Trotters may make up a smaller portion of the Australasian harness racing industry, but their contribution to the sport, both domestically and on the world stage, remains hugely significant to our future. Despite a relatively modest trotting mare population, breeders now have more trotting stallion options than ever before. Among them, Woodlands Stud has been particularly thrilled with the rise of our recent shuttle stallion What The Hill, whose crops are already making a strong impression.

Yet one siring line that often slips under the radar is that of Pegasus Spur. A $1.2 million earner during his racing career, Pegasus Spur has long been an underestimated sire, but his influence on our trotting ranks as both a sire and more recently also as a broodmare sire is becoming impossible to ignore.

Though retired nearly five seasons, Pegasus Spur continues to produce standout performers, and the past weekend offered further evidence of his enduring impact. On Friday night, the talented Donna’s Boy notched his fourth win from just ten starts, adding to three second placings in his short career so far. At only four years old, and with just nine months of racing behind him, he continues to improve. His latest victory, his second in a row, came for trainer-driver Bob Butt and pushed his earnings past $43,000. Bred by Gerald Cayford and raced by Phil Anderson and Freedom Ridge Ltd, Donna’s Boy appears to have a bright future ahead.

Another Pegasus Spur winner came through on Sunday when I Dream Of Jeanie (from an Earl mare) celebrated her 100th career start with her 16th win. It was also her second consecutive victory, taking her earnings beyond $300,000 after capturing the Geraldine Trotters Cup. Now an eight-year-old in her sixth season of racing, she has collected three feature race wins, including last month’s Group 2 Grand Duchess. Bred by Gary Allen and the Hulstons and raced by a large, enthusiastic ownership group, she is currently in foal and will retire at the start of next year. Given the success Pegasus Spur mares are having in the breeding barn, it's likely her influence will continue long after she leaves the track. In the meantime, she’s far from finished, with her next major target being the Harness 5000 later this month.

Pegasus Spur’s strength as a broodmare sire is further highlighted by his daughters producing two of this year’s highest-earning open-class trotters in Muscle Mountain and Bet N Win. It’s a reminder that his legacy extends well beyond his own progeny.

His son Speeding Spur is also starting to build a legacy of his own. A former $1 million earner and nine-time Group 1 winner, Speeding Spur has had limited early breeding opportunities, but his stock is already showing plenty of promise. Over the weekend, his three-year-olds delivered strong performances when Paramount Spur claimed an impressive second win from three starts at Alexandra Park for John and Joshua Dickie, the same combination that guided Speeding Spur throughout his racing career. While Woodlands Stud–bred Joany Baby secured her first career win in style at Waimate. Bought for just $1,000 as a weanling by Bruce Negus and now trained by Dennis O’Connell, she’s proving that determination and heart often matter more than price tags.

If these recent results are anything to go by, the “Spur” influence, both through Pegasus Spur and Speeding Spur, remains very much alive. Their progeny continue to show the grit, athleticism, and will to race that defined their sires, and all signs suggest that the Spur legacy is far from finished.

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