Expectations high as Sunshine Stars Yearling Sale looms

The Ladbroke’s Sunshine Stars Yearling Sale, to be conducted by Nutrien Equine at the Magic Millions complex on March 11 and 12, will be the keystone of an iconic weekend at the Gold Coast.

The brainchild of the Albion Park Harness Racing Club, the sale has attracted well bred yearlings from leading breeders in Queensland, NSW and Victoria with the first of 137 lots listed to go under the hammer on Sunday at 11am.

Yearlings will be available for inspection from 9am on the Saturday with the sales parade commencing at 4.30pm.

“The sale will be part of an iconic weekend for harness racing on the Gold Coast. We have invited 100 VIP’s to join us at the Gold Turf Club’s meeting on Saturday afternoon and after at the yearling parade starting at 4.30,” Albion Park vice-chairman Greg Mitchell said.

“With the Sales Race Series and the new $50,000 mixed sex two-year-old classic for horses sold or passed in with a reserve of $24,999 we have high hopes of a successful sale for both our vendors and our buyers.”

Local, interstate and overseas interest in the sale has been outstanding,” he said.

All horses entering the sales ring will be eligible for the $600,000 Ladbroke’s Sunshine Stars Race Series, the national $925,000 Nutrien Equine Sales Classics and the new $50,000 mixed sex two-year-old race.

Three-quarters of the catalogued lots are eligible for the QBred For Life scheme offering over $4million in stakemoney and bonuses.

They are also eligible for the NSW Breeders Challenge, Vicbred, Breeders Crown, Bathurst Gold Crown, NSW Breeders Challenge Blue, Vicbred Platinum, Need For Speed Trot Series, NZ Sires Stakes and the NZ Nevele R Fillies Series.

The sale features stock by the established sires Bettor’s Delight, Captaintreacherous, Somebeachsomewhere, Art Major, Sweet Lou, American Ideal, Rock N Roll Heaven, Sportswriter, Always B Miki, Mr Feelgood, Changeover, Well Said and Majestic Son.

There’s youngsters by emerging sires such as Betting Line, Downbytheseaside, Lazarus, Vincent, Tiger Tara, Ohoka Punter and the trotters What The Hill, Southwind Frank, Volstead and Up And Quick.

First crop sires represented at the sale include Stay Hungry, Captain Crunch, McWicked, Lather Up, Poster Boy, Soho Tribeca, Franco Nelson and the trotters Speeding Spur and Timoko.

Sixty percent of the listed entries are out of race-winning dams, 44 percent are from sub 2:00 winners, 56 percent are out of winner producers and 45 percent from sub 2:00 producers.

Among the dams represented are the Group 1 winners Courageous Annie (NSW Oaks), Once Bitten (WA Westbred 3YO Classic) and Amarula (SA Trotters Derby), the Group 2 winners Espeshlimade Lombo (Kaye Seymour Nursery), Shes A Lefty (QBred 2YO Triad) and Awesome Belmer (NSW Sibelia Stakes) and the Group 3/Listed winners Courageousnquick (NSW Pink Bonnet), Victree Bonita (QBred 3YO Breeders Classic) and Fon Design (Vic. Youthful).

The dams listed in the catalogue have left Group winners such as the dual WA Pacing Cup victor My Hard Copy, A Good Chance (QBred Triad 3YO), My Ultimate Levi (Brisbane APG Sales Graduate 2YO), the APG Gold Bullion winners Aurora Joy and My Ultimate Jacko, Corporal Luna (Seymour Nursery 3YO), Chamonix (QBred For Life), My Ultimate Chevron (NZ Sapling), Jimmy Locke (NSW Golden Mile), Parmesan (WA The Pure Steel), Aldebaran Ursula (NSW Trotters Oaks), Victree Hill (Breeders Crown Graduate Trot), the cups winning trotter Cold Sister and Atout (SA Trotters Derby).

Yearlings sustained and paid up for the Nutrien Sales Race Series will receive automatic entry into the draw to win a Tuza two-horse angle load float, generously donated by Matt Tuza from Tuza Floats.

For more information phone Mark Barton 0419 488 256 or visit the website.

To view the full catalogue, click here.

by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink