S u m m e r 2 0 1 1

Steven ReidComeback Man Of The Year

2yo

s

Australia’s fastest & richest 2yo ColtRoyal Verdict – 1:55.0; $437,195

Australia’s richest 2yo GeldingSushi Sushi - $234,181

Australia’s richest 2yo FillyAussie Made Lombo - $315,896

Australia’s fastest 2yo FillySheezallattitude - 1:55.1; $197,614

1st, 2nd and 3rd placegetters in the2010 Breeders Crown - 2yo Fillies FinalWon by Passions Promise - $234,181

1st and 2nd placegetters in the2010 Breeders Crown - 2yo C&G FinalWon by Royal Verdict - $437,195

Seven Individual $100,000+ 2yo win-ners

3yo

s

Australia’s richest 3yo ColtFor A Reason - $242,982 in 09/10

Two of Australia’s three richest 3yo GeldingsDavid Hercules - $190,929 in 09/10Chariot King - $155,143 in 09/10

Australia’s fastest 3yo ColtMaywyn Jasper – 1:52.7

Australia’s fastest 3yo FillyStunnin Girl – 1:54.1

Nine Individual Group One Winners

Bonnie MahoneyChariot KingDavid HerculesFor A ReasonGem Of ReibeyMaywyn JasperNickle MissRocknrollaStunnin Girl

4yo

s

Australia’s richest 4yo ColtBonavista Bay - $338,818 in 09/10

Australia’s richest 4yo GeldingVillagem - $271,725 in 09/10

Winners of every Australian Group One Race for 4yo Colts & Geldings

Breeders Crown - VillagemChariots Of Fire - VillagemGold Nugget - Bonavista BayMcInerney Ford Classic - Bonavista BayVicbred Super Series - Bonavista Bay

Look at what APG Sales Graduates Achieved in 2009/10

Sales Dates:Premium Gold SaleOaklands Junction, MelbourneFriday, 4 February 2011

Melbourne SaleOaklands Junction, MelbourneSunday, 6 February 2011

BrisbaneAlbion Park, AlbionSunday, 13 February 2011

Sydney SaleNewmarket, RandwickSunday, 27 February 2011

Order your catalogue online at www.apgold.com.au or phone +61 3 9372 9833.

PGW SALES PRODUCE RECORD GROUP WINNERS

MORE AUStRALASIAN GROUP ONE, tWO OR thREE WINNERS IN 2009-10 thAN ANy OthER SALE.

2009 - 2010 Group Wins

Group 1 Group 2 Group 3

77 (45 Aust) 33 (19 Aust) 16 (7 Aust) 28 (19 Aust)

PURCHASED AT THE SALES • PURCHASED AT THE SALES • PURCHASED AT THE SALES • PURCHASED AT THE

PURCHASED AT THE SALES • PURCHASED AT THE SALES • PURCHASED AT THE SALES • PURCHASED AT THE

2011 AUStRALASIAN CLASSIC yEARLING SALEKaraka, Saturday, February 19th

2011 NEW ZEALAND PREMIER SELECt yEARLING SALEChristchurch, February 21st, 22nd & 23rd

www.pggwrightson.co.nz for the catalogue80 Trotting and 530 Pacing Yearlings including 300 by Art Major, Bettor’s Delight, Christian Cullen and Mach Three

PUBLISHER’S NOTE | CHA

EVERYTHING HAPPENSFOR A REASON

Young horseman Luke McCarthybought just one yearling two yearsago, but it certainly proved theright one in For A Reason, other-wise known as Frank.

BARRON BRINGS THE BEST

Whether it's driving a horse or agolf ball well known New Zealandhorseman Ken Barron alwaysbrings his A game.

THE VERDICT IS INShowing an innate ability to winwhen the big money was on theline, Royal Verdict was the cream ofthe crop of last year’s two-year-olds. No one is betting against himto repeat as a three-year-old either.

CONTENTS • Summer 2011

THE CALL OF HOMEThe combination of weather andthe lure of home led DarrenMcCall to return to Queenslandwhere he is now re-establishinghimself as one of the better horse-men in the racing game.

AMPION'S CLOSET ~ Smoken Up

WHAT DO YEARLING BUYERS WANT?

