A locally-bred colt has fetched top price at this year's Australian Pacing Gold Yearling Sales in Sydney this month - sharing a $130,000 price tag with just three horses across the eastern seaboard.
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Phil and Denise Thurston knew they had something special in the colt they dubbed "Cheeky", and to see him match the top price at Sunday's sale was a thrill.
A son of super sire Bettor's Delight and the Thurston's successful mare Freedom Is NZ, the colt has the bloodlines of a star and he impressed in the flesh as well.
"They say that within half an hour of being born, you can tell if (a horse) is special," Phil said.
"We knew straight away. It was just the way he looked, he had an air."
That carried right through his preparation for sale as a yearling, the trip to Sydney and March 3's parade.
From the paddock at Forbes to the auction stage could hardly be a quicker change of environment, but "Cheeky" wasn't fazed.
The Thurstons hope he'll carry that into a successful racing career for his new owners.
From their small stud, this presentation of six yearlings to the sale was Celestial Standardbreds' first major consignment, they'll be following his career as keenly as if they still owned him.
Bathurst-based trainer Bernie Hewitt, who purchased him at auction for a syndicate, had every faith when interviewed for Australian Pacing Gold.
"He's very mature, very well looked after - you can see that," he said. "He's got great conformation and he's by the super sire."
It was only in 2012 that the Thurstons retired and travelled to New Zealand to explore the peak of the harness racing industry they had dabbled in for decades.
"We got over there and we were so impressed we ended up buying two yearling fillies, both very well bred," Phil said.
One of those was Freedom Is NZ, who enjoyed a successful racing career and collected $160,000 from 12 wins at the top level of racing before being retired to breed, still in excellent health. At eight, this is her first foal.
"He's exactly the sort of colt I'd be looking for if I was a buyer," APG's David Boydell said in an interview posted online. "He's by the king, Bettor's Delight, and out of a multi-group winning mare. He's a cracking colt."
