Michael Taranto is a big supporter of harness racing in Australia. The Managing Director and CEO of Seelite Windows and Doors previously raced up to 50 or 60 horses but has streamlined his team to 16 trotters including one broodmare. In what will be a first for Taranto, he will watch horses he part owns race in feature events in Australia, USA and Sweden in the space of 30 hours this weekend.
Normally Taranto would be in Sweden preparing to attend Sunday’s Elitlopp but due to commitments at home he will be travelling to Tabcorp Park Menangle on Saturday night to watch Livin The Life compete in the NSW Trotters Derby.
“I think I have had four runners now at Menangle for four duck eggs but I am still going to make the trip up on Saturday night to watch Livin The Life compete,” said Taranto.
“Livin The Life was purchased at the first Australasian Premier Trotting Sale essentially by a band of Cranbourne committee people, he has won three races already but he will have his work cut out for him this weekend.”
While Taranto acknowledges it is a big step up for the son of Dream Vacation he is glad to have a runner in the Gr. 1 feature.
“I won’t die wondering, I’m a believer that if a horse is eligible to race then it should go and race and I applaud his trainer Michael Hughes for taking the NSW Derby path with Livin The Life.
“The horse is not without a fluker’s chance of winning and I think he will appreciate racing on the big 1400 metre track.”
After Saturday night Taranto will wake up on Sunday morning and tune into to watch his three year old colt Aldebaran Eagle race in the New Jersey Sires Stakes final at the Meadowlands.
“I race him in partnership with Duncan McPherson from Aldebaran Park, he was purchased at the 2013 Harrisburg sales with the aim of purchasing a potential stallion that could stand in Australia at some stage in the future.
“The plan with him was to stake him up for everything that we could, have him perform well in some big races and then bring him to Australia, we have to decide whether to leave him in the US for the Breeders Crown in November but if we don’t he could come to Australia and race here later this year.”
Taranto confirmed Aldebaran Eagle is well bred and has already run a mile in 1:53.0.
“He is extremely well bred, he’s not the best three year old in New Jersey but he is very competitive and after placing in two heats he has qualified for the final on Sunday morning our time.
“I hope that his race is part of the Sky coverage on Sunday morning from the Meadowlands but if it isn’t I will watch it on the web via the Big M website.”
The third of Taranto’s runners will compete at Sweden’s Solvalla racetrack in a mares’ race on the Elitlopp programme.
“Excellent Boko is a mare that Duncan and I purchased after a trip to Boko Farms several years ago, John Bootsman does it very well because when you do a tour of Boko Farms he hands out an A4 piece of paper as you head into each paddock with the horses and their prices.
“This small, runt like weanling walked up to me and wouldn’t stop following me, she didn’t leave my side the whole time I was there so I took note of her breeding and went back to the hotel room where I was staying and studied her pedigree.”
Excellent Boko is by Broadway Hall from Exciting Kronos and Taranto liked the mixture of American and European bloodlines.
“Excellent Boko had a three year old relation that had just started racing so when I next saw John (Bootsman) I told him that Duncan and I were interested in buying her.
“After receiving some advice we left her in the hands of trainer Timo Nurmos and he has done a fantastic job with her, she is going to be racing the A grade Swedish trotting mares on Sunday but we couldn’t bypass the opportunity of having a runner on Elitlopp day.”
Taranto understands that his three runners have a big job ahead of them on the weekend but he is thrilled to be a part of three big meetings around the globe.
“I’ve never experienced anything like this an owner of horses, it is something that is very special for me and while I will only watch the horses in America and Sweden on television, I will get the pleasure of watching my trotter compete at Menangle in the Derby.”
Harness Racing NSW (HRNSW) is the controlling body for harness racing in New South Wales with responsibility for commercial and regulatory management of the industry including 31 racing clubs across the State. HRNSW is headed by an industry-appointed Board of Directors and is independent of Government.
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To arrange an interview or for further information please contact:
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Name:
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Greg Hayes
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Position:
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Media Co-ordinator
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ghayes@hrnsw.com.au
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