Balcatherine bolts in to land Macca Group 1 Glory

Macca Lodge enjoyed their biggest success as breeders when Balcatherine powered away from her rivals to win the Group 1 Westral Mares Classic at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

Roars were set off at the Wendonside stud when commentator Richie Bell declared the four-year-old had “bolted in” to hand Brent, Sheree and Caine McIntyre their first group 1 breeding victory.

“It was a huge thrill,” Brent McIntyre said.

“To see her go on and win a race like that is so pleasing.”

“And she did it the hard way, too.”

“She is in the right barn over there, we are really pleased for her owners.”

In the hands of Gary Hall Jnr, Balcatherine was left third last from her second-row draw just after the start of the 2535m feature.

Hall Jnr then sent the four-year-old forward in the middle stages to sit parked.

From there, Balcatherine handed her rivals an absolute thrashing, winning by more than five metres in a scintillating 1:56:8 mile rate.  

Bred, educated and trained at Macca Lodge, Balcatherine was sold to clients of Gary Hall Snr after showing immense promise as a three-year-old, winning two of just two starts in New Zealand.

For the McIntyres, it has been a thrill to watch the mare go on to fulfill her potential.

“She was a lovely horse from day one, a real natural,” Brent said.

“She was a beautiful pacer and always showed us a lot.”

“She was a lightly framed horse, so we took our time with her and let her mature.”

“She did everything on natural ability, we never screwed her down at any stage.”

After cruising to victory in her two Southland starts the inevitable happened and Australian buyers came calling.

Jonny Turner negotiated a deal with the McIntyres to send Balcatherine to Perth through bloodstock agent Garrick Knight.

Knight and Western Australian owner Steve Chapman and his family had already enjoyed group 1 success together with My Hard Copy.

Balcatherine’s victory on Friday night bagged them another top-class victory and continued their good relationship.

 

Balcatherine’s win handed the McIntyres their first group 1 breeding win 12 years after they took over Macca Lodge, then known as Jaccka Lodge in 2008.

By American Ideal mare from Holmes Hanover mare, Touche Franco, the story behind Balcatherine’s group 1 success starts immediately after the McIntyres came to Wendonside.

“When we first got up here Bob McArdle was selling a few mares and we bought her off him,” Brent said.

“She was a tricky one to get in foal, she slipped a couple of foals and had a beautiful Panspacificflight foal die.”

“And she also missed getting in foal a couple of times.”

“But the foals we got out of her were really nice and they have all done a great job.”

Royal Mattjesty gelding Levi Jade was the first foal Macca Lodge took from the mare.

He won 11 times and placed on a massive 37 after having eight starts in New Zealand for the McIntyres.

Panspacificflight filly Glenisla came next.

She was good enough to start in the Delightful Lady Classic as a two-year-old, before also being sold to Australia after having just three starts from Tony Herlihy’s stable.

Glenisla won 19 races across the Tasman and placed on 17 occasions.

With so much success in Australia, it is appropriate that the late Touche Franco’s final and best-performing foal is named after a place significant to the McIntyre family.

Balcatherine is named after Balcatherine Station in the far southwest of New South Wales.

The farm is owned by Sheree’s sister and brother in-law Ana and Tony Smith.

The Smiths watched on from Balcatherine Station on Friday night as Balcatherine put their farm’s name up in harness racing’s brightest lights with her brilliant group 1 performance.

❗Fear The Dragon Tops Two American Sales ❗

FEAR THE DRAGON — THE MACCA LODGE SIRE MADE A STUNNING START TO HIS CAREER BY TOPPING THE OHIO JUG SALE

The career of Macca Lodge stallion Fear The Dragon has made an incredible start to his siring career in North America by topping two yearling sales.

The rookie sire e produced the top priced yearling at both the Ohio Selected Jug and the Buckeye Classic Sale.

Fear The Drago incredibly produced seven of the top eight lots at the Buckeye Classic Yearling Sale in Ohio.

Fear The Dragon has a wonderful attitude and a will to win all top horses need.
Some of the yearlings that went to the Buckeye Classic Yearling Sale are already showing those kind of traits, before they have even been properly broken in!

Check out this video of Fear The Dragon’s yearlings free-legged pacing.
And remember they have never worn hopples in their lives!

Fear The Dragon’s success at the Buckeye sale was headed by his colt from Allamerican Ingot mare, Soggy Britches.
The striking yearling topped the sale when selling for $100,000, which equates to more than 15 times his sire’s North American service fee.
The colt is a half brother to New Zealand sire, Johny Rock.

To say Fear The Dragon’s progeny were in hot demand at the Buckeye sale would be an understatement.

Bidders sent a clear message that they were desperate to get their hands on the stallion’s stock when Fear The Dragon yearlings filled seven of the top eight lots.

