Mick Harvey sets record at Nutrien with $250,000 blueblood Walner filly

Victorian Breeder of the Year Michael “Mick” Harvey has made a bold statement at the 2026 Nutrien Yearling Sale, securing a blueblood trotting filly for a record-breaking $250,000, the highest price ever paid for a trotting filly at auction in Australasia.

The filly, a daughter of global trotting sensation Walner (USA), boasts one of the most coveted pedigrees to come through the sale ring in recent years. She is out of champion racemare and proven producer Dance Craze and traces back to the legendary La Coocaracha, widely regarded as one of the most influential broodmares in Australasian trotting.

Harvey, known for his measured but decisive approach to bloodstock investment, described the filly as a rare opportunity that was impossible to ignore.

“She is one of, if not the best-bred trotter you’d want anywhere,” he said. “She’s got enormous upside, particularly being bred on Northern Hemisphere time. She’s a gorgeous filly with everything you look for physically and on pedigree.”

The purchase represents more than just a headline price. It significantly strengthens Harvey’s boutique broodmare band and reinforces his position among the leading investors in elite trotting and pacing bloodstock in Australia.

The filly’s pedigree combines proven international excellence with elite local performance. Her sire Walner has rapidly established himself as one of the world’s dominant trotting stallions, while her dam Dance Craze excelled on the track, being the 2020 Victorian Aged Horse of the Year & Aged Trotting Mare of the Year and winning three Group One races before becoming a highly regarded producer. The maternal line adds further depth, with granddam La Coocaracha having produced Inter Dominion champion The Locomotive, cementing the family’s reputation for consistency at the highest level.

Adding further commercial appeal, the page is already producing results. The filly’s two-year-old brother, Duke of Bourbon, by Face Time Bourbon, sold for $240,000 at last year’s Nutrien sale and is set to make his racetrack debut in New Zealand in the coming weeks.

A key factor behind Harvey’s confidence is the strength of the genetic cross. The Walner/Muscle Hill combination has emerged as one of the most successful formulas in global trotting, consistently producing elite performers.

“Genetically, it’s one of the most proven crosses in the world,” Harvey said. “It gives you real confidence you’re buying into something that works at the highest level.”

The filly was bred and presented by Pat Driscoll’s Yabby Dam Farms, widely recognised as the premier trotting nursery in Australasia. Yabby Dam has built an international reputation for producing top-class trotters, and Harvey was quick to acknowledge the program behind the horse.

“Pat Driscoll and the team at Yabby Dam have been breeding the best trotters in Australasia and internationally,” he said. “I couldn’t be happier to secure a filly like this from their operation.”

Beyond the individual purchase, the $250,000 result sends a strong signal about the strength and momentum of the trotting sector across Australasia. At the Nutrien Melbourne Yearling Sale, trotters dominated the top end of the market, filling the top four lots, a clear indication of shifting buyer demand.

That trend was mirrored at earlier sales across the Tasman, with trotters also topping the 2026 NZB Standardbred Yearling Sales in both Auckland and Christchurch. The continued influence of elite international bloodlines, combined with increasing confidence from major investors, is driving a new era of growth within the trotting gait.

There is no doubt the rise of Keayang Zahara is further fuelling that momentum and helping position trotting at the forefront of the sport’s future in Australasia.

Looking ahead, the filly shapes as more than just a high-end racing prospect. With her pedigree, physical presence and residual value, she has all the ingredients to become a cornerstone broodmare and potentially a flagship performer of her generation.

For Harvey, the decision ultimately came down to timing and conviction.

“Opportunities like this don’t come around often,” he said. “When they do, you have to act.”

From Harnesslink Media