The Williams family have been producing harness racing winners in Victoria for 60 years and the tradition will continue when they present two colts at the 2025 APG Melbourne Yearling Sale on February 2.Ā
Both youngsters are from a family the Williamsā have used for six generations, starting with foundation mare Bonnie Apollo.Ā
Bonnie Apollo failed to win a race in 34 starts but produced star youngster Bonzatross at her first mating and a dynasty was born.Ā
āBonnie Apollo is the granddaughter of Signet Star (dam of 8 winners), who was one of mum and dadās very first horses,ā Rob Williams said.Ā
āSignet Star is a half-sister to Simpsonic, who was an outstanding horse back in the very early 1970s and eventually found his way over to the USA.āĀ
Bonzatross won 14 races as a 3YO, including the SA Sires Produce and the SA St Leger. He went on to a top flight open class career, winning the Group 2 Coca Cola Classic and a swag of listed races.Ā
Bonnie Apollo left five winners, including handy racemare Wemen Wendymae (1.59.8, $34K), who was by megastar US stallion Western Hanover and is the ancestress of both the 2025 sales colts.Ā
Wemen Wendymae won five races as a 3YO and produced outstanding 3YO filly Stunin Girl (1.54.1, $125K) among her five winners.Ā Ā
Stunin Girl won the $100,000 APG 3YO fillies classic at Menangle and a heat of the NSW Oaks (fifth in the final) in an impressive three-year-old season.Ā
Wemen Wendymae is the grandam of Lot 59, a colt by Stay Hungry from three-time winner Wemen Apple (1.57.7, $13K) and the third dam of Lot 64, by Poster Boy from the unraced Falcon Seelster mare Wemen Faline.Ā
They will be offered by Robert and Terri Williams.Ā
āMy parents involvement with harness Racing started in the mid 1960s.āÆI guess that I’ve been involvedāÆpretty muchāÆfrom when I was born,ā Robert Williams said.Ā
āI met my wife, Terri, while working at Lana Lobell Farms in New Jersey, USA.āÆĀ
āWe have been involved in most aspects of the harness racing industry, including owners, breeders, trainer,āÆdriver and standing stallions at stud.Ā
āWhile we don’t aim to sell yearlings every year, Terri and I have been selling yearlings off-and-on since the first crop of Art Major’s in 2006 (when they bred Stunin Girl and Powershift).Ā
āMy parents had been selling at yearling sales since the 1970s.āĀ
Williams said they had scaled down their breeding operation in recent years.Ā
āWe generally try to breed one-three mares most years, however not as many recently,ā he said.Ā
āThe colt by Poster Boy isn’t overly big but is a very nice mover and has a real determined streak about him.āĀ
The coltās dam is a half sister to smart youngster Three Dee Delight (1.51.4, $241K), who won 22 races (nine in the US), five of those as a 2YO and 3YO.Ā
For full details of The Williams families entries and all yearlings in the 2025 Melbourne Yearling Sale please visit our Online Sales Catalogue or Register as a Buyer today!Ā
FromĀ APG Ltd