Earlier last month, a stunning colt from Mach Three mare, Stonebridge Damsel, beat out a huge line up when selling for a massive $US120,000 at the Ohio Selected Jug.

The colt, named Springbridge Dragn, was knocked down to one North America’s top trainers in Ron Burke.

Check out the classy Fear The Dragon youngster’s conformation and his brilliant way of moving in the video below.

Fear The Dragon’s progeny were in hot demand across the Ohio sale, with 33 lots selling at an average of $US26,700.

Other highlights include a Fear The Dragon filly from Sportswriter mare, Dancin Caroll, selling for $US85,000.

A Fear The Dragon colt from Art Major mare, Eagle Yankee, sold for the big price of US$57,000.

Another Fear The Dragon colt from Camluck mare, Twin B Diva, also sold well, fetching US$56,000.

The strong selling of Fear The Dragon’s yearlings in the first public offering is an outstanding result for the stallion and encouraging news for any New Zealand breeders who have sent their mares to him.

It also opens up an exciting opportunity for owners of Art Major, Sportswriter and Mach Three mares following the high prices Fear The Dragon yearlings from those dam-sires sold for.

Fear The Dragon’s sale topper sold for the equivalent of more than $177,000 New Zealand dollars on today’s exchange rate.

That equates to more than 34 times the price Fear The Dragon is available for ($4500 + GST) through Macca Lodge!!

To book your mare to Fear The Dragon click here

Success during sombre weekend

The mood at  Macca Lodge was sombre on Sunday, despite the win of Maya Angelou at Winton.

The Brent McIntyre trained five-year-old broke through for her maiden victory just hours after the death of former racetrack star Franco Ledger.

A heart attack claimed the life of the Macca Lodge stallion in the midst of his fourth season at stud.

The loss of the former group 1 winner and two-time Southland Horse Of The Year came as a shock to Macca Lodge staff.

“It was totally unexpected because he was such in such great shape and looking really good,” McIntyre said. 
“He was a lovely horse to have around and it is a big loss for his owners.”

Franco Ledger retired to stud a 25-time race winner with over $600,000 in earnings for the Whatever Syndicate and his part-owner and former trainer and driver Hamish Hunter.

The Falcon Seelster stallion had left 25 foals ahead of the current breeding season.

He served 10 mares last season, who were due to foal this spring.

Franco Seelster had also served a small number of mares this season before his death.

Maya Angelo raced out of the pack to win yesterday’s opener, the Fear The Dragon at Macca Lodge Mobile Pace, handing McIntyre his race sponsorship back.

Fear The Dragon has left his first New Zealand born foals this spring. 

The stallion has already made an impression in North America where his oldest crop have produced outstanding yearling sales results this season. 

McIntyre credited a good draw and a smart drive from junior reinsman Oliver Kite as they keys to Maya Angelo’s win. 

“She has been going good enough races, but just needed a decent draw and a bit of luck.”
“She got that today, it was a really good drive from Ollie.”

A successful day at Winton continued in race 7 when Macandrew Aviator, a son of Macca Lodge stallion Panspacificflight broke his maiden for trainers Kirstin Barclay and Tank Ellis and driver Brent Barclay. 

 

Net Ten EOM Running Hot

Net Ten EOM has been running hot across Australasia recently.

Macca Lodge’s great value son of the champion Somebeachsomewhere has gone on a run of leaving impressive winners all over Australasia in the past few weeks.

They include:

Wavethebill – Net Ten EOM – Wave Runner (Live Or Die)
The Big Yin – Net Ten EOM – C J Galleon (Falcon Seelster)
Van Niekirk – Net Ten EOM – Rosie Lindenny (McArdle)
Dont Need An Excuse – Net Ten EOM – Silky Franco (Holmes Hanover)

Macca Lodge clients Mike Atkins and Greg Adlam featured in the Harness Xpress publication recently.

Check out the article written by Garrick Knight:
Courtesy the Harness Xpress

Wavethebill, a maiden winner at Alexandra Park last Friday night, is the first progeny of his sire, Net Ten EOM, to race in the North Island.

Given the oldest crop are now five-year-olds, that’s a fairly bizarre trend, but one that trainer, Derek Balle, is happy to have broken.

“He’s always been a nice pacer; lovely gaited right from the get-go. And he’s just gotten better and better every time he’s come back,” he said.
“He’s a tough little bugger, but he’s got some speed, too.”

Net Ten EOM’s frozen semen is offered by Southland nursery Macca Lodge so it’s no surprise that it’s there that Wavethebill was conceived, born and raised.

He is a descendent of Maureens Dream, meaning he’s a close relative of the reigning horse of the year, Ultimate Sniper, and his illustrious siblings, Major Reality and Ultimate Machete.

