Bannockburn (Victoria) agronomist and hobby breeder Steve Dickson is understandably upbeat about the harness racing Industry.
“The job’s really picked up. The recent sales have shown some positivity,” he said.
“I think there’s a growing confidence in the industry.”
Dickson, who trades as Llewellyn Park Standardbreds, is hoping the upward trend extends to the inaugural Nutrien Equine Standardbred Yearling Sale to be held on April 10 and 11 at Oaklands Junction.
He has nominated two superbly bred colts and a royally bred filly for the sale.
The trio are all out of the broodmare herd grazing on his 16 acre property in the Golden Plains Shire.
Lot 3, a brown filly by the top Canadian colt pacer Control The Moment, is from the Rock N Roll Heaven mare Heavenly Scent, dam of the Vicbred and NSW Oaks finalist Celestialfragrance and a member of the same family as the Derby winner Muscle Factory and the Australian 2YO and 3YO of the Year Majestic Mach.
The second of the Llewellyn Park draft is Lot 112, a brown/black colt by the leading first- season sire Betting Line out of the star Rock N Roll Heaven filly Park Life 1:53.2 ($188,571).
Park Life provided Steve and his wife, Narelle, with their crowning achievement in the sport when she outgunned a top field in the $322,000 Australian Pacing Gold Final at Menangle in April 2016.
The Betting Line colt is her first foal.
Completing the Dickson draft is Lot 284, a brown colt by the Somebeachsomewhere horse Goodtime Sammy from the winning Grinfromeartoear mare Fun On The Run, a granddaughter of the Oaks winner Goldrush Girl, a Transport Chip mare who established a great winning line for leading Queensland identity Kevin Seymour.
The colt’s dam is a half-sister to five sub 2:00 winners including the Group winners Guitarzan and Forever After and a member of the same family as the outstanding racemare Good Lookin Girl.
Steve Dickson was born in Launceston and belongs to a prominent Tasmanian harness racing family.
“When I was a kid I used to follow the champion pacer Melfield Tyros, who was trained by my uncle, Derek Dick. He was a dairy farmer who pottered about with a horse or two,” Steve stated.
A gelding by Tyros Hanover, Melfield Tyros won 45 races including the Tasmanian Derby, Hobart Metropolitan Cup, WA James Brennan Cup and a heat of the Inter Dominion and $153,025 in stakes.
As a youngster, Steve also worked in the stables of the astute Bridgenorth horseman Don Peck during the school holidays.
Dickson bred his first foal at the tender age of 17.
“I leased a Golden Alley mare called Naomi’s Gold off Rick Hinds,” Steve said. “The resultant foal was Flo Jo Torado. She was a brilliant filly who won classics at 2 and 3.”
In 1994 Steve enrolled for a two-year course for a diploma of farm management at Glenormiston Agricultural College, Terang.
“My favourite pastime while attending college was working at the stables of Neville and Patsy Clarke on the weekends. They were wonderful people to be around,” Steve said.
Steve’s first foray into breeding on the mainland was the Classic Garry mare Classic Cathy.
“I bought her in foal to Precious Bunny and the resultant progeny made $30,000 at the APG sale. Her next foal, Real Hammer, won in excess of $100,000,” he said.
“I later sold her to Shannon Nixon and she produced the Cups winner Phoenix Prince.”
Besides Park Life and Heavenly Scent, Steve is also currently breeding from the Western Terror mare Shezaterror, Sazzasophie, a NZ bred mare by Art Major, and Cap In Hand (by Auckland Reactor).
“I bought Cap In Hand as a yearling in Perth. She won three of her six starts before breaking a pedal bone,” Steve said. “She was going to be something special.”
“Her first foal, a Foreclosure colt, has been nominated for the APG Perth sale.”
Married to Narelle, the couple have two girls, Maggie and Neave, and a son, Daniel. Steve operates his own business, Crop Plus Agronomy, a cropping and pasture consultancy agronomy company which he established in 2007.