By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk
On the back of the breeding resurgence in this country this year, the impending return of Always B Miki is poised to add an extra dynamic this coming season.
The 2016 USA Horse of the Year missed the last New Zealand breeding season after a leg injury meant he couldn’t shuttle downunder.
In 2026 he is expected to be available to breeders though as his stocks rise so too may his price.
“It’s a big thing for the industry when a horse that’s served 100-odd mares at a $7500 fee suddenly is not back,” says Alabar’s Graeme Henley.
“But we have every expectation he will be back next season barring any setback.”
Alabar and Nevele R own the rights to the boom stallion in this part of the world. He is currently serving mares in the USA and all going well will be back at Alabar’s Victorian stud by the middle of August, with his chilled semen available in this country from September.
“One hundred per cent of the feedback we are getting is that he’ll be getting a very strong response – even if he’s at a slightly higher fee than when he was last here,” says Henley.
Just how much his fee will be has yet to be determined.
“That is up to Alabar, Nevele R and Diamond Creek in America to work out where he will fit in the market.”
In 2024-25 he served 113 mares, second in this country behind Sweet Lou (149).
In 2025,with his star progeny headlined by New Zealand Cup winner Kingman, he was also second to “The King” Bettor’s Delight in terms of stakes earned ($3.5m), starters (176) and winners (101).
“He has nice winners every week,” says Henley.
In his absence last year his world champion son Perfect Sting served 47 mares, a 30 per cent increase on the previous 12 months. His frozen semen is available at Macca Lodge in Southland.
With “Miki” out of the picture, Downbytheseaside also saw a big rise in popularity. He rocketed to number one serving 196 mares in 2025-26, up from 74 the previous year. It represented an evolution or changing of the guard at Woodlands Stud after Bettor’s Delight served 65 mares, his smallest book in two decades.
Last season the number of individual mares served in this country climbed to 1670, an increase of 99 mares or 6.3 per cent, with the pacing numbers increasing from 1160 to 1239 (up 79).
It was the third overall year-on-year increase since 2009-10 and the biggest single rise in 16 years.
In 2025-26 the total number of pacing stallions serving mares was 32 so in a diverse and very competitive market will Always B Miki’s return help increase overall numbers or just alter who’s breeding to who?
Ideally the answer is “both”.
But the real facts are still 12 months away.