The Breeder Series - Old Adage To Be Put To The Test

There is an old adage in the racing of horses that a good colt will always beat a good filly.

For the time being and for the sake of the argument we will ignore the deeds of Black Caviar and Winx in the thoroughbred world.

Two years ago the Australian 2yo Colt/Gelding of the Year title was taken out by Never Ending which went through the season undefeated in six starts which earned his connections $274,485.

The Australian 2yo Filly of the Year in 2022 was won by Major Delight which was also undefeated as a 2yo with nine wins in as many starts for stakes of $375,179.

For those who enjoy a good discussion about the merits of fillies versus colts, harness racing did away with the National 2yo of the Year title in 2011 and just kept separate versions for each sex.

Fast forward two years and Never Ending and Major Delight will clash head to head in The Eureka and, regardless of which of the pair finishes ahead of the other, there will be sparks added to the debate.

The homebred Major Delight has never raced against the males of her generation and the fact that she has a record of 21 wins from 26 starts and stakes of $668,192 is a tribute to the racing opportunities afforded to female Standardbreds in Australia and the programming skills of her trainer Emma Stewart.

For those coming down on the side of the good colt – cast your minds back 12 months to the first running of The Eureka.

The only female in the star-studded field in 2023 was Encipher which flew home in the long Menangle straight to down the superstar male Leap To Fame.