Racing: Yankees ready to muscle in

Trotting's answer to Danehill looks certain to be one of the stars of today's Karaka yearling sales.

Champion United States stallion Muscles Yankee is the sire of eight lots to go through the ring today and they will be among the most sought after stock in an outstanding catalogue.

Muscles Yankee was not only a superstar racehorse but has been a sensation as a sire, leaving 25 horses who have broken 1:55 for a mile.

He is the closest sire trotting has to thoroughbred racing's deceased supersire Danehill, whose stock were so sorely missed at the Karaka thoroughbred yearling sales last month.

With New Zealand lacking a standout trotting sire to back up veteran Sundon, the Muscles Yankee blood will be popular, especially as most of his lots today are out of outstanding mares.

The battle for his top-priced lot should be between the colt out of former horse of the year Meriani and another colt out of Chiola's Lass.

The latter is likely to top the trotting side of the sale today as he is a half-brother to great mare Allegro Agitato so the family is one of the most commercial in New Zealand trotting.

Sonya Paynter, who has prepared the colt for today, was surprised he had not drawn more attention from buyers.

"I think a lot of people think he might be too expensive for them because of his breeding so they shied away," said Paynter.

"So it is hard to judge what he will go for. But everybody who has looked at him likes him and he is a lovely colt to do anything with so I can't see how he won't make it as a racehorse."

The colts also have the added bonus of possible future stallion potential with pacers like Pay Me Christian and Mombassa showing that local studs are now willing to pay big money for well-bred local racing stars.

If one of the colts sold today develops into a serious racehorse he would have massive stallion appeal, especially as Sundon is coming to the end of his career and New Zealand is short of quality trotting stallions.

"I think it is an exciting time for buyers who like trotters," said Kumeu horseman Dave Gibbons, who has six lots in today's sale including a powerfully built Muscles Yankee colt from open-class mare Chiola's Gem.

"We haven't had a lot of new trotting blood coming into the country in the last decade but now we have horses like Muscles Yankee and Continentalman and that has to be good for the breed.

"If one or two of these top US sires click over here then we are going to see some great young horses and they could rewrite our record books."

Gibbons has long been one of New Zealand's leading trainers of trotters and his comments were being echoed in every corner of the sales ground during yesterday's parade.