. Photo by Alan Boyd Graphic
Alan Boyd was a teenager when he fell in love with harness racing. He has given a lifetime of service to the sport he loves.
There isn’t much Brisbane horseman Alan Boyd hasn’t done in his 50 years as a harness racing participant – he has been an owner, driver, trainer and club president - but few roles give him more pleasure than breeding a city winner.
Boyd grew up in Melbourne and became a harness fan in the 1960s at the famous Melbourne Showgrounds. He bought a share in a pacer a few years later.
He has bred a number of quality Albion Park winners and has two youngsters in the 2025 APG Ipswich Yearling Sale on February 9 from the family of superstar pacers Leap To Fame and Swayzee.
“I lived in a (Melbourne) bayside suburb, which gave rise to one of my horses being named Half Moon Beach, until moving to Brisbane in 1971,” Boyd said.
“In the late 60s and early 70s the Saturday night racing at the Melbourne Showgrounds was shown live on TV as part of an entertainment program and was compulsory viewing for me and many Victorians.
“And while at Uni, I used to sometimes take myself to the Showgrounds as well as to afternoon meetings at Cranbourne.
“After my move to Brisbane, I made friends with two workmates who raced pacers and they were buying horses from Victoria and would ask me various things about the Victorian scene.
“They invited me to join them in ownership and I bought my first share in a horse in 1973 - it won, as did the next four and that was how my journey started to having my own, becoming a trainer-driver and breeder.”
Boyd said he had bred quite a few horses, the first in 1976.
“The first foal I bred was a filly in 1976 and she went through the sales but was passed in and she became the first one I trained after gaining my licence,” he said.
“I was still breeding and training while president of the Gold Coast Harness Racing Club 30 years later.
“I bred some handy horses in the early years, including Mister Pleasant (8 wins) and Mount Scobie (9 wins), both of which were multiple Albion Park winners, followed by Mister Mover (11 wins) which also had multiple Albion Park wins.
“Then a 1982, I bred a colt called Alberton Ace which won seven races in Australia before winning multiple races in US and he banked $128,000.”
Boyd bought unraced Land Grant mare Dont Dilly Dally in the mid-2000s and immediately bred tough pacer Always Prompt (1.55.5, $112K).
Don’t Dilly has produced 10 winners of more than $500,000 in stakes.
“Dont Dilly Dally is a half sister to the dam of For A Reason (1:49.4, $1,1M) and Lettuce Reason, the dam of Leap To Fame (1:48.3, $3.2M) and Swayzee (1:51.8, $1.8M),” Boyd said.
“I bred Always Prompt which won 23 races, Half Moon Beach (15 wins, $88K), All Good Wally (16 wins, $54K) and two other winners from her.
“I am currently breeding from two of her unraced daughters – Polly Delwin has had one to race and he has won as a 2YO, 3YO and 4YO, and Sally Delwin.
“Both colts in the Ipswich sale are by Franco Nelson (1:50.3, $872K), which sadly prematurely deceased.
“Both colts are well grown and are being prepared by the ultra-professional team at Burwood Stud.”
The colts are - Lot 127 out of Polly Delwin, dam of 2YO winner Mister Delwin, and Lot 131 out of Sally Delwin.
For full details of these or any other yearlings in the 2025 Ipswich Yearling Sale please visit APG’s Online Sales Catalogueor Register as a Buyer today!
