It takes a special type of stallion to come along and make a real impact on the harness racing industry.

It all begins with racetrack performance, the races they win, the money they earn and the speed they show. From there, the pedigree must stack up with the right mix of proven and popular sire lines combined with maternal families that breeders recognise and trust, while still offering enough of an outcross to suit a wide range of mares.

Even with all those boxes ticked, success is never guaranteed.

For stallion owners, the early years are often the most challenging. You rely on breeders to take a chance during those first three seasons at stud, a decision that carries risk and can be costly if the stallion doesn’t deliver. Ultimately, it’s a numbers game. The more mares a stallion serves, the more foals reach the ground, and the greater the opportunity for success.

From there the next phase begins. Progeny must perform in the sales ring and, most importantly, on the racetrack. They need to be selling well as yearlings, impressing trainers in their daily work at home and, perhaps most importantly, winning feature races.

It’s not an easy path, which is why when a stallion begins to establish himself it represents a tremendous achievement, one backed by significant investment, planning and marketing.

One stallion now beginning to make a serious mark is Downbytheseaside.

The latest member of the renowned Woodlands Stud roster to rise through the ranks, he is starting to make genuine waves across the industry, not only in Australasia but also in North America.

He has produced quality performers from each of his early crops, including standout performers like Coastal Babe, Wave Rider and Aardiebytheseaside.

However, it was his 2025 crop of two-year-olds that truly announced his arrival as a serious sire.

He finished the season as the Leading Sire of Individual 2-Year-Old Winners across Australasia, with an outstanding 60 individual juvenile winners, and was second only to the champion sire Bettor's Delight on 2-year-old stakes earned across both Australia and New Zealand.

In New Zealand he produced the season’s leading juvenile filly and colt, with All Of Me and Jumal both claiming top honours. They were supported by a strong cast of other feature race performers including Fugitive, Beside Me and D Mac.

The momentum has carried strongly into 2026.

Last week alone he sired 13 winners, highlighted by a feature race double at Alexandra Park on Friday night. Jumal captured the 3YO Harness Millions, while two-year-old filly Daisy Bay claimed Group 2 honours in the Delightful Lady Classic. Both were outstanding performances and a credit to the connections of these horses.

Earlier in the week he produced a double at Wyndham, including a Southland Oaks heat victory for his daughter Show Stopper. The weekend was then capped off with a siring trifecta in the Woodlands Stud Little Green Jug at Methven Racecourse, the feature race of the meeting, won by Get Seaside Lucky.

Both Show Stopper and Get Seaside Lucky were bred by loyal Woodlands clients Studholme Bloodstock, and we extend our congratulations to them on their continued success.

For Downbytheseaside, the tide is well and truly turning, and the industry is beginning to take notice.

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A Turn of the Tide