First Aldebaran Arrival
Paul Courts December 2008
Newly Formed breeding and agistment establishment Aldebaran Park has welcomed another stunning new arrival.
Fittingly the colt is a half-brother to the stud's debuntante stallion, Aldebaran Yankee. By Sundon from Maori Road, the youngster boasts an athletic appearance according to the stud's owner, Chris Lang.
"He's a lovely looking type," Lang declared. "He already looks every bit a star." As for Aldebaran Yankee, the exceptionally-bred four-year-old is attracting a steady book of mares.
Limited to just two starts due to a paddock accident, Aldebaran Yankee boasts one of the best bloodlines the world over, which explains his appeal to broodmare owners.
By Muscles Yankee, the entire is from the famed Maori-line, with his dam a half-sister to Maori's Idol, which was voted the Trotter of the Century in 2000.
Maori Princess was a top squaregaiter, which won 11 of her 16 starts, including the 1992 Oceania El Dorado, The Holmfield and Victoria Sires' Stake Final.
"We're getting a lot of interest in him, which is great," Lang said. "With bloodlines like his, I've got no doubt he will make his mark as a sire."
First Australian foal by Revenue S
December 2008
The Lindy Lane mare Maori Lindy, the dam of 2008 Breeders Crown runner-up Aldebaran Maori, foaled a lovely, leggy chestnut filly at Aldebaran Park on November 25.
Bred by Sharon Lang and Duncan McPherson, the filly is the first Australian born foal by the Swedish-bred American-based trotting stallion Revenue S 1:51.6 ($US1,998,608), who stands at Perritti Farms, New Jersey for a $US5000 fee.
The youngster's grand-dam Maoris Glory was a triple Sires Stakes champion and Trotter of the Year and ranks as the dam of the successful trotting sire Wind Cries Maori and grand-dam of the Vicbred 2YO champion Master Maori and the talented Well Cast.
2008 Debut Stallion Preview
Harness Racing International November / December 2008
Timing is everything in life. When the royally bred three-year-old Aldebaran Yankee was injured in a paddock accident both owner Duncan McPherson and trainer Chris Lang were naturally devastated. With Aldebaran Park having just been established as a horse agistment enterprise in the Goulburn Valley, thoughts of standing a trotting stallion were probably a year or two off... view complete article >
Trotting Topics
Track Bred Summer 2008
JAURIOL and Counttessa Hest, two of Victoria's top trotting mares of the past decade, have been retired and will be served by champion sire Sundon.
A former 2YO and 3YO Trotter of the Year, Jauriol won 22 races including four at Group 1 level and $248,824 in stakes, while Countessa Hest won 20 races - eight on metropolitan tracks - and $137,858.
Both are based at the Aldebaran Park stud, Nagambie, of Chris and Sharon Lang and Duncan and Lyn McPherson.
Official Opening Just Grand
Harness Racing Weekly 4th November 2008
VICTORIA'S newest standardbred breeding and agistment property was formally unveiled to the public last weekend. Aldebaran Park is a joint initiative of prominent owner Duncan McPherson and his wife Lyn, and leading trainers Chris and Sharon Land.
The impressive property is directly alongside the Lang family's training complex at Nagambie in the Goulburn Valley.
It features a magnificent breeding barn which is home to impeccably bred trotting sire Aldebaran Yankee which is standing his first season in 2008-09. Both resident and visiting broodmares are under constant supervision, and foal down in a purpose-built floodlit paddock.
Top notch agistment is also available for short and long term stays, with horses enjoying the safest possible surroundings and irrigated paddocks.
"Chris and Sharon oversaw every aspect of the design and we believe we've developed the property to the highest standard," McPherson said.
"Their extensive horse knowledge has enabled us to create what we hope will become a showpiece for the industry. Our motto is 'a commitment to quality' and we believe we've delivered on that promise but the proof will be in the industry's long-term support of the venture," he said.
Chris Lang said the initial response to Aldebaran Yankee had exceeded all expectations.
"We'll definitely have 30 outside mares and we could end up with 40, as well as the half a dozen of our own which will be bred to him this year," he said.
"We've been quite overwhelmed by the number of inquiries we've received. We did knock back an $80,000 offer for him as a foal so we've always had faith in his potential but it's been quite remarkable to receive such a positive response from the trotting fraternity."
Aldebaran Park hosted an Open Day last Sunday afternoon which attracted a big crowd of interested visitors.
Aldebaran Yankee and trotting star Sundons Gift were paraded, and guests enjoyed a tour of both the new breeding and agistment farm and the racing arm of the operation.
It was a rare opportunity to see behind the scenes of Australia's most revered trotting stables.
A raffle for a free service to Aldebaran Yankee was won by Shepparton trainer Ray Long.
Fifty percent of proceeds ($700) were donated to the 2008-09 Driving for Charity Fundraiser, to aid the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the Royal Women's Hospital and Autism Victoria. Aldebaran Park will be a principal supporter of this season's Driving for Charity Fundraiser, to be staged early in the New Year. Full details of the project will be announced in coming weeks.
Top Race Mares Retired
Jauriol and Countessa Hest, two of Victoria's top trotting mares of the past decade, have been retired and will be served by champion sire Sundon.
A former 2YO and 3YO Trotter of the Year, Jauriol won 22 races including four at Group 1 level and $248,824 in stakes, while Countessa Hest won 20 races - eight on metropolitan tracks - and $137,858.
Both are based at the Aldebaran Park stud, Nagambie, of Chris and Sharon Lang and Duncan and Lyn McPherson.
Maori Road , the dam of Aldebaran resident stallion Aldebaran Yankee, dropped a lovely colt by Sundon earlier this month.
Aldebaran Yankee, who has attracted widespread interest from breeders, will cover two prize matrons from the Aldebaran Park broodmare band. They are Maori Lindy, the dam of Breeders Crown runner-up Aldebaran Maori, and Aldebaranfavourite, the reigning SA Juvenile Trotter of the Year.
SA Juvenile Trotter of the Year
Aldebaranfavourite, who was bred and is owned by Duncan McPherson and Sharon Lang, was the recipient of the prestigious South Australian Juvenile Trotter of the Year award for 2008. She also received a nomination for SA Horse of the Year.
The Dream Vacation filly raced eight times at Globe Derby Park under the care of Errol Johnson during the winter for the splendid record of three wins, two seconds and a third. She finished runner-up in the SA Oaks and fourth in the SA Derby and she also recorded successes for Chris Lang at Geelong and Maryborough in Victoria.
Out of the former handy racemare All Time Favourite (8 wins), Aldebaranfavourite ranks as a half-sister and stablemate to The Redwood and Maori Legend winner Andys Favourite ($87,061 to date) an unraced Earl 2yo colt and a Windsongs Legacy yearling filly.
Aldebaran Yankee to stand at stud
Harness Racing Weekly Thursday September 11, 2008
Aldebaran Park is the agistment complex adjacent to the stables of Chris and Sharon Lang at Nagambie which is unchallenged as the most successful trotting stable in Australia.
When the Lang family recently decided to embrace standing their first commercial trotting sire on their property this season, it was a decision likely to have all trotting enthusiasts curious as why Chris was so enthusiastic to grab the opportunity of adding another string to his already busy bow.
This young stallion with the dream bloodlines is Aldebaran Yankee, a son of Muscles Yankee US, the outstanding sire of trotters in North America.
The idea to try to produce another Maori's idol probably gained momentum for Bryan Healy in 1999 when his top mare Maori Princess (winner of 11 of just 16 starts) was inseminated with imported semen from the champion US trotter Lindy Lane, then one of the great trotting sires in North America.
From this fascinating move came the filly Maori Road. Healy, it seems was on the right track, as another young trotter sired by Lindy Lane in this manner was the gelded Kyvalley Road, which won the Breeders Crown at two and three for Lang.
With Maori Road a half-sister of Inter Dominion champion Sumthingaboutmaori, Sharon Lang and long-time stable supporter Duncan McPherson then went into partnership to obtain Maori Road to breed her to the latest trotting champion in the US, the exciting Muscles Yankee.
This dream pedigree produced Aldebaran Yankee, a young colt Lang says had natural speed and a perfect gait. A huge future beckoned, however, a paddock accident before racing set the program back on its heels.
Later, the colt won multiple trials though the trainer was convinced that accident was preventing it from showing anything like its best form.
Lang believed this magnificently bred male will always be troubled by that paddock accident. This has led to a recent decision to allow other breeders the opportunity of also tapping into its exquisite bloodlines.
"We will breed our trotting mares to him this season, and enable other breeders to share in our good fortune, the introductory service fee will be kept to a modest $1100, including GST. For a brochure, phone 1300 HRSHVN," Lang said.
Windsongs Legacy Filly
Track Bred Magazine Winter 2008
This filly pictured (right) with her mum, All Time Favourite, is unique in the trotting breeding scene.
She is the only Southern Hemisphere born progeny of the deceased American trotting superstar Windsongs Legacy 1:53 ($1.7m), a Hambletonian winner and US Trotter of the Year in 2004.
Furthermore, the youngster ranks as a half-sister to the Redwood and Maori Legend winner Andys Favourite ($82,286) and to group one placegetter Aldebaranfavourite.
She was bred by prominent Melbourne breeder, owner and sponsor Duncan McPherson, whose horses all carry the Aldebaran moniker.