Hard work behind couple’s success

Mark Smith started his bread delivery job at 2am on Friday – a far cry from being in the spotlight at the Christchurch yearling sale 36 hours earlier.

He and wife Debbie had their finest moment as owner-breeders when selling Moet Shard, a filly, for $280,000 on Wednesday at the New Zealand Bloodstock Standardbred’s National Yearling Sale.

The $280,000 was the equal highest price at the sale since $295,000 was paid in 1988, sale official Cam Bray said. The sale record of $340,000 was set in 1987.

The eight horses taken to the sale this week by the Smiths, all sold for a total of $800,000. Moet Shard, bought by North Canterbury farmer Graham McClintock, is the second offspring from broodmare Pemberton Shard (11 wins), whose first foal fetched $170,000 at last year’s sale.

The Smiths have been preparing yearlings or breeding for the annual sale for 20 years and money made has been invested into their Myross Bush property and horse business.

The business takes up a lot of the couple’s spare time outside the hours of Mark’s main job, delivering bread, and Debbie’s technical manager’s role at Silver Fern Farms plant, Kennington.

They are known throughout Australasia for being top New Zealand standardbred breeders.

The couple started from humble beginnings in 2000 taking one or two yearlings to the sales and had steadily gathered knowledge on what was required to breed soughtafter stock. They have prepared 59 yearlings for the sale.

Good luck made up a small part of being successful, Mark said.

‘‘You need a wee bit but if you don’t put in the hard work, you don’t get the rewards ... it’s like anything you do.’’

Interestingly, Debbie said their yearlings this year had three covers on at different times during wet spells in recent months.

‘‘You had to make sure they weren’t too hot and not too cold,’’ she said.

‘‘Some of the overnight temperatures have been autumnish.’’

The Smiths have earmarked 11 yearlings for the sale next year.

The Smiths were not the only Southlanders to grab top prices at the two-day sale.

Tony Barron, formerly of Southland and now living in Christchurch, also sold a colt for $280,000 on the Tuesday of the sale, the same price as Moet Shard.

If you don’t put in the hard work, you don’t get the rewards’’ Mark Smith

KAVINDA HERATH/STUFF Debbie and Mark Smith with their prized broodmare Pemberton Shard and her filly foal at Myross Bush yesterday. The Smiths sold a filly out of Pemberton Shard for $280,000 at the New Zealand Bloodstock Standardbreds National Sale in Christchurch this week.