Christian Cullen (horse)

Christian Cullen (foaled 6 November 1994)[1] is a Standardbred stallion and was one of New Zealand's best pacers. Named after the New Zealand international rugby union player, Christian Cullen, he won 22 of his 31 starts, and $NZ1,249,150 in prize money. He is notable in that he won both the Auckland Pacing Cup and New Zealand Trotting Cup races, the richest harness races in New Zealand.[2] A powerful and impressive stallion, he has been particularly successful at stud.[3]

Christian Cullen
BreedStandardbred
SireIn The Pocket
GrandsireDirect Scooter
DamPleasant Franco
DamsireBo Scots Blue Chip
SexStallion
Foaled6 November 1994
CountryNew Zealand
ColorBay
BreederP R Bielby
OwnerIan Dobson
TrainerBrian O'Meara
Record31:22–2–2
Earnings$1,249,150
Major wins
New Zealand Sires Stakes 3yo Final (1997)
New Zealand Trotting Cup (1998)
New Zealand Free For All (1998)
Miracle Mile Pace (1998)
Treuer Memorial (1998)
Auckland Pacing Cup (1998)
Awards
4-Year Old Pacer of the Year, Pacer of the Year & Harness Horse of the Year (1998/99)
Honors
New Zealand Trotting Hall of Fame
Leading Standardbred Sire in New Zealand 2005/06 & 2007/08-2010/11
Leading Standardbred Sire in Australia 2010/11
Last updated on 2016-02-02

He is best known for his season as a four-year-old in 1998–99, when he won all of his 12 starts, including the New Zealand Trotting Cup, Auckland Cup and the Miracle Mile Pace. This led to him being crowned Horse of the Year in New Zealand. He was retired from racing in February 2000, and has become the leading pacing sire in Australasia, siring the New Zealand Cup winner Mainland Banner among others.

Early racing career

As a two-year-old Christian Cullen won all of his five starts and $152,465. He won the Welcome Stakes and Sales Series Pace but his season was shortened by injury.[4]

In the 1997–98 season Christian Cullen won 5 of 10 starts with 2 seconds and 1 third, and he earned $302,460. In November he won the New Zealand Sires Stakes 3yo Final and then beat older pacers in the $100,000 Round Up 1950 in a 1.58.1 mile rate over 1950 metres with a final 800 metres in 55.9 seconds. Christian Cullen then received an invitation to the Miracle Mile Pace in Sydney but was a late scratching due to a pre-race testing irregularity, however the control fluid was later found to be contaminated. Back in New Zealand he was an unlucky third to Holmes D G in the Great Northern Derby and won the Sales Series Pace but suffered an injury before the New Zealand Derby.[4]

1998–99 season

Having recovered from injury Christian Cullen won several races early in the season including the Ashburton Flying Stakes where he beat Iraklis and became favourite for the New Zealand Trotting Cup. He was unofficially timed to have run the final mile of the race in 1:53.5.[4] Christian Cullen then won the New Zealand Cup beating Iraklis with seven lengths to the third placed horse. The time of 4:00.4 equalled the race record. Three days later he won the New Zealand Free For All defeating Holmes D G running his last 800 metres in 54.4 seconds.[5] Invited back to Sydney for the Miracle Mile Pace Christian Cullen won by 20 metres over Tailamade Lombo and Our Sir Vancelot in a mile rate of 1:54.4 for 1760 metres. He then displayed courage to win the Treuer Memorial at Bankstown in track record time.[6] In the Auckland Pacing Cup Christian Cullen cruised home in 3:59.7 for 3200 metres[7] but missed the Victoria Cup in Melbourne after suffering pneumonia.[8] Christian Cullen then won two races at Cambridge Raceway including the Waikato Flying Mile where he won easily in 1:54.2 but did not attempt to break the national mile record due to the closeness of the upcoming Inter Dominion.[9] He won an opening night heat of the Inter Dominion, for which he was even money favourite before the series had even begun, but suffered a leg injury which ended his season.[10]

1999–00 season

Christian Cullen returned to the track as a five year in the Hannon Memorial but was unplaced. He then suffered from corns which kept him out of racing for several months. He won in 1:55.9 over a mile at Moonee Valley and was eighth in the A G Hunter Cup after being severely checked at the start. Christian Cullen’s final start came when he was third to Breeny’s Fella and Shakamaker in the Victoria Cup as 1/2 favourite. He was found to have a cough but also a leg injury which ended his racetrack career and he was retired to Wai Eyre Stud.[4]

Stud career

It was announced in 2013 that he would move to Nevele R Stud. At the time progeny of Christian Cullen had earned $50 million in stakes[11] and as of October 2015 they have won over $75m.[12] His progeny include New Zealand Trotting Cup winner Mainland Banner, Miracle Mile Pace winner Christen Me, Auckland Pacing Cup winner Gotta Go Cullen and A G Hunter Cup winner Stunin Cullen as well as numerous Derby and Oaks winners. He has been the leading sire in both New Zealand and Australia[3] and his service fee at one time reached NZ$25,000.[13]

Major race wins

See also

References
  1. "Christian Cullen". Harness Racing New Zealand. Archived from the original on 25 July 2014. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
  2. Harness Racing – Complete Race History of the New Zealand Trotting Cup Archived 1 August 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  3. Addington Hall of Fame, www.hof.co.nz, Retrieved 31 January 2016
  4. Cain, R (2000), Another 10 Miracles
  5. New Zealand Harness Racing Weekly, reproduced at www.hof.co.nz/timeline, Retrieved 31 January 2016
  6. Cullen in gut-buster to keep Oz fans happy, The Sunday Star-Times, 6 December 1998
  7. Christian Cullen soars with the legends, New Zealand Herald, Retrieved 31 January 2016
  8. Christian Cullen scratched, Dominion Post, 14 January 1999
  9. O’Meara feels like he cheated crowd, Waikato Times, 26 February 1999
  10. 1999 Inter Dominion Pacing Championship Series, Harness Racing Australia, Retrieved 31 January 2016
  11. Dobson moves champion stallion to Nevele R Stud, The Press, 3 May 2013, Retrieved 31 January 2016
  12. New Zealand Cup winner and sire of Cup winner: Christian Cullen, www.harnessbred.com, Retrieved 31 January 2016
  13. A Stallion Review – Christian Cullen, www.harnesslink.com, Retrieved 13 March 2016
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