“The owners sent him from Macca Lodge to us.The mare, Wave Runner, which they bought off Father Dan Cummings, is still based there.”

Wavethebill is raced by Pukekohe’s Mike Atkins along will Greg Adlam, the Porirua-based brother of Wave Run- ner’s former trainer, Simon Adlam.

Greg Adlam also owned the 2008 Taylor Mile winner, Second Wind, prepared by his brother.

“Mike and Greg have been mates for years and actually raced Wave Runner together on lease with a few others,” said Balle.
“They were breeding her foal-about with Dan Cummings before he got crook and bought them out.”

Wave Runner, by Live Or Die, won eight races and was Group 2-placed behind Kiwi Ingenuity at Addington.

She’s proved to be an excellent breeder at stud, her first five foals all winners under 2.00, including the brilliant Bonnie Joan and recent export, Kilowatt Kid.

Wavethebill is her seventh foal and his older sister, Second Wave, will soon make it seven foals for seven winners when Balle lines her up.

“She’s just qualified and has got a motor on her.so I don’t think it will take long for her to win one.”

Atkins hasn’t had much luck with Balle, so the trainer is happy to see him get a decent horse.

“He’s a local guy that lives around the road from us, next to Paulette Screen.
“One day he rung up out of the blue with a horse to train called Idle Eyre.
“Mark Jones and Tim Butt had had him and he looked alright but then fell over and lost his way.
“We gave him a few starts but couldn’t get him going either so gave him away as a riding horse.
“Then I got Mike into another couple of horses – Tanzanite and Miss Taken, but neither worked out either “He’s a hell of a nice guy, he just hasn’t had any luck with us so far.
“But this fella will change that.”

Wavethebill would likely have raced back in March, but the worldwide pandemic has probably turned out to be his friend, Balle reckons.

“I thought he would be a nice two-year-old, but Covid came along right when he was ready to qualify.
“So we had to turn him out and bring him back up, then when he got to the workouts, straight after Covid, he copped a stone bruise.
“But it worked out well for him because every time he’s had to have a let-up, he’s come back better.
“The other night he’s run 2.41.8 and didn’t turn a hair. You wouldn’t have known he’d had a race the next day.”

Wavethebill debuted in Krug’s Sires Stakes Heat on September 3 before going AWOL on the bend in his next start, a maiden on September 18.

“That was a bit of a hiccup; we put the murphy on him but around the last bend he ran off the track.
“Josh (driver Dickie) said don’t worry about it, take the murphy off and he’ll be fine.
“So we turned the page, followed his advice and this last week, when he hooked him out, he steered like a toff.”

Next up is Cambridge on October 15 for another Sires Stakes heat, this time the usual spring edition for three- year-olds that culminates with the final on NZ Cup day.

“There’ll be a couple of smart ones there like American Dealer and Hot And Treacherous, but if he draws good, he might be able to run second or third.
“After that, we’ll see what happens. We’ll see what offers come rolling in for him.”

 

Fear The Dragon Tops Ohio Sale

The career of Macca Lodge stallion Fear The Dragon got a massive boost when he produced the top priced yearling at the recent Ohio Selected Jug sale in North America.

A stunning colt from Mach Three mare, Stonebridge Damsel, beat out a huge line up when selling for a massive $US120,000.

The colt, named Springbridge Dragn, was knocked down to one North America’s top trainers in Ron Burke.

Check out the classy Fear The Dragon youngster’s conformation and his brilliant way of moving in the video below.

Fear The Dragon’s progeny were in hot demand across the Ohio sale, with 33 lots selling at an average of $US26,700.

Other highlights include a Fear The Dragon filly from Sportswriter mare, Dancin Caroll, selling for $US85,000.

A Fear The Dragon colt from Art Major mare, Eagle Yankee, sold for the big price of US$57,000.

Another Fear The Dragon colt from Camluck mare, Twin B Diva, also sold well, fetching US$56,000.

The strong selling of Fear The Dragon’s yearlings in the first public offering is an outstanding result for the stallion and encouraging news for any New Zealand breeders who have sent their mares to him.

It also opens up an exciting opportunity for owners of Art Major, Sportswriter and Mach Three mares following the high prices Fear The Dragon yearlings from those dam-sires sold for.

Fear The Dragon’s sale topper sold for the equivalent of more than $177,000 New Zealand dollars on today’s exchange rate.

That equates to more than 34 times the price Fear The Dragon is available for ($4500 + GST) through Macca Lodge!!

