Bluto latest Sweet Lou colt to shine

What a run of success Sweet Lou is having of late. On Friday his progeny took out a treble at Addington (Watermelon Sugar, Bluto and Raklou), doubles at Gloucester Park, Launceston and Ballarat as well as the quinella in the Wagga Wagga Regional Championship Final. 

As Rob Courtney reports Bluto is continuing a winning run for one of Sweet Lou's biggest fans, Otago trainer Graeme Anderson.

Graeme Anderson has a saying - "Jed Clampett (of the Beverly Hillbillies) found oil, I found the Sweet Lous" - and it looks like the astute Otago trainer and good mate Brent White has another good horse on his hands in Bluto.

And surprise surprise the promising 3yo is by Anderson's favourite stallion Sweet Lou. He made it win three from just five starts when clearing out to a more than three length victory at Addington on Friday night.

It was a great night for the progeny of the Woodlands owned Beach Parade with Bluto's half sister Life's A Beach (by Bettor's Delight) recording her 10th win for Tony Barron at the same meeting.

Anderson has been a high strike rate trainer for some time and his purple and white hoop colours have been a punters' friend on many occasions. Now training in partnership with Mike Love they have had 38 wins since 2021.

Anderson was drawn to Sweet Lou from the beginninģ, labelling him a well-credentialled nicely-gaited horse who got better with time.

Back in 2018, successful Canterbury owner/breeder Trevor Casey entrusted Anderson with a smallish Sweet Lou colt from Spirit Of Art who wasn't going through the sales. The trainer got part ownership and after eight wins from only 19 starts Spirit Of St Louis headed over the Tasman to join Luke McCarthy with the ownership group staying intact.

It's been some ride for the group as the Sweet Lou gelding has now amassed nearly $1.2million in stakes from 24 wins, including the Group 1 Schweppes Sprint where he posted a time of 1:48.2. He will be next seen at the Queensland winter carnival.

In recent years Sweet Lou has endured a real roller-coaster ride with the harness fraternity, with his yearlings being 'unwanted' at several sales but through all of this, Anderson has been steadfast in his own opinon of his stock and this can be verified through his yearling sales purchases in the last few years.

"I'm not a fan of racing them at two, they need time to develop," says Anderson.

His latest star Bluto cost $37k at the 2021 Auckland yearling sale. Anderson owns the horse along with Brian Sceats.

At the same sale, Anderson offloaded $90k to secure a Sweet Lou colt from Spirit Of Delight, a close relation of 'Louis' and a horse called Lazarus.

Now known as Spirit Of Arion and owned by many of the 'Louis' group, he had nine NZ starts for two wins including a 1.55 mile win at Winton as a 2yo before he too headed to Sydney where he placed second this season in a heat of the NSW Derby and has added another 2 victories to his CV.

He is earmarked for the Derby at the upcoming Queensland winter carnival.

At the 2022 yearling sales, Anderson bought six Sweet Lou colts no less, three each at Auckland and Christchurch for an average of just over $25k and they are now at various stages of their 2yo preps. At the most recent 2023 yearling sales he bought another two Sweet Lou colts.

The Anderson - White 'arrangement' has been heavily influenced by the closing of Anderson's home track at Forbury Park. Back at the Dunedin beach, he took Bluto as far as he could before sending his charge north to Ashburton and Brent White has had him for approximately five months. He will more than likely get his chance against the better 3yos later in the season.

"All going well he will be an even better horse as a four-year-old and he looks destined for Cup class in time," says Anderson.

When looking deeper into Bluto's pedigree, its not difficult to see where the ability comes from. Half sister Partyon won 17 in NZ/Aust amassing $659k at Group 1 level and race timed in 1:51.Half brother Line Up started in NZ but went to Australia where he was a top 3yo winning both the Victoria and NSW Derby, winning $334k and running 1:50.3

Another half brother Typhoon Stride won 19 across the Tasman before breaking the 1:50 barrier in North America.

Both the latter two colts were six-figure purchases from the Auckland yearling sales.

Life's A Beach's 10th win took her NZ earnings to close to $170k. At some point she will join the broodmare band at Woodlands. This family has been relatively quiet in recent years but there a few of us who can remember a top grand circuit horse from this line called Franco Ice.

The most recent stable winner before Bluto's win was Jovial Jay (by Sweet Lou) and the best horse from the stable in recent times, Cantfindabettorman (by Sweet Lou) won three here before going to the McCarthys in New South Wales. He has now won 10 from 27 starts and $184k with placings in both the Queensland Derby and Chariots Of Fire at Group 1 level.

Eight more Sweet Lous will go up for sale at this Thursday's NZB Standardbred Weanling Sales at Karaka.