With yearling sales just around thecorner, a number of prominentbuyers provide their insights intowhat they want in a prospectivepurchase

Q & A: STEVEN REIDNew Zealand trainer Steven Reidhas had his highs and lows in theracing game with top pacer GoldAce providing the thrills thesedays.

THE PARKER PRINCIPLESTony Parker has accomplished agreat deal during his career as a vet-erinarian, horse owner and breederbut will likely be best rememberedas the breeder of Auckland Reactor.

HIGH HOPES FOR GEEGEELast season Paramount Geegeewon nine of 11 starts including theAustralian Breeders Crown and histrainer John Dickie predicts betterthings to come this year at three.

Note: The Harness Edge Downunder has not tested, nor does it endorse the products/services advertised within.

PUBLISHER’S NOTE • Summer 2011

Harold HowePublisher/Director Advertising Saleshhowe@theharnessedge.com

Heather MacKay RobertsManaging Editorhmr@theharnessedge.com

Phil NiallNew Zealand RepresentativeMobile: 021 900141Res: 09 3073900philniall@hotmail.com

Kathryn PatchettArt Directorkpatchett@theharnessedge.com

Marian HoweOffice & Circulation Managercirculation@theharnessedge.com

Contributing WritersMax Agnew, Chris Barsby, Ivan Behrns, Brad Bishop, Garrick Knight, Barry Lichter and Jeff Scott

PhotographersChris Barsby, Trish Dunnell, New Image Media, Kathy Parker, Corey Peace and Race Images

This month’s cover:Photo by Trish Dunell

The Harness Edge Downunder45 Dalkeith Drive., Unit 5,Brantford, Ontario, Canada N3P 1M1519-752-2800 • Fax: 519-752-2207

February is always an interestingmonth for the horse industry in thispart of the world. The weather is gen-

erally fine, the racing is going full tilt andthe yearling sales are underway.

Unlike the United States and Canada,harness racing in Australia and NewZealand is not reeling from drops in wager-ing. Yes, there has been a reduction inprize money at Addington Raceway butoverall it’s nothing like the situation inNorth America.

Yearling sales are an interesting phe-nomenon. For the sellers it’s a nervousperiod when the payoff for the past 16months work comes to fruition. No oneneeds to be told how difficult it is to turn aprofit breeding horses but that has notstopped people from trying to producethat next champion. No one has been ableto corner the market on that part of thegame and that intellectual puzzle fuels theinterest.

From the buyers’ perspective the talesof inexpensive yearlings going on to winmillions of dollars is the stuff of dreams.Who hasn’t pondered the prospect of find-ing the next Monkey King in the comingweeks?

The reality of the current situation isthat the sales quite likely will produceresults very similar to last year’s auctions.The best yearlings on conformation andpedigree will command the top prices andthere are a handful of sires that will be verymuch in demand.

New Zealand breeders are hopefulthat the power of the Australian dollar willlure the Aussies across the pond in pursuitof the Kiwi-breds. The Australian breeders,encouraged by the impending explosion of

prize money for Tabcorp Park at Menanglein New South Wales, are looking for strongaction from their customers.

Gradually, every so gradually, theinterest in trotting horses is inching for-ward. Enthusiasm for this segment of thebusiness lags badly behind Europe andNorth America but it is growing thanks to ahandful of aficionados. The decision byinternational horseman Jean-Pierre Duboisto sponsor the Inter Dominion TrottingChampionship in April is a visible vote ofconfidence.

In this issue we present a feature onQueenslander Darren McCall who hasreturned to Australia to establish a stable.This comes after a decade in Canada andthe United States where he honed his skills.Look for him to relocate again to the Syd-ney area once things take off at Menangle.

And there are other transplanted Aus-tralians and New Zealanders in NorthAmerica talking about returning to theirroots. Michael Langdon of New Zealandpreceded McCall and while others have yetto make the decision, don’t be surprised tosee more migration.

Everything in life follows the money.The McCarthy family is setting up shop nearSydney while Cran Dalgety and Mark Pur-don are splitting their stables betweenAlexandra Park and Addington Raceway.Purdon is even pondering having a base inAustralia at some point.

So the deck is being shuffled in a fash-ion that has not been witnessed before.The result will be keener competition and ademand for better and better horses. Thepressure will be on breeders to raise the barand provide the product that buyers notjust want but need to compete.

