Kevin Court must be doing something right with his harness breeding.
The Opoho contractor and breeder has sold an unraced 2yr-old named High Courage to leading Western Australian trainer Gary Hall sen - best known for training three-time Interdominion champion I'm Themightyquinn.
Court confirmed the sale was completed yesterday.
The colt is by Courage Under Fire, out of a Falcon Seelster mare Who's The Bird.
Court has sold horses to clients of Hall and his driving son, Gary Hall jun, before, including Is She Talking, who has won six of her 15 starts since being exported to Australia in November 2011, while Hall also trains the half-sister to High Courage, Slick Bird, the winner of six of her 19 starts since her arrival in Perth in 2010. Slick Bird, now a 5yr-old, finished third in the 2011 West Australian Oaks after winning a prelude one week earlier.
High Courage gained the interest of the Halls after winning a workout at Forbury Park in December, and went on to qualify impressively at Oamaru in February, beating the required time of 3.16 for the 2400m by 8.5 seconds.
The country's leading junior driver, Matthew Williamson, drove High Courage at Oamaru and was instantly impressed.
''He just felt like he's a good horse. He's quite lazy, but he went really good that day,'' Williamson said.
High Courage was subsequently trialled by an agent before the sale negotiations began.
Court declined not to discuss how much High Courage sold for other than to say ''it was quite a good result'', but on Twitter, prominent Australian harness racing journalist and broadcaster Chris Barsby said the 2yr-old had sold for ''massive money''.
Horses on Court's Signal Hill Rd property get a good natural fitness from the hills, and High Courage was not short of stamina, Court said.
''He's really fast and he can run quick quarters in a row. He's a good stayer as well.''
Court and his wife, Pauline, have a yearling filly by Bettor's Delight (a full-sister to Slick Bird), while Who's The Bird produced a Christian Cullen filly this season.
''I'll probably race the next two. I might keep them.''
