Full sister to Huntsville headed for New Zealand

North Auckland couple, Trent & Kristie Mason, aren’t what you would call household names in the New Zealand harness racing community.

Regardless of their aspirations to become a leading player in the Standardbred breeding sector, you get the feeling the humble husband and wife team formally known as Mason Bloodstock would be quite happy to continue flying under the radar!

As they are quickly finding out, however, you can’t make a splash without causing a few ripples and sooner rather than later, scribes like this one were bound to come knocking.

After a decade away from the Harness Racing industry while pursuing their various business interests, Trent & Kristie Mason returned to the sport and jumped straight into the deep end.

The pair went to Karaka and spent a little over six figures on a Bettor’s Delight filly out of Goodlookinggirl having purchased a few well-bred fillies prior. One privately, and another as a weanling.

Those interests have grown rapidly in the time since and with half a dozen well-bred youngsters on the books, the pair have set about taking their bloodstock interests to the next level.

The Mason’s are keen to set about establishing themselves as one of Australasia’s premier boutique breeding operations. As self-made and successful business people (more on that later), they have a fair idea of how to build something from the ground up. They’ve started how they mean to continue and are well aware that investing in bloodstock means playing the long game.

Kristie has a lifetime of experience in and around sport horses having jumped, bred and produced show jumpers and her husband happily concedes she is the brains and smarts behind the day-to-day operations of Mason Bloodstock as well as dealing with the wellbeing of the horses.

Trent’s passion and experience in harness racing, as well as a sound knowledge of pedigrees having picked up the bug at a young age has combined to put together a formidable band of stock to breed and race with.

“We’re really excited to get involved and enjoy the racing as well as supporting the industry,” said Kristie.

With a solid future foundation laid, the pair have gone where few others in these parts of the world have dared and that is to the sales ring in North America.

“When my wife Kristy and I decided to get back into the sport, I spent some time talking to people and I asked John Curtin where he thought the investment opportunities were,” said the 47-year-old Trent Mason.

“At that point, he felt it was importing good broodmares, something which has been done before at various stages of the last few decades, but not so much in recent times.

“It was always our plan to go to the Lexington yearling sales this year and look for some nice American-bred fillies but that changed a bit when I saw something that caught my eye online,” he said.

The mare in question was Lot One in an online mixed sale offering a Somebeachsomewhere full sister to the siring sensation Huntsville as a three-in-one package. Not only was the mare offering regal bloodlines but had a beautiful looking Tall Dark Stranger colt at foot and was in foal to the champion son of Bettor’s Delight as well.

“I typically keep an eye on the Preferred Equine Online Sales and when I saw this mare available, she looked as good as anything we would hope to acquire at Lexington,” said Mason.

“Ironically I had actually marked her Tall Dark Stranger yearling filly down on my shortlist of targets for Lexington in the fall given she ticked all the boxes with both pedigree and performance in the family.

“I was also very keen to find something that had a current stallion close up in the family because I genuinely believe it will be such a benefit to anything imported to have that on their pedigree page in the catalogue.

“Huntsville will sit in the 2^nd dam line of any future progeny out of this mare which is a rarity. He is doing such a great job, not just in North America but with what he produced with one Australian crop as well,” he said.

With his target identified, Mason went about securing credit with the North American sales company and was given his limit on the eve of the online auction ending.

Typical of a lot of online auctions for Bloodstock (heck even a bloody Trade Me listing), the bidding went from a lull to a firestorm of action with the last ten minutes seeing the price increase closer and closer to Mason’s point of no return.

“I was actually bidding on another mare below her and she was well within my budget. I wanted them both but Rodeo Beach had started to climb near my limit in $2000 increments and it was actually very lucky on my part that the underbidder didn’t go another bid or I would have missed her completely,” he laughed.

Knocked down for a healthy figure six-figure sum, Mason was perilously close to disaster, as he pointed out a single extra bid would have seen him out of the action and sitting on the sidelines.

Not only had he secured the full sister to a world champion pacer and sire in Huntsville, the package also included a Tall Dark Stranger colt at foot and the knowledge the mare was also in foal to the superstar pacer once more.

In a nutshell, it would be hard to argue that the arrival of Rodeo Beach in New Zealand in a few months would not be one of the most significant additions to the New Zealand studbook in recent memory.