Addington Raceway will soon havethe focus of the racing world by staging theInter Dominions. That track has faced itsshare of challenges of late but we canexpect nothing but their best effort inhosting this event. There are a multitude ofstory lines going into it and regardless ofthe winners it can only be good for thegame.

This second issue of The Harness EdgeDownunder is reflective of the mood. Ourprofiles of Royal Verdict, ParamountGeegee and For A Reason not only tell thestory of these horses but also show thatwhile they all have tremendous ability,their connections are taking nothing forgranted. There is always a potentialdragon slayer one race away.

Steven Reid and Ken Barron are twohorsemen responding to the challengesthat all trainers face. Their stories are dif-ferent but similar in that they recognize itis all about producing results.

We believe this is a particularly read-able magazine with plenty of food forthought. To the many advertisers who havebrought The Harness Edge Downunder tolife, we thank you for your support. To ourreaders who have responded so favourably,we’ll try to keep our competitive firesstoked and keep providing the editorialcontent that you want.

Enjoy the yearling sales and good luckon the racetrack.

Harold HowePublisher

www.theharnessedgedownunder.com

Dream With Me StableRêves avec Moi

Jean-Pierre DuboisThe Love Yous are coming - and look out!There are 15 2yos in Love You’s first crop at various stages of their preps, and here are some recent quotes from those that have been working with them…

Amore Stride - $140,000 Sales colt from Eilish Mac“I’ve broken in and educated a lot of trotters over the years, including two Redwood winners in Lord Of The Gym and Storm Blazer, and this fellow has just been head and shoulders above them - he is just plain scary actually.” - Victorian horseman Mark Hayes.

D’Arcy & Lucie de Gerolstein - colt and filly from Gwen and daughter La Grande Duchesse respectively“Mine have just been naturals really. They have a lovely way of going and I can’t fault either. They’re working a mile and a half around here in 3.25, so they haven’t got far to go to qualify.” - Motukarara trainer Murray Edmonds

Iditarod - filly from Mountain Track“This filly would be the best type we have ever bred. She is big and strong and just a lovely, lovely filly. Last time in three or four months ago, she was working a mile in 2.30 with a half in 10 and doing it easily. Because of the (late-maturing) family we’re not going to push her as a 2yo, but she will make for a very nice 3yo.” - Cambridge breeder/owner/trainer Ross Paynter.

Lotalov - filly from Swyncombe“She has shown exceptional promise right from the start, and I’ve been really impressed with her manners in particular. She is doing strong work now with a view to the trials soon after New Year, and then she’s joining Paul Nairn.” - Kaikoura trainer Mark Smith

Magherafelt - colt from Lough Neagh“He has got this beautiful gait and the faster he trots, the better he feels. I only broke him in October, but I’m pretty sure he is going to race as a late 2yo. Like the filly he also has this wonderful temperament. I’ve broken in three Love Yous now, and if the rest of them I’ve got go half as good I’ll be happy.” - Kaikoura breeder/owner/trainer Mark Smith

Topnotch Jewel - filly from Blue Jean Lady“This filly has just been a natural from the start with perfect manners and a lovely gait. No boots and an open bridle right from the start. She hasn’t been asked for any speed really, but she can trot a quarter in 30 at home easily and feels like magic to drive. She’ll qualify in the New Year, but I’ll probably give her a good spell then, because she is going to make a beaut 3yo.” - Rolleston trainer Jamie Gameson

U Dream - filly from Galleon’s Dream“She was a bit of a handful to start to start with and around the stables, and a bit weak being a late foal, but it was a different story out on the track and she hasn’t stopped getting stronger and improving since. She has a lovely way of trotting - dead straight. We’ve broken in a lot of horses here (on a 900m track) and I’ve never known one to get around our bends as well as she did. She went to Steven Reid a few weeks ago and it wouldn’t surprise if she made a 2yo. I’ve also done a bit with the fillies from Purrfect Arndon and Sheezadoosie (1yo) and I was impressed by them as well.” - Cambridge horseman Brent Donnelly.

Unnamed - filly from Sheez Speedy“I don’t push them early so this filly has only just finished her second prep, but of the half dozen 2yos I have, she would be the best of them. She is a very attractive filly who has done everything asked of her very easily.” - Ohoka breeder/owner/trainer Philip Iggo.

You Rock - $107,500 Sales colt from Rock’n Rhonda“I really am quite high on him actually. We haven’t asked him to do anything flash just yet, but as he does everything asked so easily, we’re going to push on with him now. He trotted a half in 7 a month ago and I’m pretty sure he’ll make a 2yo. Love You is the real deal alright.” - Lincoln Farms trainer Ray Green.

STEP INTO THE FUTURE OF TROTTING WITH FRANCO/AMERICAN BREEDING

Photo by Corey Peace

Everything Happens For AReasonYoung horseman Luke McCarthy bought just one yearling two

years ago, but it certainly proved the right one in For A Reason,

otherwise known as Frank. By Chris Barsby

Luke McCarthy believes everything hap-pens in life for a reason.

And that was precisely the case when heventured to the 2008 Australian Pacing Goldyearling sales in Sydney with a simple plan:to buy one yearling from that particular sale.

And not just any yearling, McCarthypromised himself to buy the best Art Majorcolt money could buy.

Enter For A Reason, the horse.After outlaying $38,000 for lot 356, an

Art Major – Left For Me colt, McCarthywalked away a contented man.

“In my eyes he was a perfect colt at thesales, he was very correct and he was verystrong with a nice head and eye, it was loveat first sight,” McCarthy quipped.

“I looked at all of the Art Major colts atthat sale, he had that American look abouthim, very racy yet strong, gorgeous body andclearly the pick of the colts at that sale that Imarked in my catalogue.

“I wanted a colt with the completepackage, good looks and a strong pedigreepage because I had a long term plan, whenhe was knocked down to me I was more thanhappy because I got what I wanted.”

McCarthy knew he wanted a colt by ArtMajor, a sire that was taking Australia bystorm after earning rave reviews from NorthAmerican trainers, and the talented younghorseman also had some inside knowledgeof his pedigree.

“Art Major was booming in NorthAmerica at the time and he’s a full brother tothe ill-fated Perfect Art who did a sound jobat stud here in Queensland. He was also thesire of my best horse at the time plus he wasout of a Fake Left mare that also raced in thisstate.

“I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy goodsuccess with certain branches of that familyincluding the likes of Montana Moonlite (25wins), Deputy Dan (26 wins) and Delectable

Dolly (27 wins) which gave me a goodinsight into the family.

“Price wise, he was good value butI’m the type of person who won’t payany more than $50,000 for a yearling, Ijust don’t see the sense or value in doingsomething like that.”

The average at the sale that yearwas $15,274 and the two top lots wereboth progeny of Art Major with a fillyfetching $75,000 and a colt beingknocked down for $72,500.

McCarthy was happy to race the colthimself but two unlikely guys in leadingThoroughbred trainer Alan Bailey andhis good friend Ken McDonald steppedforward.

Alan Bailey is a four times premier-ship winning Brisbane metropolitantrainer who has prepared a host of stargallopers including Another Warriorwhich raced in the 2004 MelbourneCup.

Ken McDonald has been the back-bone of the Bailey Thoroughbred stablefor many years and has also raced many

pacers with good success including onedear to his heart, Master Musician (34wins, $1.9 million) whom he raced inpartnership with Eugene Storck andtrainer/driver Robert Dunn.

Incidentally, Ken’s brother Terry,races current New Zealand star StuninCullen.

At the time McCarthy purchased ForA Reason, Bailey and McDonald only hada single horse in training with the younghorseman, a pacer named October Son.The horse had had a few different homes

during his career before ending up in theMcCarthy stable where he won threeraces under their banner before beingmoved on again.

Bailey and McDonald were interest-ed in better quality stock and McCarthysaid he had just the right horse in mind.Each took a third of For A Reason withMcCarthy holding onto the remainingshare.

The relationship has only thrivedsince For A Reason started his career.Bailey and McDonald have supplied

Summer 2011 • The Harness Edge Downunder

EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON

Pho

to b

y M

egan

Arm

our

Luke McCarthy says his stable star For A Reason, also knownas Frank (as in Sinatra), has grown considerably during hisbreak from his sophomore season to his four-year-old one.“Frank is a ball of muscle; I think he has grown another twohands since his last start and he really thickened up over theareas that I wanted him to,” he noted.

The Harness Edge Downunder • Summer 2011

McCarthy with at least another fivestrongly performed former New Zealandpacers headed up by Bad All Over (12wins).

Bailey and McDonald haven’tbought another yearling since buyinginto For A Reason.

“Alan and Ken have been awesome,they’re both very experienced in life andleave you with no pressure which obvi-ously makes my job so much easier.

“They have been in the racing gamefor a long time and through the goodtimes and the tough times and are happyto pass on advice when I ask.

“It’s amazing how much they enjoyracing their pacers, they find it a greatway of relaxation and enjoy it immense-ly with their families.”

The McCarthy stables boast bignumbers, both in quality and quantity,and while Luke has his own property,which is situated just down the roadfrom his parents’ Logan Village base, allhorses are prepared from the same com-plex.

“We train all the horses from Mumand Dad’s place, the track has been thekey to our success since we moved herefrom Bathurst 13 years ago, most horsesare trained by Dad which allows me toconcentrate on the freelance driving sideof things but I do have a select few in myname as trainer.

“It’s not a big track, roughly about600m, but its surface has been the bigwinner for us, we train them on veryheavy and thick sand which obviouslygets them very fit plus we swim most ofour horses.

“We tend to use my property as thespelling centre, it’s based on the LoganRiver so it’s very well irrigated, there’splenty of room for them over therebecause we maximize the space we haveat the training base.”

The McCarthy stable is about tobecome a satellite operation with Lukekeen to set up another arm of the stablein Sydney.

“We have been inspecting potentialproperties down there for some timenow. It’s purely a business decisionbrought on by the boom Sydney is aboutto receive.

“Things are really on the improve

down there, they have the best track atMenangle in Australia and with immi-nent sale of Harold Park, prize money isguaranteed to be at a premium level.

“Dad will continue to operate theBrisbane stable while I will open theSydney arm of the new stable and we’llswap and place horses where they aremost competitive either in Brisbane orSydney, hopefully it will be a win-win sit-uation for us as a stable plus for ourowners.”

Although still very young at 27,McCarthy boasts an outstanding CV witha growing list of accomplishments onboth sides of the globe.

He has experienced many thrillsincluding his catch drive of a lifetimebehind perhaps the greatest trotter of alltime in Muscle Hill. That opportunitycame when he was visiting his brotherAndrew who was training in the US in2009.

When Muscle Hill’s regular driverBrian Sears was unable to drive in the$540,000 World Trotting Derby, trainerGreg Peck called McCarthy who guidedthe champion to a 1:52.3 victory.

“I've never been so nervous in mylife before, I've been lucky enough todrive in the biggest races back home butthis opportunity is something else, thiscolt is a true superstar in every sense andit was just a huge honour and privilegeto be called on to handle him,” McCarthysaid at the time.

“On the way to the track I was ableto speak with Brian Sears and ask foradvice and he was really great and thenGreg told me to drive him like a goodhorse and stay out of trouble.”

Other top horses McCarthy has driv-en include All Speed Hanover, MrFeelgood, Slipnslide, Fleur De Lil, BeGood Johnny, Cobbity Classic, FamousForever and Trois Frere but it’s his newcolt that has him most excited.

“Yeah, I’ve been lucky in my time sofar to work with some great horses but Ithink the best is still to come.

“For A Reason is special, for sure, hegave me that feeling almost immediatelywhen we started breaking him in, he wasa natural. Everything just came to him soeasily, he was a natural athlete and apleasure to work with.”

By the time For A Reason was ear-marked to make his debut, word was outthat McCarthy had a special colt on hishands.

For A Reason breezed through hisqualifiers and started a raging favouritefor his debut at Albion Park on March 12,2009.

As history shows us, For A Reasonmade a perfect start to his career win-ning his first four starts.

He then tackled the $300,000Australian Pacing Gold Final at AlbionPark and though beaten, he was far fromdisgraced finishing fast for third behindCuttheattitude.

In the $150,000 Nursery Pace Final,For A Reason had come to the end of hisrookie season finishing a tired fifthbehind Two Eye See.

