Passion taken to the next level

VICTORIAN horsewoman Courtney Slater’s love of harness racing (and not forgetting Courtney’s hard working man Mark Driscoll) can be credited in part to her much loved parents, Ian and Judi, and her grandfather Allan Anderton, who had his granddaughter in the sulky from a very young age.

Anderton, is one of the sport’s true characters, trained a super horse during the 1990’s named Al’s Court 1:50.6 ($711,625) and was the winner of 84 races in Victoria and the USA, including the VHRC Three-Year-Old Cup.

Goodtime Lodge and Goodtime Racing are owned and operated by Mark and the Slater family.

They have a standardbred breeding and training facility with three farms, comprising 232 acres at Elliminyt and Beeac, just outside Colac in Victoria’s magnificent Western District.

With rich volcanic soils and a perfect temperate climate, the Goodtime farms are ideally located to breed, raise and race standardbred champions.

Courtneys’ ability to prepare and condition horses could be described by many as “Taken To The Neds Level”.

Her ability to get the mixture of light work and deity requirements for our future stars of the sport will be on full display this week at Oaklands Junction from 11am.

Courtney has teamed up with Stuart McCormick, who in the view of this writer is this country’s best photographer of standardbred horses.

The 11 horses listed below set the benchmark for those keen to enter the field of preparing yearlings for “Australasia’s Richest and Best Race Series” going forward.

Thanks to Neds-APG GAME CHANGING PARTNERSHIP that sees over $3.25million on offer this year, along with more than $2.2million in local New South Wales and Victoria prizemoney, there is a massive opportunity now for younger people to get involved in our sport, just like Courtney.

Below is what I would say is most definitely “Taken It To The Neds Level”, congratulations must go out to Courtney and Stuart.

The Neds-APG Sale with its greatest offering in 33 years, will commence at 11am on Sunday, February 6 at Oaklands Junction.

• APG Media