With both current and past stallion success close up in the maternal family and a bottom line that reads, Somebeachsomwhere x Western Hanover x Artsplace x Big Towner, she carries some of the most influential blood of any mare anywhere in the world.

Rodeo Beach’s maternal family is stacked and has had the fuse lit once more by her Western Hanover dam, Wild West Show.

In 2017 with just five foals of racing age, Wild West Show joined a list of broodmare greats as the United States Broodmare of the Year.

When you see the names that preceded her such as: Artstopper, the dam of Always B Miki, Sweet Future, the dam of Sweet Lou, Worldly Treasure, the dam of Captaintreacherous and Artistic Future, the dam of Rock N Roll Heaven, you get a fair idea of the rarefied company she was joining in a list that will forever be enshrined as a who’s who of the North American studbook.

The recognition came on the back of a stellar season by her three-year-old superstar son, Hunstville (Somebeachsomewhere), North America’s fastest 3YO of the 2017 season.

Huntsville was in a vaunted crop and possibly the best of the last decade with the likes of Downbytheseaside and Fear The Dragon among him. Huntsville raced against eventual 3YO & Pacer of the Year Downbytheseaside three times and defeated him all three times they raced each other.

In 2016 Huntsville was the Dan Patch 2-Year-Old pacing champion. He paced to a World Record mile at Lexington winning the International Stallion Stakes in 1:49. He captured the Breeders Crown at the Meadowlands winning in a track record time of 1:49. Huntsville was also victorious in the Bluegrass, the Breeders Crown Elimination, the Pa. Sires Stakes Final as well as multiple Pa. Sires events.

It should come as absolutely no surprise that Huntsville has achieved remarkable early success as a stallion based at Blue Chip Farms where he has been dominant from the word go, particularly in the Sires Stakes system of New York.

His first crop of two-year-olds finished fifth on the juvenile money list in 2021, ahead of the likes of his Blue Chip stablemates American Ideal and Bettor’s Delight. This crop of now five-year-olds has earned in excess of $12million and an average of $109,018 for every eligible live foal (111).

In 2024, Huntsville is establishing himself as one of the stars of the stallion barn leading the 2YO money list by almost $900,000. Although third on the 3YO money list, he is just $23,000 from Captaintreacherous in first place, with $1.2million back to fourth place. With just four crops of racing age and significantly less foals of the sires ahead of him, Huntsville is fifth on the All Age money list also.

HUNTSVILLE | 2017 MEADOWLANDS PACE REPLAY

To date, Huntsville is the sire of over $30million in progeny earnings, with 102 $100,000 earners, 28 $250,000 earners and 1 millionaire. He is also the sire of 125 in 1:53 or better and 21 in 1:50 or better with 81.4% starters to foals of racing age.

It must also be noted that Huntsville made an immediate impact in his limited stud career to date Down Under when he stood for one season in 2018/19. He has 81 winners from his 133 live foals including this year’s G1 $355,000 Rising Sun winner, Wisper A Secret. Much to the envy of New Zealand breeders who have yet to gain access to the son of Somebeachsomewhere, Hunstville was made available by frozen semen for his second season at Cobbitty last year and will be full and closed with limited availability once more.

You don’t win Broodmare of the Year being a one trick pony, and Wild West Show has proven herself to be from that with a stud career that is pushing some of the champion broodmares such as Lady Ashlee Ann.

While not quite in that class yet, her 11 eligible foals to race have all raced and won, with seven of them earning $100,000, 3 of the $500,000 and obviously the millionaire son in Huntsville the standout. 9 of her progeny have won in 1:55 and 4 in 1:50 or better for total progeny earnings of $3.8million.

It’s not hard to see why Mason was enamoured with Lot 1, Rodeo Beach, the full sister to Huntsville and three other sub 1:50 full brothers in Cowboy Terrier, Stevensville, & Branqhuino.

There is a host of stakes performed pacers in the maternal family, including the Artsplace second dam, Sweet On Art who was a 1:49.2 race-winning 4YO. Her dam, Town Sweetheart produced 17 live foals for 16 starters and 13 race winners. 9 won in excess of $100,000 with 3 earning more than $500,000 and achieving 1:50 or better marks.

