10 yearlings catalogued from Mike Howie

West Australian commercial breeder, Mike Howie, has been involved in the harness racing industry for over four decades. 

Howie’s Copper Lodge based at Serpentine just over 50 kilometres south of Gloucester Park has been the nursery of some of the State’s best pacers for many years. 

Copper Lodge breeds around eight to 10 foals per year most of which go to the APG Sale. 

Howie comes from a banking background having worked at the R&I and Westpac as a financial advisor. 

Attending a yearling sale while still at school with his grandfather Joe Coverley, Howie was keen to purchase a filly by Renaud, who was a leading sire of that era, out of an Adios Express mare, which he took home for $1000. That filly was to go on to win a few races in the country including the Wagin Cup under the name of Renaud Express.  

Renaud Express went on to become the foundation mare at Copper Lodge. She can be found in the pedigree chart of the likes of Group 1 winner The Miki Taker and 22-time winner Caveman. 

Howie has a half-brother (Lot 510) to Caveman in this year’s APG Sale by first season sire Bettors Wish. “I have two Bettors Wish’s in my draft – they are both lovely stocky types.” One is a half to Caveman (22 wins), the other is the first foal of Some Copper Beach (Lot 533), a Group 3 winner placed in the Golden Slipper 

Under the Copper Lodge banner, Howie has 10 yearlings catalogued for the APG Sale set down for March 3 at the Magic Millions Complex. 

Although Copper Lodge has stood their own stallions over the years such as Embrace Me, Redskin and Rich N Spoilt in the past, Howie decided in recent years to just concentrate on becoming solely an AI farm and breed to top-line stallions.  

This year Howie has two yearlings by Captain Crunch, a half-brother (Lot 415) to Delightful Reaction who was Group 1 placed and runner-up in WA Golden Slipper, the other ‘Crunch’ is a nice filly (Lot 503) out of a Live Or Die mare. 

 Colonial stallions have also been supported by Copper Lodge with a filly by Poster Boy out of Secret Dragon (Lot 525), a 100 percent producer closely related to Secret Operation, a winner of the Group 2 Champagne Classic. “I love Poster Boy he has great pedigree and was a great racehorse. I think he will make it as a sire,” Howie said. The family of Secret Dragon (Sutter Hanover) has some depth that includes standout pacers like Allwoods Chief 1:54.4 $465,497, the Breeders Crown and dual Derby winner Menin Gate (1:54.3 $574,758), dual Group 1 winner Rocknrolla ( 1:57.1 $287,531), Smooth Showgirl (1:52.3 $373,786), Kasey John ( 1:50 $235,239,) and dual Queensland Triad winner at 2 and 3yo For Real Life  (1:54.3 $148,592). 

WA Pacing Cup winner Soho Tribeca has a colt (Lot 508) out of Orphan Reactor, an Auckland Reactor mare. This is her second foal.  

Howie has a Downbytheseaside filly out of the Vicbred Platinum winner Maastricht, a mare he bought in Victoria. The recent winner Shazza Love has boosted this filly’s pedigree page.  

“I have bred and sold a couple of nice ‘Seaside’s’ including Waverider that won the Sales Classic last year, and this filly is a nice type from a good family,” Howie said.  

An American Ideal colt being the first foal of Major Jade will no doubt attract attention from buyers. 

Leading local sire Fly Like An Eagle, who sired 58 individual winners last season, has a filly (Lot 436) that is a half to 16-time winner Walsh, and rounding out Howie’s draft is a Stay Hungry filly (Lot 542) out of Tinted Pearl. 

Howie purchased the mare in foal to leading North American Stay Hungry in an online sale from prominent South Australian breeder Peter Medhurst. “The mare went some four weeks after her due date. I wasn’t sure even though she was big that she was in foal, but her history shows she seems to always go over. It’s quite a funny story,” Howie added. 

“I’m a seller hopefully we will move all of them. They are all nice types and West Aussie’s seem to buy on type,” Howie said. 

The Western Australian APG sale is scheduled for March 3. Catalogues are out now or online click here. 

by Australian Standardbred Breeders Assocation (ASBA)