March mania at Aldebaran Park

March was a month of achievement for harness racing’s Aldebaran Park – on and off the track!

Heading the list was the homebred six-year-old Kyvalley Heist NZ (Muscle Mass USA-U Dream NZ), who made a clean sweep of the time-honoured Central Victorian Trotting Championship, capturing the heat at Boort and final at Charlton.

Over in the West, another homebred in Aldebaran Sundown (Skyvalley NZ-Aldebaran Sunset NZ) hoisted a fresh track record of 2:00 for 2536 metres winning at Gloucester Park and, in the process, lifting his stake tally beyond the $100,000 mark.

The SKYVALLEY NZ sired Patched was named the 2023 WA Trotter of the Year following a superb season which netted six wins and six placings from 16 starts and $80,831 in stakes.

A pair of Aldebaran Park-breds, Aldebaran Dino (Andover Hall USA-Aldebaran Maori) and Aldebaran Boyd (Aldebaran Eagle USA-Aldebaran Revenue), emerged successful on consecutive Saturday nights at Melton.

Aldebaran Dino came from near last to win in a slick 1:57.5 on March 23, while Aldebaran Boyd outsprinted his rivals in the Colin Redwood Memorial VSTA Trotters Handicap Final.

On the same night Arcee Phoenix, the Aldebaran Park slot in the $575,000 The TAB Trot at New Zealand’s Cambridge Raceway, tuned up for the assignment with a convincing race record win in the Uncle Petrika Free-for-all, rating 1:53.5 for 1720 metres.

Resident sire Skyvalley NZ left the winner of the first two-year-old race of the season in She’s Sky High at Maryborough. Other SKYVALLEY NZ winners in March were Minimez and Kimkar Dash (Cambridge, NZ).

Skyvalley NZ figured as the damsire of the winners Keayang Gypsy and Fouroutoffive.

Aldebaran Eagle sired two winners in New Zealand in Aldebaran Pippi (ex Petite’s Legacy), who notched her second win at Alexandra Park, Auckland, Transtasman Bubble, a ‘new’ winner at Rangiora.

Savvy Kyvalley (Andover Hall USA-Aldebaran Dream NZ) became the sixth individual winner for the month bred by Aldebaran Park when he posted consecutive victories at Globe Derby Park and Gawler.

In further news Aldebaran Zeus has completed two weeks of training and is on track to make his return to racing around June. Meanwhile, the two-year-old Aldebaran Abel (Father Patrick USA-Aldebaran Aliza) has qualified and will make his debut in a heat of the Nutrien Equine Classic on April 12.

The Aldebaran Park yearlings are undergoing their final sales preparation and are all in great order for the Nutrien Equine Melbourne sale on April 14 at the William Inglis Sales Complex, Oaklands Junction.

Videos of all yearlings have been uploaded to the Nutrien Equine and Aldebaran Park websites.

The yearlings are:

Lot 168 – 2022 FILLY: Brillantissime FRA – Aldebaran Aliza – Muscle Hill USA – Aldebaran Ada

Lot 188 – 2022 COLT: Classic Connection FRA – Aldebaran Ay M NZ – Sundon USA – Aldebaran Atlas

Lot 271 – 2022 COLT: Aldebaran Eagle USA – Mason Magic – Kadabra USA – Aldebaran Miguel

Lot 318 – 2022 COLT: Skyvalley Nz – Regal Pepperell – Majestic Son Ca -Aldebaran Birdie

Lot 341 – 2022 COLT: Helpisontheway USA – Aldebaran Takara – Trixton USA – Aldebaran Tucker

Aldebaran Park are also preparing three yearlings on behalf of David Scott – Lot Nos.164,174 and 204 and two fromAshley Haynes – Lot Nos. 222 and 299.

All yearlings can be inspected by appointment only by contacting Farm/Stud Managers Danny Thackeray on 0407 223 819 or Melinda Thackeray 0458 223 819.

by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink