Skyvalley (NZ)

Muscles Yankee USA-Chiola’s Lass NZ-Chiola Hanover USA

By Peter Wharton

7th July 2025

Skyvalley NZ, the sire of one of the greatest trotters raced in NZ and Australia in Tornado Valley ($1,033,977) and an outstanding racemare in Pink Galahs ($333,549), is without question one of the most proved trotting sires available to breeders in this country. 

Skyvalley NZ, who has been the leading colonial bred trotting sire since his first crop raced in 2013/14, is again the premier sire in this category and was ranked third on the All Aged sires’ list with almost $500,000 (to July 8, 2025).

Skyvalley NZ has sired 29 individual winners this season to date including the Inter Dominion heat winner Golden Sunset, the WA Trotters Cup winner Patched and the metropolitan winners Kyvalleyhoneybunny, Timmy Turtle, Kyvalley Finn, Aldebaran Sundown and Old Villa Boy.

Overall, Skyvalley NZ is the sire of the winners of more than $7.6 million including 24 $100,000 earners, six $200,000 earners, seven Group 1 winners and six Group winning two-year-olds and three-year-olds including three Vicbred champions.

Besides Tornado Valley and Pink Galahs, Skyvalley NZ top performers include Patched ($304,178), Kyvalley Finn ($291,611), Sky Petite ($251,015), Kyvalley Boomerang ($246,834), Fear Not ($196,555), Flash Kyvalley ($192,423), Golden Sunset ($190,410), Scenic Sky ($175,461), Aldebaran Eve ($158,508) and Blue Sky Commander NZ ($152,536).

Skyvalley NZ boasts an amazing winners-to-starters strike rate of 73 percent and has average earnings per starter of almost $40,000.

Skyvalley NZ is now starting to make an impact as a broodmare sire including Banglez (2020 2YO Filly Trotter of the Year, Just A Bit Touchy (2021 2YO Filly Trotter of the Year), Im Bobby ($145,490), Super Service ($110,984), Lady Adelia ($101,010) and the SA Southern Cross winner Bacardi Bindy.

Skyvalley NZ is unquestionably one of the best bred and best performed colonial bred trotters ever to stand at stud in this country.

From 47 starts he won 24 and was 13 times placed for $322,675 in stakes. He won six races at Group level and was placed a further three times and established three national records.

A dual winner as a two-year-old, Skyvalley NZ announced himself as the next big thing in Australian trotting when he trounced his rivals by 15 metres in the final of the $102,000 Breeders Crown for three-year-olds at Bendigo, rating a brilliant 1:59 for the 2150 metres - an all age Australian record.

Skyvalley NZ really came into his own as a four-year-old winning 14 races, the most by any standardbred in Australia that season. His wins included the 4YO Breeders Crown (by 32 metres), demolishing his opposition with Dan Mielicki describing it as the best win by any horse that season, drawing comparisons to the great Maori's Idol. He also won the Melton Trotters Cup on Melton opening day beating the best open age free-for-allers over 2760 metres, running his last mile in 2:01, the Cobram Trotters Cup and several metropolitan Free-for-alls.

One of his memorable wins as a five-year-old was the Bill Collins Sprint over 1720 metres at Grand Circuit level in a track record 1:56.4, beating Sundon’s Gift NZ, and wearing no shoes, such was his impeccable gait and manners. At the same age he won the Scotch Notch Memorial at Melton and the Freestone Trotters Cup at Moonee Valley. He also finished third in the Inter Dominion Grand Final after an injury interrupted campaign.

Skyvalley NZ is a rare individual who took your breath away with some of his feats on the racetrack.

Skyvalley NZ is a son of the former world No.1 sire in Muscles Yankee 1:52.4, now a champion sire of sires and broodmare sire. Muscles Yankee has sired the winners of over $100 million in stakes and at this stage is credited with 146 on the 1:55 list. In the Southern Hemisphere Muscles Yankee USA is best represented by the dual Inter Dominion champion I Can Doosit NZ.

Not only is Skyvalley NZ a son of Muscles Yankee, but on his distaff side he can claim equal distinctions. He is a half-brother to a champion trotting mare in Allegro Agitato NZ Tr 1:57.8 ($529,854), a multiple winner at Group 1 level in New Zealand and Australia and herself being sired by Sundon USA, proving that crossing with Sundon USA mares will undoubtedly work.

Their dam, Chiola's Lass NZ Tr 2:04 ($157,779), was one of the leading daughters of a champion trotting sire in Chiola Hanover USA. She won 10 of her 17 starts including the Victoria Oaks, NZ Great Northern Derby and The Holmfield and was voted the NZ Trotter of the Year at 2 and 3.

 

Skyvalley NZ progeny are eligible for Vicbred.

Skyvalley NZ is again standing at Aldebaran Park at an unchanged fee of $2,000 including GST with discounts for multiple bookings.