Buyers Steven and Toni Hart, Googong, with their $230,000 filly purchased from John and Jenn Corbett, Clear Hills, Adelong. Trainer Rob Leach in the saddle. Image: Wild Fillies.

THE 2019 Landmark Classic performance horse sale has turned over more than $7 million in sales, headlined by a new Australian Performance Horse record of $230,000.

Re-setting the record books was the two year old chestnut filly Yaven Smooth Spin, offered by John and Jenn Corbett Clear Hills, Adelong, and bought by Steve & Toni Hart from Googong in New South Wales.

Trained by Tamworth’s Rob Leach, Yaven Smooth Spin is by Smooth As A Cat out of the prominent open draft winning mare One Moore Romance.

Geldings were in strong demand this year, grossing more than $2.14 million and averaging above $11,000. Top priced gelding was PV Grasshopper (Ima Smooth Blue Cat x Just One Moore), a fully-trained four-year offered by the Beale Group Trust and bought by Tori Acton for $30,000.

Top priced colt of the 2019 sale was Westlake Confederer, the stunning two-year-old black Conman x Kneipps Linda product offered by Peter & Jessica Turich and bought by long-term Classic supporters CM Pastoral for $86,000.

Stallions averaged just over $19,660 and were topped by Robert Johnston’s six-year-old Dual Rey stallion Darlea Double Scotch, which sold for $40,000 to Michael Hawke of Mikes Meats Pty Ltd.

Sales this year topped $7 million for the third year running, producing an 83 percent clearance, despite the very dry conditions across large parts of NSW and Queensland. The sale’s overall average was $14,672, which was just shy of last year’s average.

“It’s a fantastic result and one we are hugely proud of,” Landmark Equine’s Hannah Murray said.

“There’s an ever-growing passion for Australian-bred performance horses – and the popularity of this year’s event is a true testament to the dedication of the vendors, who are consistently striving to improve the genetics and training of their horses,” she said.

Drafting action

Some of the event’s drafting highlights this year included the Prydes EasiFeed Australian Performance Horse Challenge final on Monday night, which has become a highlight of Classic week and a showcase of some of the best hands in the industry.

Local trainer Wyatt Young rode Sheady Spin N Pepsi owned by Wayne & Lisa McDonell through a beautiful final round to claim victory with a score of 323.21 and was crowned the 2019 Prydes EasiFeed Australian Performance Horse Champion.

Tuesday night’s final rounds kicked off with the AELEC Arena Bar Dash For Cash, an exciting hit out between the top 10 geldings. A cash pool of $5000 was awarded to winners Jason Wanstall on Ervines Dundee, owned by the Great Southern Syndicate, who nabbed the title with a well-earned 89-point run.

The Mavericks Western Wear Masters Final was next, with 15 competitors on open-aged horses vying for the title. Troy Palmer added another Masters win to the book, riding Terry Snow’s mare Hell’s A Comin for a 90 in the final and a 178 overall.

Masters Winner – Troy Palmer riding Terry Snow’s mare Hell’s A Comin for a 90 in the final. Image: Wild Fillies

Billy-Jo Rae and Cooinda Knight’s Eve triumphed in the 2019 Martins Stock Haulage Open Campdraft, with a smoking run for 91 in the Tuesday night final, which took their aggregate to 268, enough to steer ahead and take the 2019 title.

On Wednesday night, the Prydes EasiFeed NCCA Champion Rider event was taken out by Pete Comiskey & Paris (team ACA) who over three rounds scored a 90, 88 and an 89 to win the aggregate by 5 points. The riders from GCA won the teams section, with $2000 donated to their chosen charity Cancer Council of Australia.

Next up was the Charlie Maher Memorial Young Guns, featuring the Campdraft stars of tomorrow. Josh Barnett romped to victory on the family stallion Barnlodge Omega Destiny smashing out an 89 in the final.

The 2019 Landmark Classic Campdraft was another hotly contested final. Wyatt Young aboard Nashville Nightman owned by Marg Hinde, Royce Howard & Jason Bower, laid out a textbook run for a tidy 88 and the 2019 Classic Champion title.

Finally, the Dalgety Stallion Shootout final was a big hit, with a huge crowd – and it was a nail-bitingly close event. Natasha Carlon and family owned Heatwave, put together a fantastic cut-out to snatch the win with an aggregate of 200.5.

Source: Landmark