Macca Lodge excited about upcoming season

There’s an element of excitement at Southland’s breeding nursery Macca Lodge.

As the North American stakes season starts to ramp up two stallions on the Macca Lodge roster, Perfect Sting and Six Pack, are delivering top end results.

Headlining the Macca Lodge front page is Nordic Catcher, a three year old son of Six Pack who won the $1 million Hambletonian at the Meadowlands at the weekend.

It was his third win in just five starts and he’s now won five of his ten race day appearances with winning stakes of $813,285.

“He’s tough and fast. He’s big also. So I think he could be special when he gets older and stronger,” says his trainer Ake Svanstedt who also trained Six Pack.

Six Pack has only five foals on the ground in New Zealand and Nordic Catcher’s win is bound to generate more interest this breeding season.

Six Pack was a super racehorse who won four races in 1:50 or better, established three world records and was the USA Three Year Old Trotting Colt of the Year in 2018 and Aged Trotting Horse of the Year in 2019.

From only 35 lifetime starts he won 19 and was 12 times placed for $1,939,604.

His standout season was as a three year old when he won 11 of his 15 appearances and $1,159,648 – the highest for any trotter in North America in 2018. That season he also set two world records, won two legs of the Triple Crown and was unquestionably the cream of his crop.

He hoisted a new world record for a three-year-old of 1:50 before lowering his lifetime mark with a stunning 1:49.2 performance in the $434,000 Kentucky Futurity at The Red Mile.

Among his other successes at three were the $500,000 Yonkers Trot by 7-3/4 lengths in a race record of 1:54, the $220,000 Empire Breeders Classic, the $193,000 Matron Stakes and an elimination of the Breeders Crown.

At four he trotted a world record of 1:49.4 and capped his career by capturing the $350,000 TVG Open at The Meadowlands in a track record of 1:50.

“Six Pack is an incredibly powerful horse bundled with speed and intelligence. He had a flawless gait that made him equally formidable over the half-mile track as well as the mile track,” Svanstedt said.

Six Pack’s service fee is $5,000 live foal or $4,500 42 days.

Perfect Sting has also got Macca Lodge enthusiastic as he’s starting to make an impact on the racetracks in North America with his eldest progeny just two in America.

Last weekend Be Perfect BG kept her undefeated record intact with a devastating 1:50.1 win in the $180,000 New Jersey Sire Stakes Final at The Meadowlands and in doing so equalled the season’s fastest mile for a two year old pacer.

“When she came to us she was a nice good-sized filly, well put together. She’s been nothing but exceptional since and she keeps getting better and better every week,” said trainer Anthony Beaton in America.

Be Perfect BG is out of Somebeachsomewhere mare JK Mardi and the victory extended Be Perfect BG’s earnings to $121,950.

Another filly by Perfect Sting, Beautiful Memory, also won in Kentucky at the weekend.

Trained by Tony Alagna the filly drew gate seven in the $80,000 Championship Series but that didn’t hinder her from winning her first race in just her third start. She was bred by Brittany Farms and was a $250,000 sales purchase.

Beautiful Memory is out of Reflect With Me (Captaintreacherous).

As a racehorse Perfect Sting was undefeated in ten of his starts as a two year old. And he was the first undefeated two year old colt pacer to win the Breeders Crown. He was crowned Dan Patch Champion Two Year-Old Pacing Colt of that year. At three he became the richest standardbred of his season, amassing $1.2 million and once again he was named Dan Patch Champion.

He’s the only pacing stallion in recent times to win the Breeders Crown and the Dan Patch Award as both a two year old and three year old.

Perfect Sting’s major victories included the $600,000 Breeders Crown eliminations and final at both two and three, the $250,000 Kentucky Sire Stakes Final and the $359,300 Bluegrass Stakes.

He ran seconds in finals of North America Cup, Little Brown Jug and Meadowlands Pace.

Perfect Sting is by champion sire Always B Miki the co-fastest pacer in history, and is out of the fastest three year old pacing filly of all time, Shebestingin.

“His semen is incredibly good. The first twelve mares we served last year got in foal, bang. Always B Miki won’t be here this season, and Perfect Sting is his best son out of a world champion mare who was the fastest Bettor’s Delight mare. So that’s why we’re pushing him,” McIntyre said.

Perfect Sting stands at Macca Lodge for $6,000 live foal, $5,400 42 day and $4,800 for two or more mares.

Lord Forbes will also spend another season at Macca Lodge and from the limited number of mares he’s served he’s doing a ‘job’. In an age when you need speed, Lord Forbes progeny has that in spades and the recently exported Louies Girl (1-53.5) is testimony to that.

“He got fifteen mares last year and got fourteen in foal. If you’ve got a big mare who’s hard to get in foal, Lord Forbes is your horse,” McIntyre said. This breeding season he stands on farm for a $1,000 service fee.

New to Macca Lodge this season is the royally bred and highly credentialled Captaintreacherous stallion US Captain.

U S Captain paced 16 sub-1:50 miles, recorded 52 top three finishes with 22 wins, took a mark of 1:49, and had one place time of 1:48.1. He was purchased as a yearling for $180,000 by Tony Alagna who trained him through his two, three and four year old seasons.

“US Captain was a terrific individual with an effortless gait who possessed the type of high end speed it takes to become a successful sire in any jurisdiction. He’s horse with one of the greatest pedigrees in harness racing. He’s a can’t miss!” Alagna stated about him.

With world champions on both side of his pedigree, US Captain has one of the best pedigrees you will find, being by world champion sire Captaintreacherous and out of a world champion race mare American Jewel (American Ideal).

American Jewel became a world champion at both two and three, she was a multiple Group winner including 4 Group One races and amassed $1,840,565 in stakes, while setting or equalling no less than four world records.

American Jewel’s pedigree extends back to Hall of Fame pacing filly Three Diamonds who’s one of the greatest producers of all time. Three Diamonds is the dam of world champion and successful sire Life Sign, multiple stakes winner Threefold, and is the granddam of champion racehorse and leading sire American Ideal. This family is full of athleticism and precocious early running blood.

“He’s so royally bred. We got involved in the horse through Daryll Brown at Wai Eyre Farms to try and help the breeding industry,” McIntyre said.

US Captain has spent two seasons in the breeding barn in North America, with excellent fertility.

“He’s a stallion that can go to Bettor’s Delight mares. That’s the key because there are so many of them in New Zealand. “

US Captain is totally New Zealand owned and is Harness 5000 and Next Gen eligible.

“He’s coming down here and not going back to America, so the money stays here,” McIntyre said.

U S Captain will stand for $3,000.00 + GST or $2,500 + GST if bred on farm plus no working fee.

“He’s the right price because it’s a pretty important year for breeding. A lot of people may only be breeding from one but have another mare in the paddock. You can breed to him for only two and a half grand.”

Macca Lodge is implementing it’s desire to introduce new blood into the harness racing scene in New Zealand and these are exciting times.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink