Racing: 1:46.8 mile win in US celebrated by South Auckland stud

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A record win on the other side of the world is set to have a huge spinoff for South Auckland's Woodlands Stud.

Three-year-old pacer He's Watching, a US$3000 yearling purchase, thrashed his rivals in the US$776,000 Meadowlands Pace on Saturday night, one of the world's great harness races.

In doing so, he paced the mile in 1:46.8, equalling the fastest time ever recorded in a race.

The win is important to Woodlands as they stand He's Watching's sire American Ideal in the Southern Hemisphere.

They own his breeding rights in New Zealand, where he spends half his life before shuttling back home to the States for stud duties there.

Woodlands has burst back to the top of the Australasian breeding scene through the deeds of super sire Bettors Delight in the past five years but American Ideal is proving a glamorous second-stringer.

He is also the sire of Australia's best 3-year-old pacer Bling It On, who, on a much smaller scale, won the Gold Coast Derby in Brisbane on Saturday night.

Not wanting to over-react to the win, Woodlands has raised American Ideal's stud fee from $7000 to only $8000 for next season and with his trait of often leaving athletic foals, the rising 13-year-old stallion looks set to become an even bigger presence in this part of the world.

One of American Ideal's other group one winners for the season, Ideal Belle, returned at the Alexandra Park workouts on Saturday with some impressive first steps towards next month's Australasian Breeders Crown. The New Zealand Oaks winner pushed dual Jewels-winning stablemate Sky Major close in a 2200m workout, which suggested both are ready to take the ABC by storm.

Sky Major led and paced his last mile in 1:56 in the workout, his last 400m in 26.2, so the effort of Ideal Belle to take ground off him in the straight was excellent.

The pair race in what are likely to be non-tote Breeders Crown heats at Alexandra Park this Friday before heading to Victoria on August 2.

"Sky Major will probably race at Melton in an M0 on August 8 and then they will have semifinals at Ballarat on August 16," said trainer Barry Purdon. "I am thrilled with both of them and even though they are probably only going to be in small fields this week, they are ready to win races because you have to plan for every possibility.

"But they are weathering the long season well and I actually think Sky Major is getting better."

The pair are among 10-12 New Zealand trained horses who will contest the Breeders Crown, which culminates on August 24.