Six Pack a serious addition to the Macca roster

With a gluttony of superstar trotting blood available to down under breeders, it’s easy for a stallion to be criminally overlooked as the term spoilt for choice would be an understatement in the upcoming season.

This year’s studbook features roughly one trotting stallion (45) for every 14 trotting mares (loosely 600) being bred!

With that being said, it presents a challenge for any trotting stallion not serving significant books to establish themselves on the ground floor. Particularly when they are not here in the flesh.

Alas, it also provides savvy breeders an opportunity to trust their instincts and produce a quality trotter by one of several up and comers in the trotting market making waves offshore and from a commercial stand point, have one of a handful as opposed to being one of many.

One such stallion is the newcomer to Macca Lodge, Six Pack (t2,1:55.4,  t3,1:49.1, $1,939,604).

The world champion son of Muscle Mass is available via frozen semen, the world record breaking trotter has the virtue of past performances, pedigree and productivity with runs on the board in North America from just two crops of racing age to warrant serious consideration for trotting breeders looking outside the box.

Six Pack was a three time World Record Holder and 2018 Dan Patch 3-Year-Old Trotting Colt of the Year with notable victories including:

• The Stanley Dancer (1:50.0) World Record
• The Kentucky Futurity (1:49.1) World Record
• The Allerage Open Trot as a 4-year-old (1;49.2) World Record
• TVG Open Trot as a 4-year-old (1:50.0) Track Record
• The Yonkers Trot
• The Empire Breeders Classic
• The Matron
• Several divisions of the NYSS as a 2-year-old and 3-year-old

Trainer Åke Svanstedt and the colt’s owners saw a glimpse of Six Pack’s potential when he closed his 2-year-old season with three consecutive victories. His campaign ended with a dominant, wire-to-wire win from post 7 in the $225,000 New York Sire Stakes Championship at Yonkers Raceway.

Their faith was well placed, as Six Pack went on to earn nearly $2 million, retiring to stud with three World Records and two Dan Patch Awards.

At three, Six Pack delivered an outstanding season, winning 11 of 15 starts. He set a World Record of 1:50 in July’s Stanley Dancer and broke that mark with a 1:49.1 performance in October’s Kentucky Futurity. Along the way, he also captured the Yonkers Trot, securing victories in two of the sport’s three Triple Crown events. He ended the year as the fastest and richest 3-year-old trotter.

But Six Pack wasn’t done. As a 4-year-old, he finished in the top two in 11 of 12 starts, becoming the first trotter to record back-to-back sub-1:50 miles. His 1:49.2 record-setting win came in the Allerage Farm Trot at The Red Mile, followed by a track-record victory in his final career start, the prestigious TVG Open Trot at the Meadowlands.

His sire line needs little introduction in this part of the world being a son of Muscle Mass, a champion producer himself who in New Zealand has produced multiple G1 winners at age group and Open Class level.

He is a son of the Hambletonian sire, Muscles Yankee, responsible for three consecutive Hambletonian winners Deweycheatumnhowe (2008), Muscle Hill (2009), and Muscle Massive (2010). Muscles Yankee in turn is the foremost son of the foundation sire, Valley Victory.

Muscle Mass was bred on 2×3 reverse sex cross to Valley Victory and the dam of Six Pack in Pleasing Lady has another cross to him.

Pleasing Lady was a stakes performed two and three-year-old filly taking a mark of 1:56.1 at three and earning in excess of $200,000. At stud she has produced four winners from six eligible to race with Six Pack being the standout, however she has also produced the $421,256 earner, Limerence (Yankee Glide), winner of the Liberty Bell as a juvenile.

Pleasing Lady is also a half-sister to the stallion Great Success (Self Possessed) whose offspring did well down under with the likes of Great Southern Star winner and 2018 Australian Trotter of the Year, Sparkling Success, being the pick of them.

Pleasing Lady is by Cantab Hall, himself an unbeaten juvenile in 10 races back in 2003 and arguably the best trotting sire in North America during the last two decades outside of Muscle Hill. His bloodlines have been prevalent in Down Under trotting of late via the deeds of sons, Volstead and Father Patrick.

Having stood his first season in the brutal market of New jersey which features the likes of world champions Tactical Landing, Muscle Hill and Walner, Six Pack punched well above his weight finishing 14^th on the 2yo money list with his debut crop.

They included Mr Bluebird 2,1:53.1, a Breeders Crown finalist and a pair of smart fillies in Sunkist Beauty 2,1:54.1 ($97,750) and Blazing Deo 2,1:54.4 ($91,150). The trio have continued to perform well into their 3YO seasons with Mr Bluebird a recent winner of the $115,000 Bluegrass Series at The Red Mile, while Sunkist Beauty trotted 1:52.2 in her only start this term in a division of the Reynolds Memorial.

The now three-year-old crop of Six Pack has produced nine six figure earners with 11 in 1:55 or better, with 47 race winners from 85 eligible to race. They have earned over $2.8 million in stakes for an average of $45,241 per starter.

His current crop of juveniles have been headed by Nordic Catcher S, an emphatic winner of the $333,000 New Jersey Sires Stakes Final in a lightning time of 1:53.3 at The Meadowlands. The product of a pacing bred Somebeachsomewhere mare has failed to run out of the money in five lifetime starts with two wins and three seconds, one of which came in the $575,000 William Wellwood at Woodbine in August.

NORDIC CATCHER S | NJSS FINAL REPLAY

The second crop of Six Pack progeny are currently 20^th on the 2yo money list with progeny earnings in excess of $750,000. Among his 61 eligible juveniles, Six Pack has 14 race winners with more than 50% having made a public appearance on race day.

Standing for a fee of $6000+GST (POLF), Six Pack warrants serious consideration for your trotting mare in the 24/25 breeding season and with impeccable fertility, don’t be put off by the frozen semen aspect if you are looking to produce a quality early going trotter.

The reports on his oldest down under crop of yearlings have been great, with young Canterbury trainer, Tom Bamford enamoured with his filly out of the G2 winner, Continental Auto.

by Brad Reid, for Harnesslink