What Sires are ‘hot’ & who is not – post 2025 Yearling Sales
Rob Courtney
One man’s opinion….
Certain harness presenters will tell us that the success (or lack of it) of the yearling sales is a good barometer to how well the harness racing game is travelling at any given time.
For stallion owners, it is a strong indicator of how popular their charge(s) is/are amongst commercial breeders at least and potentially what the next 12 months might look like from a breeding point of view as those same commercial breeders re-evaluate their choice of consort/s for their respective broodmare band.
‘Commercial’ breeders have a choice.
Breed to a stallion that best suits your mare or breed your mare to what you think the buying bench will want in two years’ time.
Both decisions are fraught with potential negative repercussions with the latter choice perhaps more likely to deliver a positive result for the vendor.
For those breeders who wish to avoid the pressure of the sales ring and are happy racing their homebred stock, any stallion that you choose is ok and your ‘field of choice’ far more extensive.
After all, all stallions can leave one good horse. Roydon Glen left Lyell Creek. Steven Stock left Happy Sunrise & Gay Gordon left Mighty Gay….just to pluck some examples from obscurity !
This ‘librarian’ of harness history couldn’t name another horse by any of those three stallions.
Those who wish to frequent the yearling sales with their horses have a limited stallion selection and the 2025 results have just confirmed what many breeders know already.
Captaintreacherous
Newly crowned ‘Stallion of the Year’ Captaintreacherous was clearly the most popular sire at the sales. Of the 5 lots (Auckland & Christchurch) that brought over $200k, three were by the son of Somebeachsomewhere including the two sales toppers @ $360k, incidentally both being from Bettor’s Delight mares.
21 of his 26 yearlings on offer sold for an average of $134k, a fair return on his $25k service fee but he does serve a limited book in NZ and the criteria for broodmare selection would seem to be on the rise.
And will his fee go up in the next breeding season?
The other two yearlings that surpassed the $200k threshold were colts by champion sire Bettor’s Delight (from Imagine Me) & Face Time Bourbon (from Dance Craze), the latter being from arguably Australasia’s most commercial ‘current’ trotting family.
Bettor’s Delight’s yearlings averaged just over $73k and historically his good colts have always done well at the ‘sales’.
The question now is ……how long can he keep going for?
Fresh from some excellent performances on the racetrack, on both sides of the Tasman, Always B Miki rose to the top of the Alabar roster.
15 of his 23 yearlings sold for an average of $58k with Lot 156 (also from a Bettor’s Delight mare) selling for $190k.
Considering breeders could have gone to him in 2024 for $6k (incl 20% discount), he would seem a viable/affordable choice.
Art Major has long been a successful sire in this part of the world and while his stock averaged $43k, he, like Bettor’s Delight, is in the twilight of his career and his commercial days are surely numbered.
Sweet Lou has proven ‘doubters’ wrong and his average of $44k was a reflection of how just how high a regard his stock are now held, especially in Australia, a far cry from a couple of years back when many of our horse judges maligned his progeny.
Lot 128 brought $150k, and yes, the colt was from a Bettor’s Delight mare.
There was positive speculation around the progeny of 3x Miracle Mile winner and first season sire King Of Swing. His 6 lots on offer all sold, for an average of $51k, a healthy return on his 2024 stud fee of $6500.
He has only served small numbers here in NZ but if his stock can produce results on the track, then his stallion future should be assured.
Downbytheseaside
Of the other pacing stallions, and again based on some very good racetrack results, Downbytheseaside sold 29/42 yearlings for an average of just over $40k with Lot 83 fetching $150k & yes that colt too was from a Bettor’s Delight mare !
With greater opportunities for the straight-out trotter, Tactical Landing (top lot $150k), Bold Eagle (top lot $110k), What The Hill (top lot $170k) & Bird Parker (top lot $180k) all had moments of ‘brightness’ but on small numbers sold. With the exception of What The Hill, their respective service fees are also ‘up there’ in the higher price bracket.
With the exception of Tall Dark Stranger, (sold 4/5 at an average $54k) who might not be available again to NZ breeders, no other stallion had their progeny average over $40k.
There were 24 stallions catalogued at Auckland, 11 of which had two or less representatives at Karaka. At Christchurch 35 stallions were catalogued & 19 had two or less of their progeny on show.
The point is that it is difficult to gauge a stallion’s popularity on such small sample groups.
The other obvious point to make is that only 11 of those stallions averaged over $40k and after considering the costs of getting those horses to the sales (the costs on top of service fees & vet charges), would it be
fair to say that this exercise was likely not a successful financial journey for many owners/vendors.
We have several sires on both sides of the Tasman doing an excellent job in terms of winners produced (most likely from ‘less’ commercial families) who would not have it in their best interests to be entered in the yearling sales.
Certain stallions, at both gaits, have been identified as ‘unfashionable’ as commercial identities and for some reason best known to the ‘buying bench’ remain unwanted in the sales forum.
At this time, the writer chooses not to give clear examples so as not to offend any stallion owners
As always, this is a ‘moving beast’ and what is ‘hot’ now may not be the case in two year’s time, as young stallions prove themselves on the track or new stallions become available.
To the ‘commercial’ breeder, best of the luck with your decision making.