The 4yo Captaintreacherous mare Captains Mistress joined the stable of Jason Grimson after being unplaced at Alexandra Park in Auckland on December 12 after an unfortunate gear malfunction.
She had her first start for Grimson in a heat of the NSW New Years Gift on 10 January with a win in 1:50 and on Saturday night she won the $30,000 final of the New Years Gift from her stablemates Still Rollin and Demon Blue.
The win took her career record to 10 wins in 20 starts with a further seven placings lifting her career earnings to $472,426.
Captains Mistress was New Zealand’s 2yo Pacing Filly of the Year in 2024 and won the Group One New Zealand Sires Stakes as a 3yo.
Importantly, she is a half-sister to the Art Major stallion Merlin which has won 24 races and $1,785,885 in stakes and he was New Zealand’s 2023 3yo Pacing Colt of the Year and the 2024 New Zealand Pacer of the Year as a 4yo.
The 2026 Nutrien Sydney Yearling Sale includes, as Lot 41, an Art Major colt out of a winning Christian Cullen half-sister to Merlin and Captains Mistress called Cullens Bet and he is being offered on behalf of Harshell Investments.
Cullens Bet is already the dam of the somewhat unusually named mare Elektra King which won three times as a 3yo in 2025 and finished second to Delightful Peg in the Group Two New Zealand Southern Oaks.
Lot 41 is being prepared for the Sydney Sale on March 8 by Mat Day and Mat can be contacted on 0419 127 799 to arrange for a pre-sale inspection.
Image : Captain Mistress