Every day here at Harnesslink we have a look at the harness racing results from the previous day in Australia, and one relatively unheralded stallion's name has cropped up quite a bit in the last twelve months.
We are referring to the son of Christian Cullen in Quick Approval who for a stallion with few progeny on the ground has done a more than a passable job.
Brought back by his breeder Matthew Harris when he didn't make his $20,000 reserve at the yearling sales, Quick Approval spent most of his career in the Riverina district
Good enough to win a heat of the Australian Pacing Gold at two, Quick Approval went on to be a handy performer in New South Wales with his best performance coming when he won the $30,000 Group 3 four and five year old Carnival Of Cups Classic at Dubbo where he broke the track record held by Smooth Satin.
Retired with a record of 23 wins from 58 starts for stakes of $108,559 and a best time of 1:57.1, he was understandably not rushed when offered as a sire.
" When he was racing I had a lot of people approach me to ask if I was thinking of standing him at stud when his racing days were over."
He is such a great looking individual and performed so well on the country circuit in New South Wales that I thought he deserved his chance at stud."
"However as you would expect he has never been rushed with mares," Matthew told Harnesslink this week.
With his oldest crop just four years of age, Quick Approval has never had either numbers or quality in the mares he has served.
His oldest crop of four year olds numbers just nine but it has already produced four winners which taking everything into account is a great result.
Matthew has been a bit hamstrung in his ability to support his own stallion.
"I am breeding from quite a few mares from Quick Approval's immediate family including his half sister Clever Tune 1:59.5 ($112,958) who is already the dam of the smart Reneging 1:55.1 ($117,617)."
"So I can't breed any of those mares to Quick Approval which hasn't helped him at all," Matthew said.
Probably the most impressive of Quick Approval's recent winners has been the two year old With Authority who blitzed a two year old field at Young on Tuesday night.
It was With Authority's second win at just his fourth lifetime start.
In the previous race at Young on Tuesday night was another winner by Quick Approval the three-year-old Geronimo Beau.
Everybody knows how hard it is to get established as a colonial sire these days but Quick Approval is putting some handy stats together in New South Wales which should see him serve a bigger book of mares in the coming breeding season.
Harnesslink Media