The What the hill Mare put an exclamation point on her burgeoning career when she led from start to finish for 1609 meters in Geelong last Friday, setting a new track record of 1:56.5 – 0.7 seconds within the previous mark.
It was her fourth success in her last seven attempts and her fifth lifetime.
Aldebaran Susanne was raised by a surrogate mare at Assher Park, a horse farm in Violet Town in the Goulburn Valley, and remained there until the middle of her two-year-old year.
She was then sent to the stables of David and Colleen Aiken in Sydney, who bred her, broke her in and originally trained her.
“One day the Aiken’s called me to see if I was interested in taking a half share,” said Aldebaran Park director Duncan McPherson OAM.
“Because I came from the good pedigree mare Cold Sister USA, four-time group winner of Like A Prayer, and had such a good pedigree, I accepted their offer.
“She showed a lot of promise, but was headstrong in her early days because she didn’t have much handling as a younger horse.”
After an unplaced start in NSW, Aldebaran Susanne was entrusted as a three-year-old to the Bolinda couple Chris and Alison Alford.
“We thought the smaller tracks in Victoria would suit her better than the big track in Menangle,” Duncan said.
“Chris and Alison have shown a lot of patience with her and she is now a much more manageable horse.”
McPherson said the breed improves with age.
“Her older siblings Pesco Pollo and Twixten are still racing and winning. Pesco Pollo has won eight of his nine starts this year,” he said.
Aldebaran Susanne is likely to have a short break and will then focus on the Lyn McPherson Memorial Breed For Speed Silver Series with the final in Melton on February 28.
- Victorian-bred gelding Captain Moore competed in the $100,000 MGM Grand Prix Pacing Series Consolation at Yonkers Raceway, New York, last Friday. The four-year-old was bred by top trainer Michael Stanley, who stud his father Soho Lanikai
- Dance Fighter, the upset winner of the Vicbred Platinum Homegrown for three-year-old trotters at Melton, was bred by the renowned Craig Nott
- Nick Hooper, the former president of Harness Breeders Victoria, produced a nifty three-year-old filly in Emma Rox, who won the pacing division of the Vicbred Platinum Homegrown
Through Peter Wharton for Harness Racing Victoria
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