“He went sensational in the APGfinal but he was over it by the time of theNursery Pace but I wanted a Group Onevictory to his name at two. In hindsight, Ishouldn’t have pushed that far withhim.”

McCarthy gave For A Reason, affec-tionately known as Frank a good breakand was expecting big things for histhree-year-old season.

“The reason why he is known asFrank is because of Dad playing his FrankSinatra CD all the time. Dad is alwaystelling me how much of a freak the guywas so I decided that by naming the coltafter him maybe some of the magicmight rub off.

“The three-year-old season is soimportant and there were so many tar-gets to chase but I was mindful of what Iwanted with Frank, he spelled so welland came back much bigger andstronger and he appeared to be mental-ly sharper.

“That season was going to make orbreak him as far as my long term goalwas concerned, I want him to be a futurestud and the three-year-old season wasvital to his long term value.”

McCarthy ventured interstate forthe first of many targets during the sea-son and the first stop off was the ChokinChampionship at Menangle on MiracleMile Day.

For A Reason thrived during his timeaway, he thrashed good quality opposi-

Summer 2011 • The Harness Edge Downunder

EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON

tion and looked set for a very lucrativecampaign.

His connections then dreamed thedream and turned their attention to theprestigious $200,000 Victoria Derbyseries in Melbourne.

The dream became a nightmare.For A Reason was completely out-

gunned in his heat by fellow Queenslandcolt Major Bronski and failed again thefollowing week in the final behind NewZealander Courage To Rule.

“He was so sick during that series, itwas the first time that we flew him any-where and I don’t think he handled it.There were no obvious signs with him, hejust didn’t seem comfortable on racenight and that told with his efforts.

“The Victoria Derby is the ultimatethree-year-old classic in this country, it’s astallion making race and I wanted it badbut in the end I cost him victory with myobsession of that race.”

They then returned to Sydney withtheir tail between their legs.

McCarthy worked hard on the wellbeing of For A Reason and was deter-mined to have his star pupil back on tar-get for the remainder of the season.

The $100,000 Australian Pacing Goldthree-year-old series at Menangle wasthe next feature that For A Reason

would start in and McCarthy was confi-dent his colt was good to go again.

For A Reason finished second in theheat behind Renaissance Man in a timeof 1:55.2 before finishing an unlucky sec-ond in the final to Maywyn Jasper in astunning 1:52.7 mile rate.

The trip away proved beneficial forthe young horseman.

“I worked out how to drive him dur-ing those big races, I was confident hewas going to end the season strongly.”

For A Reason ventured back toBrisbane and easily won a restricted race

before heading back to Sydney for theNew South Wales Derby series atMenangle.

In his heat of the Derby, For AReason produced a career best perform-ance, which signalled his arrival as thebest colt in Australia with a crushing per-formance in a time of 1:55.3 for 2,300m,which came within a second and a half ofBlacks A Fake’s Inter Dominion GrandFinal track record time.

Five nights later, For A Reasonreturned to Menangle and again domi-nated a class field to easily claim the

Pho

to b

y C

orey

Pea

ce

For A Reason, Australia's Three Year Old Pacer of the Year lastseason, began his four-year-old season in early February. LukeMcCarthy, the horse's trainer, driver and co-owner, is aiminghim for the $200,000 Chariots of Fire in late April atMenangle. “Realistically, there isn’t too much around for himthis season but that gives me a chance to look after him andprep him for the Grand Circuit races next season. TheChariots is the race I really want for him this campaign andthen I will concentrate on the Brisbane Winter Carnival laterthis season.”

The Harness Edge Downunder • Summer 2011

$100,000 New South Wales Derby in a time of 1:56.4, againcoming off the speed.

“He was just spot on for that series, driving him quiet earlyobviously agreed with him and he just handled those class coltsso easily,” McCarthy praised.

“His heat victory was one of the best performances youwill see anywhere in this game, the time and effort was justunbelievable.

“Winning the New South Wales Derby was a special feel-ing, he proved so much with those two performances.”

The New South Wales Derby success proved to be a greatspringboard for stardom for the Queensland colt.

With the Brisbane Winter Carnival fast approaching,McCarthy had mapped out four feature race targets to end theseason for his star colt.

For A Reason quickly claimed the Governor’s Cup at AlbionPark followed by the Redcliffe and Gold Coast Derbies.

