Aldebaran Park off to a flyer in 2019 - January 2019

By Peter Wharton

What a start to the new year for Aldebaran Park bred and raised horses and its roster of sires!

Two Group wins, a swag of winners by SKYVALLEY, some exciting, new foals and a new sponsorship deal with New Zealand trotting.

SKYVALLEY’S outstanding son Tornado Valley NZ provided the highlight on the racing front in winning the Group 1 $50,000 Aldebaran Park Maori Mile at Bendigo in a career-best 1:54.1 (the last 800 in a stunning 55.6!). It was his eighth win on end and his 18th from 22 starts on Australian soil and advanced his stake tally to a whopping $441,387.

The Aldebaran Park bred and part-owned Aldebaran Willo NZ notched the most important win of his fledgling career when he outsprinted a top field in the Group 3 $25,000 Central Victorian Trotting Championship at Maryborough. The first foal out of Solar Powered NZ, a sister to the Derby winner Aldebaran Shades, the four-year-old gelding was knocked down for $55,000 at the NZ Premier Yearling Sale with Aldebaran Park retaining an interest in him. He looks to have a very bright future.

SKYVALLEY left seven individual winners of 10 races in three different States and NZ during January. Besides Tornado Valley NZ, SKYVALLEY was represented by the 1:58.2 Menangle winner Scenic Sky, the talented four-year-old War Admiral, a winner at Wyndham and Invercargill, the Melton winner Orlandos Princess, Flash Kyvalley (Maryborough), Reils (Maryborough) and Miss Invasion, who won three consecutive races at Redcliffe.

SKYVALLEY also sired the Group placegetters Sky Petite, who ran a close third in the Group 1 $250,000 Great Southern Star, Kyvalley Finn, runner-up in the Group 3 Central Victorian Trotting Championship, and No Republic, who finished second in the Hamilton Trotters Cup.

In the 2018/19 season SKYVALLEY has sired 20 individual winners of 38 races and $508,070 in stakes through the end of January.

The YIELD BOKO Swe four-year-old mare Flyin Around, who was bred by Aldebaran Park, resumed from a lengthy spell with a commanding win at Cranbourne, her fourth success from only 14 starts. Flyin Around is the first offspring of the unraced Aldebaran Queenie, a Muscles Yankee half-sister to three winners.

Aldebaran Park welcomed two new lovely filly foals in January. The dual Vicbred champion Endsino dropped a filly by Father Patrick USA, while Aldebaran Turnpike USA, the dam of last year’s 1:55 juvenile winner Aldebaranwalkabout, left a filly by our exciting, new stallion ALDEBARAN EAGLE USA and has been bred to American time to the great Muscle Hill.

Aldebaran Park has announced a sponsorship deal with Southern Harness Racing in New Zealand to sponsor the inaugural $20,000 Trotters Super Gold Chip Final and the promotion of trotting in Southland.

The Super Gold Chip Final will be held at Winton on April 13 over 2400 metres from a standing start. The series comprises six Finals at various tracks and the Super Gold Chip Final at Winton.

Aldebaran Park will be the naming rights sponsor to the Super Gold Chip Final and the other trot on the program as well as other trotting races in the district.