The seemingly never ending quality of Love You progeny was highlighted once again over the last week with multiple harness racing winners greeting the judge by the sire.
These included the impressive three year old filly The Big Bird, who scored in emphatic style at Alexandra Park on Friday night when taking the passing lane late for driver / trainer Joshua Dickie who had, until then, managed the filly around horses from a running line sit. The nature of the win coupled with her great trotting bloodlines (she is out of ten race winner Great Getaway) and the fact that the filly has a fair bit of growing into her large frame yet to do would suggest a bright future lies ahead.
In contrast to the maiden win of The Bird Bird was that of the victorious turn of the tried and tested Lovely Bundy in the Thames /Coromandel Trotters Cup at Cambridge Raceway. The 8yr old mare, by Love You out of Kelly Bundy, faced a handicap of 20m over the 2700m stand distance but enjoyed the sound pace set up by race rival Anna Kate and showed her ability late in proceedings making up the required ground widest on the track to score by half a length. The win was the 10th of Lovely Bundy’s career from 72 starts.
The recent wins continue to outline the success New Zealand breeders have had run when seeking out the services of Love You with his progeny having played a notable part in shaping New Zealand trotting history over the last decade or so.
Love You
Monbet, trained by the Greg and Nina Hope stable would be the most decorated of his progeny on New Zealand shores but his reach has been far and wide with other notable race tracks winners including Jewels winner Enghien and New Zealand Trotting Free-For-All winner Great Things Happen.
By far the most successful partnership of his being the amazing run he’s had when siring foals out of prodigious broodmare Ten To One with NZ derby winner Habibti, Anzac Cup winner Habibti Ivy and Dominion Handicap winner and Jewels winner Habibi Inta all out of the famed mare along with Lothario( 6 wins) and Releven Dream (17 wins).
The Big Bird
Lovely Bundy
With his past successes as a sire of group winners It’s no wonder that Love You continues to attract quality mares and he’ll be strongly represented at 2020 National Standardbred Yearling Sale.
An interesting story among them being the two lots offered from the same family by Breckon Farms which will be the only two Love You lots to be presented at Karaka .
Lot 97, a bay filly called Online Love , is out of Northern Breeders Stakes runner-up Cyberspace. A further investigation into the strong maternal lines reveals Inda Bank (3yr old trotting filly of the year) who has left multiple Group 1 performers, the most notable of these being Frozen Funds who was victorious in both the New South Wales and Victorian Trotting Oaks. Other high achievers out of Inda Bank include The Almighty Johnson (3rd in the National Trot) now racing in the USA with over $200’000 in career earnings and Yogi Johnson (11 wins).
Online Love
A bay colt is also going under the hammer, Lot 83, called Forbidden Love is out of a full sister to Cyberspace (both Cyberspace and Broadband are by Muscles Yankee)) and calls upon the same strong trotting pedigree.
Forbidden Love
Love You has a total of 19 lots to be sold throughout the 2020 New Zealand Yearling Sales with buyers obviously wishing for a continuation of his success as a sire of champions!
Ben McMillan