Rising trotting star Hillbilly Blues (What The Hill) has strong southern roots.

Trained by Michelle Wallis and Bernie Hackett, the twenty three start trotting novice has now won nine races, and his last four in a row. Two of those four wins have been black type – the G1 National Trot and the G3 Cambridge Trotters Flying Stakes.

His grandam Gemini Jo (Bills Brother) won seven races for her owner trainer David Harris. Once she’d finished racing her breeder Ron Mills (Bev Williamson’s father) bred four foals out of her before he sold her to Michael House. House bred another five foals with her last foal Experiment (Sundon) being her most successful.

“Errol Forde leased her off Micheal House. He had a lot of fun with her,” said Experiment’s trainer Tony Barron.

She started in 60 races – 56 for Barron and her last 4 for House. Her eight wins were for Barron.

“She was a nice mare but had a small attitude problem. But she was a very good type who could really run. It’s no surprise to me that she’s left a Group One winner.”

She was raced by Forde, a Wairio Trotting Club stalwart and his partner Jan Hawthorn.

“He’s still active and goes to Brett Gray’s one or two days a week and helps out at the stables. He’d be well into his eighties now.”

Barron rates Experiment’s win at Methven in October 2014 as her best.

“Habibti was hot favourite. Luckily for us Davey Butt had raced her at Addington on the Friday and she was off 50 metres on the Sunday. She never got near us. Dexter (Dunn) drove her and she bolted in.”

As a broodmare she was mated to Love You, producing a colt which Barron sold to Micheal Purdon for $32,500 at the 2019 NZB Standardbred Yearling Sales in Christchurch.

He then leased the mare to Woodlands Stud in 2020.

“Micky (Micheal House) wanted me to keep her but I just wanted to get the one foal out of her.”

Since then, Experiment has produced Hillbilly Blues which Tony Herlihy bought for $30,000 at the 2022 Auckland Sales.

“He said to me in typical Herlihy fashion ‘if that idiot (Barron) could win eight races with that mare she was probably a good mare (laughter).”

Her next three foals have been fillies by What The Hill. Herlihy bought her 2022 filly Blue Bayou for $4,000 at the 2023 Weanling Sales, Georgia Brookes Lodge in the Waikato bought her next filly (Another Hillbilly) for $3,000 at the 2024 Weanling Sales and her next filly (unnamed) was bought at last year’s Weanling Sales by Craig Ferguson for $2,000.

Woodlands Stud still has her last unregistered What The Hill filly.

Hillbilly Blues’ success also highlights the resurgence of the stock of What The Hill.

Other good winners last season for the Muscle Hill stallion have been Ya Rite Darl (6), Johnny Who (4), Bravehearthighlander (4), Bet N Win (3), Bulit Train (3) and Eyre I Will (3).

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink