Maori Time’s first foal to race in the United States

Generally Speaking Se, the first issue of Australasia’s fastest ever trotting mare Maori Time (1:51.5) and by the dual Swedish Horse of the Year Readly Express Se, is set to embark on a North American harness racing career.

The two-year-old colt, who is owned in partnership by Aldebaran Park principal Duncan McPherson, Melbourne breeder-owner Fred Crews, Menhammar Stuteri and American interests, has joined the Swedish-born trotting specialist Jonas Czernyson’s New Jersey stables and will be targeted at several rich stakes events.

Meanwhile, Maori Time’s second foal, a yearling colt also by Readly Express Se, has been nominated for Menhammar Stuteri’s online auction in July.

Now a rising 14-year-old, Maori Time is carrying a positive test to Menhammar Stuteri’s fully booked resident sire Fourth Dimension 1:52.8 ($409,195), an American-bred son of Chapter Seven who won the Dan Patch Award as the best two-year-old male trotter in 2017. He won eight of his 11 starts at two including the International Stallion Stakes and Valley Victory, and set or equalled four track records.

Fourth Dimension has sired two Swedish Breeders Crown champions with his first crop.

In further news, Aldebaran Margareta (pictured above), a two-year-old filly named after Menhammar Stuteri’s founder the late Margareta Wallenius-Kleberg, will be joining Group 1 trainer Brent Lilley later this month.

The filly is a daughter of the five-time Group 1 winner Who’s Who Se and is the third foal out of the Swedish-bred mare Aldebaran Teal Se. A winner in 1:58, Aldebaran Teal was sired by the Italian-bred Going Kronos, the 2006 Swedish Horse of the Year.

She will be raced jointly by Menhammar Stuteri and Aldebaran Park.

Aldebaran Teal Se is in foal to Aldebaran Park’s exciting new American import Dancinginthedark M USA, a 1:49.6 son of Readly Express who stood his first season in 2022.

The Village Jasper mare Sahara Miss, who is owned by Harness Racing Victoria board member Peter Watkinson and Bruce Paul, was represented by her second feature race winner this season when Sahara Breeze (by Captaintreacherous) took out the $100,000 APG Gold Bullion for three-year-old fillies at Melton.

A fortnight earlier, Sahara Breeze’s half-brother Sahara Tiger (by Art Major) won the Group 3 $60,000 Mildura Pacing Cup.

Sahara Miss has left six individual winners from six foals of racing age.

Domenic Martello, who for many years has been one of the biggest buyers at yearling sales, figured as the breeder of the winner of the $100,000 APG Gold Bullion for three-year-old colts and geldings in Staroftheshow.

The Vincent colt is out of the Bettor’s Delight mare De Lovely Rose, an unraced daughter of the Breeders Crown champion and dual Oaks winner De Lovely.

The Victorian-bred gelding Love Your Work joined the growing list of Australian-bred pacers to enter the 1:50 list in America when he clocked 1:49.8 winning a $US15,500 race at The Meadowlands, New Jersey last Saturday night.

Bred by Mark Spencer, Love You Work is a five-year-old by Western Terror from the Classic Garry mare Billabong Girl, a feature race winner in three different states.

by Peter Wharton, for Harness Racing Victoria