Negus loves the weanling formula

There’s no better advertisement for the NZB Standardbred Weanling Sales at Karaka than Burnham harness racing trainer Bruce Negus and it was in evidence yesterday at Rangiora.

Both of his winners Monkee Major (Art Major) and Hoppy’s Smile (Vincent) were bought cheaply from the Alabar draft at the 2022 and 2023 Sales.

In her race, Monkee Major pulled early before driver Cheree Wigg took to the front with a lap to run and the four year old easily beat stablemate Follejon Star by one and a half lengths with another Negus runner Mouton Cadet a length and a quarter back in third.

MONKEE MAJOR REPLAY

“She was cheap because she had a swollen fetlock which she got from banging the box door all night. Alabar said ‘they’re all there for sale’ so they took my bid. It never troubled her at all and it came down in a couple of days. She’s turning into a really nice horse. She’s really tough, but she’s got a hell of a lot of speed,” Negus said.

The win was Wigg’s fiftieth as a driver, fifteen of them have been for Negus.

“She’s driven a lot for us, especially initially. She’s a really good driver.”

Hoppy’s Smile in the hands of Sheree Tomlinson settled in the one one. In the last 600 metres Tomlinson had to remind Hoppy’s Smile to stay in touch. But once in the straight she charged home late to get up to beat stablemate The Seamstress by a neck.

HOPPY’S SMILE REPLAY

“She’s just taken a while to get her head around things. She could turn out to be alright.”

Buying weanlings at the annual Sales has been a formula Negus has used for a number of years with a good amount of success.

“The formula is that if they’re really, really cheap they don’t cost you so much if they’re no good.”

His biggest success from the Mixed or Weanling Sales has been Buffy Northstains who cost a ‘fraction of the stud fee’ and has won over $270,000 and twenty two races, while Misty Blue whom he bought out of the 2021 Sales has gone on to win eight races and  $97,454.

In 2022 he bought nine weanlings, shelling out $28,500. Five have won races, the best being Joany Baby which he paid $1,000 for. She’s won $71,998. Other winners have been See No Evil (2), The Will (3), Ridge (4), Monkee Major (3).

“Joany Baby and The Will are both by Speeding Spur who was unknown then, but you couldn’t get two nicer horses.”

In total the earnings from his purchases that year have earned $206,423.

In 2023 Negus bought seven weanlings totalling $22,500. Three have won races. The best of these is Katelin who’s had one win and banked $30,641.

Seventy three year old Negus says his days of going to the Weanling Sales are over.

“My days of buying horses are over and my days of breeding horses is coming to an end. I might just keep a few to race with other people.”

Negus has had to take a step back from training, having suffered two incidents where he’s sustained concussion.

“You can’t keep having them. I’m loading the float and doing a lot of stuff, but I’m not driving (horses). I can drive a car.”

For complete race results, click here.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink