Owners reap rewards with expensive fillies

Unbeaten two-year-old filly Lux Aeterna (Captaintreacherous) and brilliant three-year-old trotter Tradie Lady (Trixton), who won their respective harness racing finals of the Nutrien Equine Classic at Bendigo, were the top priced fillies at their yearling sales.

Tradie Lady was knocked down for $90,000 at the inaugural Nutrien sale in Melbourne in 2021, while Lux Aeterna fetched $70,000 at last year’s Sydney sale.

Lux Aeterna, now the winner of just shy of $200,000, was bred by Doug and Janet Moore’s Brooklyn Lodge stud and noted Brisbane breeder Alf La Spina and is owned by La Spina.

She was one of two Nutrien Classic winners produced by champion sire Captaintreacherous, the other being the three-year-old colt Captain Hammerhead, who realised $90,000 at the 2021 Melbourne auction. He was bred by the Roger Bazley Syndicate.

Tradie Lady, a daughter of Muscle Hill’s Hambletonian winning son Trixton, provided the first leg of a winning double for Pat Driscoll’s Yabby Dam Farms, the sponsors of the trotting series through his Haras Des Trotteurs’ stud farm.

Driscoll also bred the winner of the $62,500 final for two-year-old trotting colts and geldings in the Love You colt Valtino, a bargain buy at $20,000 at the 2022 Melbourne sale.

Sweet Bella, the winner of the $100,000 three-year-old fillies’ decider, and who is unbeaten in five attempts, realised the second highest price paid for a filly at the inaugural sale at $90,000. The Sweet Lou miss was bred by Kaye and the late Martin Harnett and offered by Alabar Bloodstock, also the breeders of the two-year-old trotting fillies’ victor in No Telling Heather (by Sebastian K).

The other Nutrien Classic winners were the two-year-old colt The Bigboss (by Bettor’s Delight) and the three-year-old trotting colt Prince Of Rock (by Wishing Stone), who realised $75,000 and $22,000 respectively.

The Bigboss was bred by the New Zealand-based Croon Bloodstock, while Prince Of Rock was bred by Goulburn Valley enthusiasts Malcolm and Joan Shaw and their daughter Louise Pangrazio.

by Peter Wharton, for Harness Racing Victoria