Highgrove scales new heights

Highgrove, a good looking Love You gelding, is rated New Zealand’s top three-year-old trotter this season, particularly after his success in the $75,000 NZB Standardbred Harness Million, a Listed race run at Alexandra Park, Auckland.

He has won two with a placings from four starts this season and eight of his 13 lifetime starts for $146,284 in stakes.

In the Harness Million, he was never really extended in running out the 2200 metres at a 2:00.9 mile rate, the last 800 in 57.8 seconds and 400 in 28.6.

Another of the Love You progeny, Thank You, overcame a 40 metre handicap to win his fifth race at Manawatu Raceway.

Quaker Jet’s champion daughter Im Ready Jet maintained her devastating form with an effortless win in the Breed For Speed Gold heat at Shepparton. The mare pinged straight to the front and never looked in danger, rating a slick 1:57.7 over 1690 metres.

Im Ready Jet is clearly the highest stakes earning trotting mare in the country this season with $88,800.

The Quaker Jet three-year-old filly Quik Barbie notched her third success at Cambridge Raceway recently and showed she will be well in line for the major juvenile classics.

Of the three Love You colts in the NZB standardbred sale, one made $100,000, another fetched $72,000 and third one sold for $50,000.

A colt from the first crop of En Solitaire, a son of Ready Cash and a Love You mare, was knocked down to Tony Herlihy for $37,000 at the Christchurch sale.

By Peter Wharton