A busy season in the breeding barn for Sweet Lou

The Woodlands Stud horse Sweet Lou, who topped three-year-old sires’ list in Australia and North America last year, was the busiest harness racing stallion in Australasia in the closing season.

The Yankee Cruiser sire served a total 414 mares – 264 in New Zealand and 150 in Australia.

Among his consorts were Kabbalah Karen B (dam of Ladies In Red), the Queen of the Pacific winner Pistol Abbey, Cherry Stride, Eye Can Run (NSW Pink Bonnet), Wicked Nights (dam of We Walk By Faith), Distant Memory (Bathurst Gold Tiara), the NZ 3YO Filly of the Year O Baby and Minnie Moose (dam of millionaire Funatthebeach).

While Sweet Lou’s tally is significant in these days of decreasing foal numbers, it is a long way short of the record of seven-time leading stakemoney sire Fake Left, who covered 557 mares including 427 in Australia in the 1998/99 season.

The previous season Fake Left served 360 mares in Australia.

Bettor’s Delight, a studmate of Sweet Lou, covered 552 matrons across two countries in the 2006/07 season. He served in excess of 400 mares in a further seven seasons.

Armbro Operative served 514 and 508 mares in consecutive seasons and his Alabar studmate Art Major, the thrice premier Australian juvenile sire, covered 473 mares in 2014/15 and 442 in 2015/16.

A Rocknroll Dance, who stands at Somerset Farms in Queensland, served 437 mares in 2017/18 and Grinfromeartoear had 422 in the 2009/10 season.

The great NZ stallion Vance Hanover attracted a then record 403 mares in 1984/85, while Holmes Hanover, who headed the NZ sires’ list on four occasions and was twice the leading sire in Australia, covered 413 mares in 1999/2000.

Other Australian-based stallions to serve large books across the two countries in a single season include Life Sign, who covered 412 mares in the 2006/07 season, Albert Albert (386), Safely Kept (375), Always B Miki (374), Mr Feelgood (357), Village Jasper (328) and What’s Next (312).

It should be noted that Australian stallions were restricted to 150 mares per season after 2020, while there is no limit to service numbers in NZ.

Triage, who broke his maiden status at Warragul, is the first foal out of the imported American mare Waiting Room.

The four-year-old Majestic Son gelding was bred by Cranbourne veterinarian Hugh Cathels and his wife Lorraine.

Victorian buyers were active at the opening session of the NZ yearling sales at Karaka, Auckland on Monday.

Birchip brothers Danny and Paul Lowry shelled out $170,000 for the Bettor’s Delight-Double Twist colt, while Adam Merrington paid $95,000 for the Captaintreacherous-On A Roll filly.

Maori Time, the former champion trotting mare, dropped a third colt foal in Sweden last week.

The foal is by the 2017 USA 2YO Trotting Colt of the Year Fourth Dimension.

by Peter Wharton for Harness Racing Victoria