The $100,000 Queensland Derby proved to be the finalrace of the season for the colt, and he didn’t let his ever-grow-ing band of supporters down with his now trademark turn ofacceleration.

For A Reason, started as a dominant favourite and tookcover on his stablemate Motu Crusader before using the pass-ing lane to score another easy Derby victory.

For A Reason ended the season on a seven race-winningstreak plus he was crowned the Australian three-year-old ofthe Year. He earned $242,982 as a three-year-old to give him$306,000 lifetime.

“The Queensland Derby capped a wonderful season, fourDerbies and a national award is as good as it gets.

“He’s a great colt who has given me so many thrills, thefuture looks very bright.”

McCarthy is reluctant to compare For A Reason to his for-mer champion pacer Slipnslide, who won 37 races and $1.15million before he embarked on an unsuccessful NorthAmerican campaign last year.

“Slipnslide was my first real good horse, I owe so much tohim because he basically kick-started my career. He was a greathorse winning juvenile classics, a Derby and then Grand Circuitevents later in his career.

“For A Reason is running big time so he’s a little strongerand could keep developing that speed with more time on hisside.”

McCarthy is pleased that For A Reason wasn’t paid up forfuturity races like the New South Wales Breeders Challenge andthe Australasian Breeders Crown series.

“The temptation might have got the better of me in theend if he was paid for those schemes because he finished theseason feeling so strong. I’m convinced it will be a blessing indisguise long term.”

McCarthy implemented a training regime that saw him inand out of work over the few months he was off.

“Being a stallion, I was mindful that a big break wouldhave him back very big in condition and he could easily becomea bit bully.

“I have given him short breaks before putting him back

Two Exceptional Art Major Yearling ColtsSelling at Karaka on February 19

#18 On A/c S.B. and A.M. Phillips

ARTSMAN br.c.Art Major – Waitfornoone – Albert Albert

Second foal and first colt from Gr. 1 winner and NZ record holderWAITFORNOONE p,1:55.7 ($201,805). From a half-sister to NZSires Stakes winner FIGHTFIREWITHFIRE p,1:56 ($151,656).

UPDATE – WINDINHERHAIR, the two-year-old filly and first foal fromWAITFORNOONE trialled impressively at Alexandra Park in January andmade her racing debut two weeks later. Competing in a $21,000 two-year-old fillies race she impressed everyone flying home for a gamesecond place finish. Much more will be heard from her in the nearfuture!!

HOLLIS AND ROBERTSON EQUINE SERVICESPukekohe. Phone 09 2392132 or 027 5556426.

#153 On A/c R. N. Caldow

STAR OF VAN GOGH b.c.Art Major – Starlitnight – Tuapeka Knight

Only the third live foal of his dam whose first two foals are NZ recordholders – NIGHT OF THE STARS placed in three Group races andholds the NZ record for two-year-olds set against older horses atAlexandra Park. And his full sister STAR OF VENUS holds the NZtime-trial record of 1:53. This is a family that consistently producesearly speed and Group race and classic performers of the highestquality.

BOTH OF THESE ART MAJOR COLTS ARE EXTENSIVELYSTAKED AND PRE-SALE INSPECTION IS WELCOMED AT:

into light jog work and swimming duties,I will keep doing that because it keepshis weight down so he won’t balloonwhile it also keeps him fresh and in rou-tine.”

McCarthy is adamant that he willmake a perfect stud horse in time tocome.

“That’s always been my plan withFrank, he has a pedigree and a good racerecord with hopefully more to come.

“He has lovely mannerisms and is apleasure to handle, he wears no kneeboots and is lightning fast.

“He has already attracted a little bitof interest from one of the major studs inAustralia but we won’t rush into anydeals until he is near the end of hiscareer.”

McCarthy won’t rule out For AReason covering his star mare Fleur De Lilin time to come.

So, what are the short and longterm goals for Australia’s most excitingtalent?

“His four-year-old season will bequite light, a likely return is expectedaround February and then I might takehim back down to Menangle for a raceor two while the Len Smith Mile and Ladyship Mile features are beingstaged.

“The Brisbane Winter Carnival willobviously be targeted while the majorattraction in his four-year-old campaignwill be the Chariots Of Fire at Menangle.

“He thrives on that big track downthere so we’re lucky they stage so manyfeatures there, a Miracle Mile would benice on his resume though.”

McCarthy will resist the temptationof starting For A Reason in the GrandCircuit preferring to wait until the fol-lowing year.

“Hopefully horses like Blacks A Fakeand Mr Feelgood will be retired bythen,” McCarthy chuckled.

“It is a massive step up in class whenracing at that level, I would prefer towait until he turns five because he willbe ready by then both physically andmentally.”

McCarthy might just be right withhis outlook on life, maybe everythingdoes happen for a reason. �

When you’re on a good thing, stick to it.That’s the theory that New South Wales

breeder Matthew Sandblom has stuck towhen breeding with his mare Left For Me.

The Fake Left mare produced For A Rea-son as the result of her first mating with boomsire Art Major on October 28, 2006.

Since then, Sandblom has only everonce changed stallions in seven years sincehe commenced breeding with Left For Me.

Art Major has covered the mare six timeswhile Royal Mattjesty is the only other consortchosen for his mare.

“When you produce a foal like For A Rea-son, it was only natural that you keep goingback to that same stallion,” reasoned Sand-blom.

“He was a lovely foal, a neat size and themare obviously clicks with Art Major becauseher other Art Major foals have all been goodstrong looking foals.

“The Royal Mattjesty colt will go throughthe ring but I’m not sure what to expect, he’snot as commercial as Art Major but you neverknow what could happen on the day.”

Sandblom breeds from a band of half adozen broodmares each year from his pictur-esque Kiama property on the southern coastof Sydney and is happy to put all resultantfoals through the sales but is just as happy tobuy them back if they don’t reach the prices heexpects.

“I like to be realistic, I’m breeding what Ibelieve are high quality commercial stockeach year and expect solid results at the sales.

“I’m not afraid to mix it up and buy themback and race them myself if they don’t fetchwhat I’m expecting on sales day.”

Sandblom ended up with Left For Meafter trainer Alix Khouiss picked her up fromBrisbane for a very moderate price of $6,000.

Her racetrack deeds won’t go down in theannals of racing history but Sandblom wasadamant she had a nice pedigree, which wasparamount once her racing days were over.

The fact that Left For Me was a daughterof champion stallion Fake Left certainly trig-gered his interest but as a bonus, she alsohailed from a strong maternal family withgood New Zealand links.

Choosing Art Major for Left For Me wasnot a difficult decision, being the boom sire

and the Fake Left mares seemed to be cross-ing very well with the Artsplace stallionaccording to Sandblom.

“There was strong interest in For A Rea-son as a yearling, quite a few stablesinspected him and I expected him to sell well,which he did.

“The vibe was obviously strong aboutFor A Reason because the following year atthe sales before he had even raced I got verygood money for his full sister.

“Another full sister to For A Reason wasput through the sales last year and again, thatfilly was let go for a good price.”

Sandblom has another Art Major foal thisseason while the mare has tested positive tothe same sire again.

The quietly spoken breeder has enjoyedvery good success racing his stock with lead-ing Sydney trainer Paul Fitzpatrick over manyyears and enjoyed great thrills with hisrecently retired mare Dance Of Life who wonthree Group 1 races during her career at thetrack.

“She was a wonderful little racemare, andnow I’m hoping she will do a job at stud.”

And what stallion has Dance Of Lifebeen bred to?

“She has also been served by Art Major,I do use other stallions like Mach Three andChristian Cullen but Art Major is the one whois crossing with my mares.”

Sandblom is also mixing up his Stan-dardbred commitments with a small team ofThoroughbreds that are cared for by leg-endary trainer Bart Cummings.

“I have about five or six in work with Bart,I have enjoyed a little bit of success with thegallopers but nothing like the pacers.

“I’m also breeding some gallopers but Ithink I should stick with the pacers, I havemore luck with the pacers and they’re a lotcheaper,” Sandblom quipped.

Sandblom enjoys watching the contin-ued success of For A Reason and hopes thewinning run will continue for many years tocome.

Another full relation is bound for thesales ring next year.

And Sandblom has already marked ArtMajor for a mating with Left For Me the fol-lowing year.

THE BREEDER'S STORY