Six of the best from Soho Standardbreds

The Soho brand is one of the most recognisable in harness racing in this country…. 

Their honour roll includes top pacers the calibre of Soho Tribeca, Soho Lennon, Carlas Pixel, Soho Valencia, Soho Wall Street, Soho Burning Love and numerous others. 

Owned by Perth businessman and harness racing aficionado Robert Watson, Soho Standardbreds have been great supporters of the Australian Pacing Gold sales-race concept and the WA yearling sales for more than two decades. 

Next Sunday Soho Standardbreds is offering a six-strong draft – three colts and three fillies – for the APG Perth Yearling Sale at the Magic Millions complex, Middle Swan. 

And the ‘Class of 2025’ looks every inch the equal at least of Soho’s previous quality consignments on the score of both pedigree and type. 

They represent the champion sire American Ideal and exciting, young sires in Huntsville, Poster Boy and the homebred Soho Tribeca,and are out of the best maternal families in Australia and New Zealand. 

The draft are being prepared by experienced horsewoman Janey Napoli at J Farm, a 120 acre irrigated agistment, rehab and pre-training property at Waroona, 100 kilometres south of Perth. 

Janey, whose background is with thoroughbreds, has prepared yearlings for the Perth galloping sales for the last nine years. She has been involved in the horse industry for 18 years, having started out preparing yearlings for the Gold Coast sales. 

This represents her first foray into harness racing. 

“I foaled down Robert Watson’s mares last year and then he asked me to prepare his yearlings for the sale,” Janey said. 

The first of the Soho Standardbreds’ colts is Lot 342, a bay by last season’s leading first crop sire Poster Boy out of the Westbred Classic, WA Sales Classic and APG heat winner Soho Interceptor 1:55.9 ($177,634), a daughter of the Australian 2YO Filly of the Year Aussie Made Lombo. 

Soho Interceptor’s first issue is the Vicbred Super Series 2YO Final placegetter Soho Americano (1:57). 

“He’s the whole package,” Janey said. 

Next into the ring will be Lot 415, an American Ideal colt form the Art Major mare Soho Whisper NZ (1:56.3), a Western Crown and Diamond Classic placegetter. 

“He’s my top pick. He is a long barrelled colt with a real presence about him, “she said. 

The last of the colts is Lot 457, a strong brown/black colt by Soho Tribeca from the unraced Soho Amazing Grace, a Mach Three daughter of Aussie Made Lombo. She ranks as the dam of the Melton winner and Breeders Crown finalist Thinkfast Runfast (1:56.2). 

The first of the Soho fillies is Lot 321, a product of Huntsville and the lightly raced Soho Siren, an Art Major mare who figures as the dam of the promising young Victorian pacer Catalpa Rescue 1:54.8 ($140,260), whose seven successes include the Group 2 Caduceus Club Classic and a heat of the NSW Derby. 

“She’s a beautiful filly with good size,” Janey stated. 

Lot 330 is a neat, compact American Ideal sister to the Group 2 and 3 victor Soho Dow Jones 1:54.4 ($249,586) and a half-sister to the Group 1 placegetter Soho Sinatra 1:51.8 ($181,952) and last season’s two-year-old winner Soho Empire State. 

Completing the draft is Lot 455, a lovely filly by the WA Pacing Cup winner Soho Tribeca out of the outstanding racemare and four-time Group winner Aussie Made Lombo 1:55.1 ($578,456).  

She’s a half-sister to the dual Group 1 winner Soho Interceptor and the Vicbred Silver winner Soho Moonraker and to the dams of Catalpa Rescue and Soho Americano. 

For full details of these or any other yearlings in the 2025 Perth Yearling Sale please visit APG’s Online Sales Catalogue or Register as a Buyer today! 

From APG Ltd