The recently launched standardbred website www.standardbredsonline.com is currently running its second silent broodmare auction with a total of 42 broodmares on offer both here in New Zealand and Australia.

An innovation of Ashburtons Stuart and Margaret Valentine, to run hand in hand with their bloodstock, finance and insurance brokerage business, the website offers enthusiasts throughout Australasia an avenue to sell and buy all types of standardbred stock online.

The website enables vendors to sell stock by placing their horses for sale at a price they are happy to receive for their animal - or, if having a broodmare to sell, the sites feature is a monthly online auction for broodmares, similar to New Zealand's ‘Trademe' or Australia's ‘eBay'.

Last month was their first auction, with mares changing hands in both New Zealand and Australia. One in foal mare auctioned on the Australian side of the site was purchased by the latest big player in Australasian harness racing - Clive Palmer of Queensland's Cold Mountain Stud.

The Valentines are hoping such interest by such high profile breeders is the norm in the future, as more commercial and hobby breeders alike adopt the concept. Currently the website has over 200 prospective bidders already registered and that tally is increasing daily

But it wasn't always clean sailing. After 3 local avenues were approached & failed to put the idea for the website together, it was finally taken on by an Auckland company. The most difficult, expensive and time consuming for the Valentines was that the "mechanics" of the auction was put together for them in Argentina.

There were times that the idea was nearly shelved as it became very frustrating dealing with not only a time difference but a language barrier, Stuart Valentine says.

"It's very difficult in a normal situation to get outsiders to the racing industry to understand all the jargon, and getting what we required and expected from the site conveyed was a nightmare.

"The people in Auckland did a wonderful job for us plus the enthusiasm of 2 or 3 close industry participants that we originally had tossed the idea of the site around with, kept us pushing ahead."

The aim of the website is to be as user friendly as possible. The Valentines know there are still a lot of people out there who are not computer literate but they say that for those that are not, they are just a phone call away. Their goal is to provide a reliable service for everybody in the industry.

"We will also put back into the industry as the site grows. We already have agreed to some long term race sponsorship to promote the name and concept with a couple of Australian clubs (Bathurst and Redcliffe) and are looking to do the same in New Zealand. We will be looking to promote the website address through race sponsorship and involvement with Standardbred Breeders organisations throughout both NZ & Australia. You only get back what you put in".

The broodmare auction offers vendors an excellent way to place their mare at public auction without all the costs and time of preparing a horse to physically go to a public auction venue. The costs are substantially cheaper, and there is no stress for the horse or owner.

The Valentines encourage all vendors to place a photo of their stock they have for sale, along with a detailed description. Additionally, they can now offer the vendor a full catalogue style pedigree of the mare's family to be shown upon request.

The latest addition to the site is the provision to have a 3 minute video of your mare to be taken and loaded alongside the pedigree and description.

This month's auction, closing this Friday (28th) has a number of mares as the final dispersal sale of Hambletonian Ltds (David W Phillips) broodmare band. They includethe dam of this years Interdominian Trotting Grand Final in Galleons Sunset plus other very commercial mares in foal to top stallions. Many of these mares are the product of years of David Phillips methodical and successful breeding ideas that he adheres to and has developed.

The Valentines have no doubt, as at any auction, there will be mares sold in all price ranges and there's bound to be bargains there. There a number of mares that have been entered that they know, for very genuine reasons, the vendors reluctantly have to have their mares sold. There are mares with foals at foot or in foal by stallions such as Betters Delight, McArdle, Courage Under Fire, Elsu etc plus for the trotting enthusiasts Pegasus Spur and the deceased Last Sunset and some of those will be a very inexpensive way for new comers to get into the industry.

You can visit the website at www.standardbredsonline.com