Megan Reidie – Young Breeder

Southlander Megan Reidie (SBSR) wears many hats.

She works full-time for Vet South and as a vet is heavily involved in the Southern Standardbred Breeders Association. And recently she and her husband Jeremy Douglas who is a trainer, have set up a new mini breeding base named Macandrew Farm.

It’s not surprising that Megan became involved in harness racing as her family tree has a few harness racing branches.

“My great aunty is Christabel Barron, so all the Barron boys (Clark, Ken and Tony) are Mum’s cousins. While I was at High School I worked for Murray Brown and caught the bug from there,” she said.

After leaving school Megan headed to Massey University to undertake Veterinary training.

“When I first started out after Vet School, I did my first stud season at Wai Eyre Farm and well and truly caught the bug. Then I went to Northern Southland Vets who serviced Macca Lodge. I was there for ten years. There were two big studs there then, with Kina Craig as well. Brent (McIntyre) helped me with my mares.”

The first mare Megan bred from was Sharjanter, a Christian Cullen mare that belongs to the same family as Terror To Love. She got one foal out of her – Macandrew Majic (Badlands Hanover) which won a race.

She has also bred from Arts Mistress and Young Tegan.

Young Tegan is by In The Pocket out of New Zealand Oaks winner Young Eden. At stud she’s left Countess Of Arden (Net Ten EOM) the winner of four and the dam of the promising Admor Ella (Capt Midnight).

Reidie bred a full-brother to Countess Of Arden; Macandrew Markup, the winner of two for Douglas.

Art Mistress (Artsplace) has also done well at stud, leaving Macandrew Aviator (10) and Macandrew Navigator (3).

“She was one of Murray Brown and Cleland Murdochs’ mares and I had a lot to do with them. Macca Lodge put me on to her.”

These days Megan is breeding from a small number of mares including Petra’s Star which was bred by the Cummings family of Tuapeka Lodge and won three of her fourteen starts. At stud her best winner has been the pacing warrior Galactic Star (Bettor’s Delight) which won 37 races and earned $860,975.

“I was gifted her by Father Dan’s brother and sister (Julie Davie and Peter Cummings) when Father Dan passed away. I was pretty lucky to get her. John Stiven helped me get her.”

Reidie has a Bettor’s Delight two year old gelding out of Petra’s Star named Macandrew Maverick who’s been to the workouts, and a yearling filly by Downbytheseaside called Star Of Macandrew.

“She (Star of Macandrew) is going to be our next broodmare. She’s been broken in, has had one prep and is due to come back and do her second. She’s quite a big type so we don’t think she’ll make a two year old. We’ve put her (Petra’s Star) back in foal to Bettor’s so we’re desperately hoping for a filly from her.”

Reidie also owns an American Ideal mare out of Beaudiene Ladylike named Lady Macandrew.

At stud Lady Macandrew has left the talented Princess Macandrew who at her first start ran third in the G3 Caduceus Club of Southland/Alabar Fillies Classic.

Reidie and Douglas have recently purchased Southern race day starter Ben Ward’s old property on the Lorneville – Dacre Highway.

“Coming down here it was always something (foaling) that we were capable of doing ourselves. Jeremy has got pretty good experience with broodmares too. We’ve set it all up for a foaling unit and we’ve got beautiful paddocks out the front of the house with lights and cameras set up, so it’s pretty cool.”

The breeding establishment already has runs on the board.

“We got Millie McGooghan in foal and foaled her down, so Master McGooghan was bred at our stud. That’s our first claim to fame from breeding.”

The combination of breeding and racing has it’s challenges.

“It’s a pretty big tie. Cup Week is always a difficult week to get away. Now that we’re set up so much better, potentially we could get people to come in and do foal watch for us. We’ve also got all the spellers and racehorses at home too.”

The annual NZB Standardbred Yearling Sales will be of interest to the pair in future.

“We took one to the Sales last year for the first time. He was passed in, but it was another experience for us.”

Macandrew Maverick, a full-brother to Galactic Star was passed in at $37,500.

“It’s something we’d like to do a bit more in the future but will probably have to upgrade our broodmare band to become more commercial and relevant. At the moment we’ve got a bit of a backlog of two and three year olds and yearlings to clear out before we can breed too many more. We are definitely on the lookout for a Group One type of mare.”

 

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink

 

This content was first released to The Insider subscribers. Don’t wait days for the edge on the latest news. Get our previews, selections, and insights early by joining our free newsletter The Insider.