Highline Thoroughbreds’ profile as a source of quality youngsters continues to grow with Discretion Rules (Alabama Express) their latest black-type success story.
The Cambridge-based operation of Cam and Eva Heron offers a full range of services from yearling preparations, spelling, agistment and foaling down, with success to the highest level as vendors.
Their flagship graduates to date have been star performer and multiple top-flight winner Legarto (NZ) (Proisir) and Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) winner Dark Destroyer (NZ) (Proisir).
The Gr.3 Matamata Slipper (1200m) winner Alabama Gold (NZ) (Turn Me Loose) and Glamour Tycoon (Written Tycoon), successful in this season’s Listed O’Leary’s Fillies’ Stakes (1340m), have also been sold through their Karaka drafts.
Alabama Express’ son Discretion Rules is now on the honours board following the Te Akau youngster’s success in the Listed Champagne Stakes (1200m) at Riccarton.
He was purchased by Highline, with Paul Moroney and Catheryne Bruggeman, for A$120,000 as a weanling and sold to Te Akau principal David Ellis for $165,000 at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale.
“We just keep trying to replicate the process, sometimes we don’t buy any and sometimes we might buy half a-dozen,” Cam Heron said.
“It varies and depends on the sale and how strong it is. Obviously, we are always trying to buy them at the right price point.
“We bought four out of the Great Southern Sale at Oaklands in Melbourne last year.
“We got a Russian Revolution colt, the Alabama Express colt (Discretion Rules), a colt by Grunt and a Shamus Award filly.
“None of the others have raced yet, the Grunt is a later maturing type and so is the Shamus Award and the Russian Revolution went to Sears Racing in Queensland.
“They are extremely happy with him, he’s won a couple of trials and are really excited about him coming on.”
They were all purchased with Moroney and Bruggeman as was Glamour Tycoon, who was bought for A$85,000 at the Great Southern Sale and subsequently sold to Stephen Marsh for $220,000 at Karaka.
Highline, Moroney and Bruggeman were back in action on Tuesday with daughters of Prague (A$65,000) and Dundeel (A$30,000) and a son of Tassort (A$70,000) secured on the opening day of the Inglis Australian Weanling Sale.
“It’s a system we stick to and mostly Eva will go to the sale and Paul and Catheryne will usually be there, although Paul is by himself in Sydney this time, and it’s always good to bounce ideas off them,” Heron said.
The development of their current Cambridge property also coincided with Highline’s first Group One winner sold at Karaka four years ago.
“We haven’t been doing this all that long, we had been doing drafts of our own horses and the first time we did a client horse was for the 2020 sale,” Heron said.
“Prior to that, we did horses that we had bred and the first year we took one horse, then two, five and then seven.
“We moved to our new property in Cambridge in June 2019 and that enabled us to do a client horse for the 2020 Karaka sale.
“The first client horse we sold was Dark Destroyer and we had got introduced to Warrick Jeffries and his family and their breeding operation in 2019.
“They have supported us really well and we’ve also sold Legarto and Alabama Gold for them.”
Highline is currently busy preparing youngsters for the New Zealand Bloodstock National Weanling Sale on June 20.
“We’re working on our draft, we’ve got 11 going to Karaka at this stage so Eva is out buying them and I’m getting them ready to sell,” Heron said.
“We’ll be back at the yearling sale again next year as well with another nice draft of horses.”
