Balmain Lodge: “The best foal we’ve ever bred”

“She’s the best foal we’ve ever bred and we’ve been breeding since 1982. She’s a lovely filly.” 

The speaker is well known Goulburn Valley participant Geoff Barnes, who along with wife Lorraine, will present a filly by the former crack American juvenile and now leading sire Stay Hungry out of Miss Dreamin at the Australian Pacing Gold sale in Melbourne on Sunday, February 4. 

She is Lot 180 in the catalogue. 

A 1:47.6 son of Somebeachsomewhere, Stay Hungry has sired the winners of $9.2million from his first two American crops with nine in the 1:50 list including the world champion Seven Colors (1:48.2). 

Miss Dreamin, the dam of the filly, won five races, took a mile mark of 1:54.3 and finished third in the Group 1 Vicbred Super Series 4YO Final. This is her second foal. 

She belongs to a great winning line established by globetrotting breeder and studmaster Noel Simpson that includes the top racemare Karamea Minna, Wooffer Karamea (Galaxy Grand Slam) and more recently Saveeon (NSW Breeders Challenge Blue). 

The second half of the Balmain Lodge draft is Lot 213, a colt with an all-American breeding background and one which has been most successful. 

He’s from the second crop of the exciting, young Captaintreacherous horse Captain Crunch and out of an Artsplace mare, Spirited Storm USA, the dam of seven 2:00 performers including the 2YO Colt of the Year The Storm Inside 1:50.7 ($311,125), now standing at Alabar Bloodstock, and the Group 3 winner Firestorm Red 1:52 ($275,152). 

One of Spirited Storm’s daughters in Miss Worthy Whitby ranks as the dam of the WA Champagne Stakes and Sales Classic winner Its Rock And Roll 1:50.4 ($527,342) and the second dam of the Vicbred champion and Queensland Derby winner The Lost Storm 1:52.2 ($308,439). 

“There’s not many horses in the sale with a pedigree as good as his,” Geoff states. “He’s a neat, compact colt with a lovely temperament.” 

Both youngsters are being prepared for auction by Albert Davis, of Teela Park, Numurkah. 

Furthermore, intending purchasers at this year’s sale are in for an unexpected windfall. The catalogue is offering only 53 fillies and 52 colts eligible for the APG Race Series for two-year-olds with separate $150,000 Finals to be held at Melton in 2025. 

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

From APG Ltd