The 11th edition of the tour worked its way north from Southland on Monday afternoon, through to Otago yesterday. The bus was carrying some of the leading lights in the world of standardbreds, ranging from the country's most successful driver,
Tony Herlihy, to Bettor Cover Lover's trainer, Brent Mangos.
Cran Dalgety, who has prepared Bettor's Strike and Smiling Shard, both graduates of a southern upbringing, has missed just a couple of tours over the 11 years, and only because he has been satisfying his other great love - multisport. Dalgety likes the rugged aspect of the yearlings he sees emerging from the south.
''There's no doubt they're not mollycoddled as babies,'' Dalgety said.
''They've roughed it, they've been in the terrain and the land, and they've been working.
''They're a lot more muscle-toned. It's natural muscles, rather than being fed strawberries and cream and having three rugs on since they've been weaned.''
Dalgety and other trainers try to see most of the yearlings set to be sold at the three days of standardbred sales, starting with Karaka on Monday and two days of sales in Christchurch on February 20 and 21.
''In yearling buying, you've got to see them on the farm because you get a different comparison on the day [of the sales], when they've got the hairspray and the ribbons and the perfume on,'' Dalgety said.
''It's great to see them in their own habitat.''
Canterbury trainer Ken Barron is one of the three stalwarts of the tour, along with Michael House and Greg Payne, having never missed an edition. A Southlander by birth, Barron is familiar with the quality of the pasture in the lower South Island, and will definitely be in a buying mood next week.
''You've got to keep restocking the shelves,'' he said.
''By the time they break down, get sold, or retired, you've just to keep getting young ones in.''
Reaction was mixed after the Karaka thoroughbred yearling sales earlier this month.
''There's a lot of negativity, but I think the top lots are going to go well,'' Barron said.
''There are a lot of good horses out there - less imperfections [than previous years], I guess.
After visiting several breeding operations in Invercargill on Monday afternoon, the tour went to Macca Lodge near Gore on Tuesday morning, before passing through Arden Lodge in Tapanui, Tuapeka Lodge near Lawrence, and several drafts of yearlings at a parade at Wingatui.