The most recognisable to many would be the Camluck pacer and stallion, Northern Luck who passed away in 2012.

Racing only at age two and three, Northern Luck won 18 of his 40 starts and $907,974 in stakes. Among his list of successes was the $408,000 Tattersalls Pace, during which he took his lifetime mark of 1:49.1 — the fastest time put by any pacer in 1997.

He also captured three finals of the Ontario Sires Stakes’ Gold Series, the Nassagaweya Stakes, the Woodbine Gold Cup, Canadian Breeders Championship and an elimination of the North America Cup.

First at the stud in New Jersey and later in Ontario, Northern Luck left six in the 1:50 list, 165 in 1:55, 123 $100,000 winners and progeny earnings of almost $38 million. Perhaps his best performer was the outstanding free-for-aller Silent Swing, 1:48.4, the winner of $1.6 million.

In Australia, Northern Luck, who stood at Royalstar Farm near Perth, sired more than 80 individual winners and they have won $1.9 million so far.

He was the leading sire of two and three-year-olds in Western Australia, with his first two crops including the WA three-year-old sires stakes champion Edna Anne, Touch Of Tango (WA Country Derby), Moonlight Rockhole (WA North East Derby) and Primo Hammer (SA Mermaid Stakes).

Although Rodeo Beach failed to reach the dizzying heights of some of her siblings, she was far from a slouch winning her debut qualifier in 1:57.1 as a two-year-old and was a race-winning juvenile at Pocono Downs in 1:56. At three she won on two more occasions with a lifetime mark of 1:53.3 on the 5/8 mile track at Pocono and retired with a record of 3 wins and 9 placings from 19 starts.

Rodeo Beach’s first two foals, both fillies by Always B Miki, are unsighted in public at this stage however early reports are positive with the pair needing some time to fill into their frames like som of the Miki stock while their Tall Dark Stranger half-sister will sell at Lexington in just a few months.

Rodeo Beach’s (first) colt at foot as part of the package is reported to be the biggest and strongest type the mare has produced to date and Mason is still a bob each way on whether or not the imposing son of Tall Dark Stranger will stay put in North America, or make the venture to New Zealand with his dam.

“The mare is due to go into quarantine in the next week or two but we are undecided at this stage with what to do with the Tall Dark Stranger colt at foot.

“I spoke with the owner leading into the auction and he was very bullish about the fact this guy being the best developed of any of her foals at a similar age and you only need to look at the photos to see he is a special looking animal.

“In some of the videos (see the one below!!) he looked a very natural mover. On the surface, you would argue that his value might lie in North America given he was foaled in March. It just puts him a fairway behind the others in his crop if he was to enter our system, particularly if your trying to succeed in the age group classics.

“We may leave him in North America and look to put him through the sales ring up there, but if he keeps developing the way he is I’m sure he will be in demand no matter what we decide,” he said.

Another logistical issue for the Mason’s is the fact that Rodeo Beach is due to foal in late February at a time when most standardbred studs have long concluded their breeding season and have their primary focus on the yearling sales.

“We are yet to find somebody in the North Island who can take her at that time, so we have a bit of work to do in that regard as we want to ensure that she has the best of everything and we leave no stone unturned,” he said.

For Trent & Kristie Mason, that approach is has seen the couple thrive in every venture to date, one that includes a highly successful supply business in the New Zealand building industry with Masons NZ.

Established in 1999, the business employing over 20 staff offers a variety of quality products and tools for a wide range of building requirements.

“We would like to bring to the harness industry the same moral standards that we have done with our existing business’ throughout the years and we are hoping to build some strong long-term reciprocal relationships with all concerned in the future,” he said.

The growing bloodstock portfolio is much more pronounced than your typical flash-in-the-pan investment, and it is clear that the humility of the husband and wife partnership stands them in good stead as they set about achieving their aspirations in the sport.

In Part Two of this story, we will delve deeper into the couple behind Mason Bloodstock discussing how the Australian/Kiwi couple came to meet, how Trent became interested in the sport of harness racing, why his wife Kristie is integral to the operation and how after 10 years out of the industry, the pair came back with a vision for the future.

It’s a welcome story at a time when HRNZ has launched its own pathway for growth and a sustainable future. As they say, the future starts now.

by Brad Reid, for Harnesslink