Michelle Caig back for another Sale

Winton based SBSR breeder Michelle Caig has been in the Standardbred industry for thirty years and was initially introduced to the annual yearling sales through plaiting horses for the late Paul Browman.

The first mare Michelle ever bought was Mitequila and her first foal Mistefire (Courage Under Fire) was also her first sales yearling in 2005 and was purchased by Tim Butt for $30,000.

Many of her successes at the sales have been with yearlings out of Sundon trotting mare Sun Mist, a daughter of champion trotting mare Merinai.

Michelle has been at her Price Road property for over twenty years where she runs her mares and prepares her yearlings.

Her biggest seller has been Leaf Stride (Love You – Sun Mist) which sold for $90,000 at the 2019 NZB Standardbred Sales.

Caig is back again this year and has two yearlings up for auction on Tuesday.

The first is Lot 211, a Bold Eagle colt out of Shes Like The Wind, a daughter of Sun Mist.

“He’s a beautiful moving athletic colt who’s a spitting image of Bold Eagle. He’s very light on his feet and seems to just float across the ground. I was pretty pleased Shes Like The Wind left a colt because there’s only six (yearling colts by Bold Eagle) in the country and just two in the sales,” she said.

Caig says the Bold Eagle colt is very much stamped in a European way.

“When the vets came to do his IGG, they commented how the French stallions stamp their foals. I’ve got him and one by Volstead and there’s something about horses with French blood crossed with American blood.”

Her second offering – Lot 295 – is a Majestic Son filly out of City Lane named Majestic Lane. She’s a half-sister to Group One winning trotter Our Renezmae and fourteen win trotter Saratoga.

“She got a lot of interest today (SBSR Tour). City Lane apart from Renezmae and Saratoga, hasn’t had much luck as a broodmare but it’s a great family which goes back to the Three Tens and Habibti family.”

To ensure she doesn’t lose the bloodlines, Caig has retained Majestic Lane’s two older sisters, a three year old Volstead filly and a What The Hill four year old mare.

“With Lindy Lane in pedigrees, a filly from this family would be a great cross with Orlando Vici (Just Believe) bloodlines. I’m a big fan of the French bloodlines.”

Caig says the sport is in good shape, she’s positive about its future and likes what new CEO Brad Steele is doing.

“I’m a Brad Steele fan. He’s open and comes down to tell us what he’s trying to do about the money and the stakes. It feels far more positive than it’s felt in the last ten years anyway. He’s enthusiastic and he’s brought new people in. As I said to him, if you’re in the game you’ve got to be positive.”

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink