Braeden Whitelock: Investing in a new era with trotters

Manawatu dairy farmers and harness racing devotees Braeden and Caroline Whitelock have been at the forefront of the sport as breeders and owners for more than three decades.

Manawatu dairy farmers and harness racing devotees Braeden and Caroline Whitelock have long been synonymous with success in the breeding and ownership ranks, building a reputation that spans more than 30 years in the harness racing industry.

Their roll of honour is both extensive and elite, headlined by Princess Tiffany, the triple Oaks winner and millionaire, alongside standout performers such as O Baby, Treacherous Baby, and Cups winners Mo’unga and Dancing Diamonds.

Yet despite their decorated record, the Whitelocks’ focus has traditionally centred almost exclusively on pacing bloodlines.

That direction took a decisive turn last weekend.

Within the space of just 20 minutes at Nutrien Equine’s Melbourne Yearling Sale at Oaklands Junction, Braeden secured two impeccably bred trotting fillies, signalling a bold step into a new sphere of the industry.

Acting on the guidance of champion horseman Mark Purdon, the purchases followed a near miss at the New Zealand sales.

“I asked Mark to come to Victoria to have a look at some trotting fillies because we were the underbidders on two Walner fillies at the NZ sales,” Whitelock explained.

“We spent three or four days visiting farms and Mark caught up with a lot of people that he knew.”

The first acquisition was a filly by Walner out of the New Zealand-bred, Victorian-trained Group 2 winner Arboe (1:55.5), a daughter of Love You from the famed family of champion trotter Lyell Creek.

She commanded $140,000, making her the third highest-priced lot of the sale.

“I liked the Walner bloodline, the speed of the dam and her pedigree. She was a February foal, so was a little immature,” Whitelock said.

The second purchase, secured for $90,000, is a filly by E L Titan, a son of Muscle Hill, out of the Love You mare Ballyronan.

Notably, she hails from the same strong maternal family as the Walner filly, further reinforcing the strength of the family.

“We just loved her size. She is a nice big, athletic filly,” he said.

Both fillies will return to New Zealand, where they will be broken in by Mark Purdon before continuing their development under the care of Nathan Purdon.

“I believe that it was a great opportunity to get into that great blood. That blood can breed on for generations to come.”

“We were lucky to have the good pacing bloodlines and now we’ve got the good trotting bloodlines.”

The fillies were bred and consigned by leading Australian trotting breeder Pat Driscoll of Yabby Dam Farms.

“Pat has done an outstanding job in bringing the best bloodlines to the southern hemisphere,” Whitelock said.

Named New Zealand Breeders of the Year in 2017/18, the Whitelocks’ prior experience with trotters has been limited, though not without success.

Their former racemare Cheerful claimed the NZ 2YO Trotting Filly of the Year title and an Oaks victory.

Today, their breeding operation remains boutique but elite in quality, currently centred around just two mares, both Group 1 winners from the “silk department” in Princess Tiffany and Treacherous Baby.

“We have got three two-year-olds and two weanlings and now we’ve got two trotting fillies,” Whitelock said.

With the addition of these blue-blooded trotters, the Whitelocks are now well placed to expand their already impressive legacy into the trotting ranks, adding another dimension to one of New Zealand’s most successful breeding operations.