Yearling prospectors looking to buy a future racing and breeding prospect should carefully consider Lot 288 at the Nutrien Equine Melbourne Yearling Sale at Oaklands Junction next Sunday.
Consigned by former Harness Breeders Victoria and Bendigo HRC president Tony Britt and his wife Helen, the bay filly is by the world champion and emerging siring force Always B Miki from one of the fastest moving families in the Australian stud book today.
She’s a half-sister to the dual Melton winner and Vicbred 3YO finalist Layden 1:54 ($86,890) and the useful racemare Polly Peachum 1:56.4 ($108,730).
Their dam, Ruby Slippers (1:56.5), a winner of nine races, was one of six winners left by the outstanding racemare and thrice Group 1 winner Mother Courage. She won 30 races including the Australian and Victoria Oaks, Vicbred Super Series, Victoria Ladyship Cup and Oceania El Dorado and $462,520 and was the Australian 3YO Filly and Aged Mare of the Year.
Mother Courage ranks as a sister to the 2YO Filly of the Year Tandia’s Courage 1:53. ($305,236), the grand-dam of one of Australia’s top racemares at present in Aardie’s Express (1:48.9), a winner of 20 races including five at Group level and $498,134 in stakes, and the exported Aardie’s Flash and Aardie B Miki, both racing successfully in North America.
Aardie’s Flash 1:51.4 ($211,726), a Group 3 winner at Albion Park, has won five races at Yonkers Raceway, New York including a $50,000 division of the prestige Borgata Pacing Series, while Aardie B Miki 1:50.5 ($278,317), last year’s Queensland Oaks heroine, has won two $50,000 divisions of the Blue Chip Matchmaker Series at her first two outings in her adopted country.
Interestingly, the three ‘Aardie’s’ were all sired by Always B Miki, the sire of the Britt’s lone sale entry.
Other recent metropolitan winners in the filly’s pedigree have been Im The Falcon 1:49.8 ($252,325), a three-time Listed winner at Menangle, and Tenzing Bromac 1:53.9 ($347,010), one of WA’s top Free-for-all pacers.
Besides being a member of the Miss Tommy tribe, one of the premier sources of classic and cup winners in Australia, the filly carries a desirable 3×4 cross to the great American progenitor Abercrombie.
The filly is being ‘prepped’ by well known Bendigo identities and yearling preparers Garry Graham and his daughter Kirsten.