, but he could not resist putting in a bid for quality pacing mare Ima Grumpy Possum when she came up in an APG mixed sale a few years ago. 

The Art Official mare won 16 races and $124,000 in NSW and Queensland and is a half-sister to Our American Princess (1.53.3, $111K) and NZ 3YO colts Sires Stakes runner-up Sinbad (1.56.4, $101K). Her first foal, Lets Go Bailey (1.57.2), was an impressive two-year-old last season. 

McAlister will offer Lot 332, a colt by Captaintreacherous from Ima Grumpy Possum (1.53.6) in the APG Sydney Yearling Sale on February 25. 

“I have been in thoroughbreds my whole life. I work at Bluegum Farm in Euroa, I have eight mares and a few yearlings and a two-year-old in work,” he said. “You don’t often see people going from thoroughbreds to standardbreds, but I had seen her Sweet Lou colt (Lets Go Bailey) and he was a particularly nice youngster. It was purely on that basis that I bid on Ima Grumpy Possum.” 

Captaintreacherous was a world champion on the track and has stamped himself as a supersire in the US and Australia. 

“I put potential stallions in a hat and pulled out Captaintreacherous. At the time, he hadn’t done alot but he has swept everything since then” says McAlister. “I enjoy selling at standardbred yearling sales. People are more relaxed and it is less stressful.” 

Captaintreacherous winners include Eureka winner Encipher (1.51.8, $1.6mil), Miracle Mile winner Catch A Wave (1.48.8, $1.2mil), multiple Group 1 winner Tough Tilly (1.51.1, $618K) and Victoria Derby winners Captain Ravishing (1.50.9, $518K) and Petracca (1.54.1, $310K). 

His Australian progeny have earned $16 million from just three crops of racing age. 

US 2YO colt of the year in 2018 Captain Crunch (1.47.4, $1.7mil) is bred on a similar cross as Lot 332 – Captaintreacherous out of a mare by Artiscape (a son of Artsplace). 

McAlister said the youngster was a good sized colt with an athletic build. 

He is being prepared by David Harris in Cowra. 

“He went to Yirribi Stud after he was weaned and we picked him up in December,” he said. “He is the only Captaintreacherous colt in the sale so it will be interesting to see if that adds to his value.” 

Ima Grumpy Possum has a Cattlewash colt at foot and is in foal to Stay Hungry. Both youngsters are set to go through the sales in coming years. 

For full details and catalogued yearlings in the 2024 Australian Pacing Gold Yearling Sales please visit our Online Sales Catalogue or Register as a Buyer now.

From APG Ltd