Meant To Be (NZ) Comes Of Ages in Group One Triumph

Meant To Be (NZ) (Father Patrick) left no doubt about his status as New Zealand’s best two-year-old trotter with his dominant victory in the $110,000 Group One Sires Stakes Series Final (1980m).

The classy trotter produced the first of a string of outstanding displays at the elite level by NZB Standardbred graduates on Show Day at Addington.

Meant To Be was the clear-cut favourite for the combination of trainers Barry Purdon and Scott Phelan and driver Zachary Butcher despite the youngster effectively giving his rivals a head-start from the unruly.

But that starting position proved to be only a minor inconvenience as Meant To Be powered home from off the pace to cement his spot as the star of New Zealand’s two-year-old trotting ranks.

The trotter’s talent has never been questioned throughout his short but brilliant career but his ringcraft have been a work in progress.

Meant To Be thrilled his driver with his manners and tractability in his first attempt at Group One level.

“He’s really come of age,” Butcher said.

“I said to the boys that he had really grown up a bit with the trip away and he showed that by putting it all together when it mattered today.”

With wins in the Group One Sires Stakes Series Final and the lucrative Listed Harness Million Two-Year-Old Trot (1980m) in his last two starts, Meant To Be is the red-hot favourite for the $100,000 Group One Ace Of Clubs (1980m) at Addington on November 29.

If the trotter can run up to his recent form he would be an easy choice for 2024’s New Zealand two-year-old trotting colt or gelding of the year.

Meant To Be topped the trotting section 2023 National Yearling Sale at Auckland when he was secured for $145,000 by his trainers.

The classy squaregaiter was offered by breeder-vendors Breckon Farms and is raced by Katrina Purdon and the Clear View Racing No.6 Syndicate.

Breckon Farms is set to offer another outstanding draft at the 2025 National Yearling Sale at Karaka on February 25.

Catalogues for the sale will be online and in mailboxes this month.

Vendor	Breckon Farms Ltd
Purchaser	Barry Purdon & Scott Phelan Racing Stables
Breeding	Father Patrick - Luby Lou Brown Colt
Sale	National Standardbred Yearling Sale, Auckland $145,000
Breeder	Breckon Farms Ltd