To book your mare to Fear The Dragon click here

 

Raging Bull’s Wildwest brilliant first up

Raging Bull‘s star son Wildwest gave harness racing fans a massive reminder of his class with a brilliant first up win at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

The Southern bred son of Macca Lodge’s newest siring recruit showed his pure class when having plenty of reasons to shirk his task fresh up over 2503m.

https://twitter.com/RWWA_Harness/status/1294275200251334656?s=20

Wildwest was slowly in to stride, settling well behind the leaders.
The smart 4yr-old then did plenty wrong as driver Gary Hall Jnr tried to work him in to the race.
Despite all of that, Wildwest let down with a powerful finish to win in his first start at the races since November of last year.

The victory took the highly exciting Raging Bull pacer’s record to nine wins from 11 starts, with a bankroll of A$94,382.
Those wanting to breed their own Wildwest can access Raging Bull in his first season at Macca Lodge this spring.
Click here for more information or to book.

Brent’s 50th training win

When Smokin Annie smoked home along the inner to win at Ascot Park on Thursday Brent notched his 50th win as a trainer.
That result was the culmination of 27 years as a license holder that took him from Tussock Creek to Wendonside.
There was little fanfare and certainly no boasting about the achievement from the man himself – Brent is clearly not one for the spotlight.
“I am not really in to talking myself up – maybe you could say if I was any good I would have trained twice as many winners,” he quipped.

 


A quick look at his trophy cabinet, filled with cups from all over Otago and Southland, suggests that is not the case.
Just Jazzan got things started in 1995 with her Wyndham Cup win and the victories kept coming over the next two decades.


Bonnie Lass took out the Winton Businesses Cup, Waikouaiti Cup, Northern Southland Cup and the Southern Country Cups Final in winning nine races from Brent’s stable.
Jamie won the Wairio Cup in track record time and helped Brent win a second Waikouaiti Cup in her seven wins.


Brent’s 50th victory may not have been in a cup race, but the win held plenty of significance.
It was an all family affair – Smokin Annie is raced by Brent and Sheree’s son-in-law, Paul Hailes.

 

Sunset Red sizzles at Cambridge

Sunset Red showed breeding to Raging Bull means breeding for sizzling speed with a scintillating win at Cambridge.

The 5yr-old daughter of Macca Lodge’s newest siring recruit and Presidential Ball mare, Sweet Shelby, stopped the clock in a spectacular 2-41.4 time for 2200m when powering to victory for trainer Graeme Rogerson and driver Dylan Ferguson.

Sunset Red did not have everything her own win in her clock-smashing win.
Ferguson had to drag the mare towards the back of the field from her wide front row draw.
Sunset Red then came four wide around the home turn before powering to an impressive victory.

Sunset Red 1

The mare looks to have a bright future in the North Island going on her form since joining Rogerson’s barn.
Wednesday night’s victory was Sunset Red’s second win in five starts in the north.

Screen Shot 2020-07-09 at 10.15.05 PM

Sunset Red shows Raging Bull’s ability to cross well with Cam Fella line mares.
The 5yr-old has a 3×3 double up of Most Happy Fella on the dam’s side of her pedigree.

Airwaves standout

AIRWAVES has always shown Edendale trainer Craig Laurenson plenty of raw ability and lots of good speed, writes Bruce Stewart on the southlandharness.co.nz website.

The half–brother to Maximan, the winner of 20 races and $371,759, Airwaves is by Panspacificflight out of Clifton Beauty. He was bred by Ian Bennett.

“Maximan has gone 1:50 in Aussie and I think this horse has more speed. I know it sounds stupid,” Laurenson said.

Airwaves . . . another impressive winner by Panspacificflight

Airwaves . . . another impressive winner by Panspacificflight

Airwaves was having only his second start when he won at Invercargill on 25 May and Laurenson was hoping he’d just get round after he’d paced roughly on a number of occasions on debut.

“His heart rate is unreal. He’s lucky to get over 80 no matter what we work him. He went 3:02 one day at the workouts when he wasn’t qualified and his rate was 78 when he came off the track. You get a wee bit excited when they’ve got that much ability.”

And he thinks the horse is still two years away from being the complete racehorse.

“His brother (Maximan) is ten and has run 1:50 in Aussie so he’s got six years up his sleeve.”

Nearly three from three

THE RED ROBBER came within a nostril of giving Macca Lodge sire Panspacificflight a perfect record of three winners from three runners at the Invercargill meeting on 25 May.

The Tony Stratford-trained five-year-old was edged out by No More Change after sitting parked for most of the 2200 metres.

Earlier Airwaves paid $26 when he scored his maiden win at his second start — though he won like a $2 shot.

Alex Milne took the half-brother to big Australian winner Maximan to the lead from the outside of the front line over 2200 metres and was never headed. He coasted away by two lengths at the finish.

And Ansett Flight gave Panspacificflight his second winner for the day when he won his fifth race. He has also had 10 seconds and six thirds.