Shard Farm To Make Weanling Sale Debut

Shard Farm have been a staple of the Standardbred National Yearling Sale for the last 25 years, but they are changing tack this year and will offer their first draft of weanlings at the NZB Standardbred National Online Weanling Sale on standardbred.gavelhouse.com.

Farm principals Debbie and Mark Smith are currently in a transitional phase, with Debbie recently retiring and the couple subdividing their property, and they believe the weanling sale is the perfect stage to offer five of their weanlings.

“I have just retired from my full-time job and we have subdivided our land, so the time was right to pursue the weanling sales,” Debbie Smith said.

The farm’s first offering is Lot 6, Marco Shard, a Sweet Lou colt out of unraced Art Major mare Riley Shard, and he is from the family of Group One winners Likemesiah and Himself, and Group One performer Mighty Cullen.

“He is big, strong and correct,” Smith said. “He is a lovely horse and is beautiful to do anything with.

“He is a first foal and his mother was quite fast but we retired her after she injured a knee. 

“The grandmother produced a couple of really nice horses (Aye Aye Captain and Romeo Shard) and it is the Likemesiah and Mighty Cullen family, so that family has served us very well.”

The farm’s second offering is Lot 8, a The Storm Inside filly out of Shards Echo, a half-sister to multiple Group One winners Smiling Shard and Mach Shard, and Group One performer Pemberton Shard.

The Smiths have followed a similar breeding blueprint that produced Smiling Shard.

“She goes back, like Smiling Shard did, to a double up of Golden Miss, hence why I put her to The Storm Inside,” Smith said.

“She is lighter framed than the big colts but is really well put together.”

Lot 18, an On A Streak colt out of winning Love You mare Unyielding Spirit, will be the farm’s sole trotter offering.

“I borrowed the mare off Ben Hope, who has got a nice Majestic Son three-year-old that is going along very nicely,” Smith said.

“This guy is a gorgeous colt and is beautifully natured. He is very straight for a colt and trots everywhere.”

Shard Farm will also offer Lot 23, a Sweet Lou filly out of Zariya, a Bettor’s Delight half-sister to Group One performers Pacing Major and Amazing Art.

“She is very well bred and is by Sweet Lou,” Smith said. “She will always be a little bit on the small side, but she is going to grow. 

“She is very correct and is really nice to do anything with, we just weaned her last week.”

Smith said she has left her best weanling until last in the form of Lot 39, a Captain Crunch colt out of winning Christian Cullen mare Lady Gaga, who is a sister to Group One performer Spicey and half-sister to multiple Group One winner Sly Flyin.

“He is my top lot, he is beautiful,” Smith said. “He is by Captain Crunch and is out of Lady Gaga, who has a lovely nature and is beautiful to do anything with.

“This horse is beautifully correct, he is lovely and has got the pedigree to match.”

The catalogue for the 2026 National Online Weanling Sale is now online on standardbred.gavelhouse.com, with bidding opening from 13 May and closing from 6pm on Wednesday 20 May.

All weanlings purchased are eligible to be entered for NZB Standardbred’s lucrative Harness Million Sales Race Series. The Series consists of principal two-year-old and three-year-old races for colts and geldings, fillies and trotters individually, where NZB Standardbred graduates can contest for their share in a $1 million prize pool.