Great Success is the fastest trotter ever to be imported to the southern hemisphere.
Great Success (Tr 1:51.4TT), the fastest trotter ever to be imported to the southern hemisphere and now a highly regarded sire, is to stand in Victoria this season after being based in New Zealand for the last four seasons.
He will stand at Niota Bloodstock, Girgarre, near Shepparton, of Ken and Jan Wills, for a fee of $1600 including GST. Great Success has been bought by Michael Taylor, a prominent NSW square-gaiting breeder-owner and sponsor, and Ararat horseman Gary Hull.
The brilliant, young stallion - he was foaled in 2004 - is already well on the way to proving a success with his first small crops racing. And, with his biggest crops still to represent him, Great Success is poised to make an impact in the trotting field into the future.
In his first season Great Success left 71 foals, and of these he had 29 to the races half-way through their four-year-old season, and 13 were winners, six were placed and a further seven qualified.
From his first crop he sired a top colt in Roy Hobbs (Tr 2:00.2), who has won four of his 12 starts and was one of the star three-year-olds of his season, and others in Jeter Tr 2:02.9 (3 wins this term) , Senitas Success Tr 2:03.5 (6 wins) and Buff Orpington.
While, his second crop now racing as three-year-olds, has already produced nine winners including Trouble Rieu, a heat winner and runner-up in the final of the NZ 2YO Trotting Championship, One Two Kenny (2 wins from 4 NZ starts), Boundary Row, a dual SA classic-winning two-year-old, and the Vicbred Final and Tatlow placegetter Edge Hill.
Great Success competed with real distinction against the best trotters in commission. As a two-year-old he won in 1:56.2, winning a division of the Review Stake at Springfield, while he also captured divisions of the John Simpson Memorial and Hayes Stake and finished runner-up in the Bluegrass Stake and International Stallion Stake.
The highlight of his career came as a three-year-old winning an elimination and Final of the $220,000 Matron Stake at Dover Downs in 1:55.4. He took his record of 1:51.4 at three years in a time trial at Lexington, trotting his last half in a blazing 55 seconds.
Great Success had only 32 starts, winning six times with 10 placings and running up a stake score of $400,341 - an excellent total in a brief career.
Great Success is the first son of Hambletonian winner Self Possessed (Tr 1:51.6) to do stud duty in the southern hemisphere. Self Possessed hit the siring headlines when he left the mighty Cantab Hall (Tr 1:54), who in turn has sired the world record holders Father Patrick (Tr 1:50.4) and Uncle Peter (Tr 1:50.6).
Great Success, on his dam's side has a pedigree to match that of his sire line. He is out of Victory Please, the dam also of the Stakes winning Pleasing Lady (Tr 1:56) and Azur (Tr 1:54.6), being by Mr Vic (Tr 1:54.4) from Caviar Please, by Royal Prestige (Tr 1:55.2), a former USA Trotter of the Year. He boasts a 3x3 cross to Valley Victory (sire of Muscles Yankee) and carries multiple strains of the blood of influential sires Speedy Crown and Star's Pride. His pedigree also contains three doses of the blood of noted speed influence Speedy Somolli.
Great Success is a young stallion with the bloodlines, racing performance and conformation to commend him to the most discriminating breeder. He should add interest to the ranks of Victorian trotting sires.
