When harness racing 4yo Please Shuddup won at Saturdays Gore meeting, it capped off a commendable couple of days for his sire Auckland Reactor.
Well known for his deeds on the racetrack, Auckland Reactor is now making a name for himself as a Group 1 winning sire, headlined by his award winning son Chase Auckland.
Chase Auckland (Auckland Reactor – Delicata) swept all before him last season as a three-year-old winning eight of his nine raceday starts including the Great Northern Derby (Group 1), New Zealand Sire Stakes Final (Group 1), Elsu Alabar Classic (Group 2) and the New Zealand Yearling Sales Final (Listed).
He was named three year old of the year at the prestigious New Zealand harness racing awards and finished the season holding two New Zealand records, the 2700 metre mobile all-comers record of 3:16.8 and also the 1950 metre mobile all-comers record of 2:16.1
Although his season ended with an minor injury, Chase Auckland is now well healed and the striking four year old is back in full work hoping to be ready to race early in the new year or just before.
Chase Auckland – NZ Sire Stakes Final – New Zealand Record
Chase Auckland – The Great Northern Derby New Zealand Record
At Gore, the Murray Brown trained Please Shuddup (Auckland Reactor – Blah Blah Blah) was too good for his opposition, trailing early then jogging to the lead with 150m to go and winning as he liked without the removable deafeners being pulled.
Auckland Reactor picked up another milestone of sorts last Friday night when his daughter As Free As Air (Auckland Reactor – Cloud Cuckooland) won her first trotting race in the hands of driver Maurice Mckendry at Alexandra Park .
That win was Auckland Reactor's first trotting winner as a sire and it also gave Maurice Mckendry a total of six driving wins in the one night a feat he had accomplished only twice before.
As Free As Air
Amazingly the second of Mckendry's six wins on the night also came courtesy of the progeny of Auckland Reactor when Red Reactor (Auckland Reactor – Edernay) zipped home for an impressive win in quick time.
Mckendry who trains Red Reactor says the gelding is still improving and will be a better horse next year, a comment we have also heard being made by several trainers of Auckland Reactor bred pacers in both New Zealand and Australia.
Red Reactor
And then to top the week off Sergei (Auckland Reactor – Jane Of Eden – Strong Life) a gelding, won his third race in a row and fourth from his last six starts in NSW.
Sergei makes it three in a row
In New Zealand Auckland Reactor has had 21 individual winners to date and in Australia he has had even more with 32 winners already on the board.
That is a total of 53 winners with total stake earnings of $1,700,000 between both Countries.
He has had 96 qualifiers or starters in New Zealand and 80 in Australia to date.
He bred 76 mares in New Zealand and 112 in Australia for the past season.
In New Zealand Auckland Reactor finished third on the three-year-old sires list for the past season a great effort for his first crop to the races.
When you consider the great sires behind Auckland Reactor on this list such as Art Major, Somebeachsomewhere, American Ideal and Christian Cullen, Auckland Reactor has performed exceptionally well and is assured a bright future.
In Australia Auckland Reactor has had 80 starters to date with 32 winners including the top filly Soho Burning Love who is probably the most unlucky and underated filly in all of Australia.
Soho Burning Love (Auckland Reactor – Soho Bordeaux – Western Terror) has had 30 starts for $157,170 to date with a record of 1:52.6 over 1720 meters winning by 34 meters but the real story with this filly was the shocking amount of bad draws in all her starts against the best Group horses in Australia. I believe she only drew inside post 8 three times in her three-year-old starts. She has had mostly second row draws. She had 21 starts as a three-year-old for 6 wins 10 seconds 3 thirds a ffith and a 10th. She won a heat of the Bathurst Gold Bracelet (second in the Group 1 Final), second in the heat and final of Group 1 New South Wales Oaks, second in the Group 2 Vicbred Classic and she was third in the Group 1 Victoria Oaks.
Soho Burning Love winning in a 1:52.6 mile rate over 1720 meters.
Auckland Reactor had 9 two-year-old winners in Australia and $148,527 in earnings for the last season. He had 20 three-year-old winners earning $402,523 for that season. He had 4 additional stake placegetters.
Besides Soho Burning Love in Australia, Auckland Reactor has sired the Group 1 winning Gold Reactor, De La Tourbie (third in the Group 1 Westbred Classic), Delightfulreacion (second in the Group 1 Westbred Classic) and You Ninety Two who finished second in the Group 1 Vicbred Classic.