Restrepo making his mark as a sire

With Australian bred harness racing sires now having established themselves in no uncertain manner in the top bracket as sires, Restrepo, who stands at the Tipperary Equine stud, of Luke Primmer at Young (NSW), has stud credentials second to none.

A fine pacer himself, Restrepo listed among his 19 successes the Ballarat Pacing Cup, the Victoria Legends, 4YO Bonanza and Sapling Stakes, racing against and beating the best horses in commission. He won seven of his first eight starts as a two and three-year-old.

Restrepo retired with a stake tally of $527,118 – an excellent total for a brief career.

From the time his first crop raced in 2018 Restrepo’s stock have demonstrated over and over again that they combine speed, stamina and staying ability.

His initial crop of nine foals produced seven winners including the SA Southern Cross 3YO Final winner Urbadboy and the good metropolitan winners Misstrepo, Sidstrepo and Hes The Judge.

Among Restrepo’s second crop is the very smart racemare Relentless Me, the winner of nine races to date and $150,390 including the Tasmanian Oaks and a heat of the Victoria Oaks (fourth in final) and a finalist in the Vicbred Super Series and Breeders Crown.

Restrepo’s percentage of winners to starters is exceptional. From mainly unselected mares he has sired 12 winners and two placegetters from 17 starters at an average of an amazing $30,717 per starter.

On the score of blood Restrepo lacks nothing. His sire Art Major was a champion with stake earnings of $3.2million and has been one of Australia’s top sires for some time.

Shes Innocent, the dam of Restrepo, was a half-sister to 10 winners including the Chariots of Fire and dual Oaks winner Innocent Eyes, grand-dam of the Vicbred champion and 4YO Bonanza winner Bondi Lockdown.

Restrepo combines the blood of Art Major, Lordship, Lumber Dream, Out To Win, U Scott and Dillon Hall – all top sires and broodmare sires – and he belongs to one of Australasia’s leading maternal families, that founded by Topsy, the ancestress of NZ’s current leading juvenile Cold Chisel.

A stunning individual standing 15.3 hands, Restrepo really stamps his foals in the same mould as himself.

Restrepo is standing for the modest fee of $2,200 including GST and breeders are eligible for a range of ‘Breed NSW’ incentives including $250 on a 42 day positive test, $1,000 on the 2023 HRNSW registration of a live foal and $500 for live foals by stallions domiciled in NSW.

by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink