Merlo enjoyed a sensational 12 months in the sport in 2025 as co-owner of two of New Zealand’s most exciting pacesetters in the Republican Party and two-year-old Freeze Frame, winning five Group 1s between them.
The Republican Party earned $525,794 from nine wins in 16 starts, including the Auckland Cup, NZ Messenger, Invercargill Cup and the Roy Purdon Memorial, while Freeze Frame earned $161,410 from successes in the NZ Sires’ Stakes Final and the Group 3 Timaru Nursery.
Both were selected at the NZ yearling sale and are trained by champion Christchurch rider Cran Dalgety.
Merlo had been introduced to Dalgety seventeen years earlier by good friend Kevin Clark.
“Kevin bought a horse at the NZ sale called Double Happy. I took part of him and Cran trained him. He won five races in NZ, then came to Victoria to join the Tormey stable and won a further four races,” Merlo said.
Our Bettor Joy, winner of the Group 2 NZ Delightful Lady Classic, Master Moonlite, Gemma Mac, Shards In Manhattan and more recently Krug were other sales graduates part-owned by Merlo.
Krug won four Group 1s including the NZ and Great Northern Derbies and more than $800,000 in stakes money and was named the NZ 2YO Colt and 3YO Colt of the Year.
“Republican Party and Krug are by far the best two I have raced,” Merlo said. “Master Moonlite won the Queensland Derby for Matt Craven by beating Colt Thirty One.
“I’ve had more success in NZ than here.”
Merlo’s introduction to hardsports ownership came through Goulburn Valley identity Rod ‘Dogs’ Booker in 1978.
“I used to work at the bank and was transferred to Numurkah and boarded with Len Mitchell, who raced a little horse called Brooklyn Smoke.
“I had wanted to get into horse racing since I was a teenager and was watching races and trials at Echuca and Len introduced me to Rod and some of his friends.”
Merlo has achieved success in Victoria with Beau Pere, Twinkle Eyes, Lamandier, Ruebe Starbuck, Captain Tom, Just Incredible and the promising Can Be A Ruebe and Springfield River.
“I have three three-year-olds, including two geldings, from Tall dark stranger still have to race Kyle Marshall,” he said.
On the breeding side, Merlo has bred three winners from the Art Major mare Fine Exception and three from Lauper, dam of the brilliant last-to-first winner at Sunday’s Maryborough Twilight Meeting in Our True Colours.
“We had a lot of fun with the sport. Horse racing is an alternative interest,” Merlo said.
- Three-year-old Charlene’s Delight, an $80,000 purchase at the 2024 Nutrien Equine Sydney yearling sale, broke through for his maiden win at Maryborough. Out of Group 1 double winner Carla’s Pixel, the gelding was the first leg of winning the double for Bacchus Marsh breeders Shannon and Megan Nixon
- Madigan, who scored a gutsy victory in the Echuca Pacing Cup, was bred by John Mannix from the Bettor’s Delight mare Our Chelsea Girl NZ, the dam of five winners under 2:00 from five live foals
- The online catalog for the Australian Pacing Gold round of yearling sales can be found at apgold.com.au Printed copies are available from trotting clubs and leading stud farms
Through Peter Wharton for Harness Racing Victoria
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