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A horse out of a mare who was given away with a free service is proving one of the emerging success stories of the harness racing Vicbred scheme.
He is the three-year-old Auckland Reactor gelding Bandit Eyes, who was bred and is raced by Deans Marsh couple Brett and Janet Smartt.
The gelding won at his second start as a two-year-old last season at Geelong, was spelled and is now being readied for a three-year-old campaign by Beeac horsewoman Courtney Slater.
The Geelong success netted Smartt a cool $12,360, with the $4,560 winner’s cheque, $7,000 Vicbred First Win Bonus and $800 Vicbred Breeder Bonus as a two-year-old only race.
“Courtney told us that she believes Bandit Eyes has a bright future,” Brett said.
Smartt received a service to Auckland Reactor, donated by Alabar Bloodstock, from a Harness Breeders Victoria member draw in 2017.
“I didn’t have a mare at the time, so I asked a friend Ian Slater to look around for one for me,” Smartt said. “The following day Ian told me that Rob Gaylard had a mare that he didn’t want to breed from any more.”
It was Canyopera, an Armbro Operative mare who won four races at the Victorian provincials. The dam of an earlier winner in Twobobjack, Canyopera failed to get into foal in 2017 but the following year conceived to Auckland Reactor and Bandit Eyes is the result.
Canyopera has since produced a yearling gelding by Guaranteed.
Bandit Eyes is only the second foal ever bred by the Smartts. The first one was Village Lover, a winner at Mildura in January for Kate Attard.
The Village Jasper broodmare Sahara Miss landed a rather notable double at Mildura last Saturday night with the Pacing Cup winner Sahara Tiger (by Art Major) and the Mazzetti Free-for-all winner Sahara Sirocco (by Courage Under Fire).
Both were bred by Harness Racing Victoria board member Peter Watkinson and Bruce Paul.
The aptly named three-year-old trotter Basilica (Father Patrick), a most impressive winner at the Melton midweek meeting, is the first foal out of the Victoria Derby and dual Oaks winner Une Belle Allure.
Bred by Pat Driscoll’s Yabby Dam Farms, the colt was the top-priced trotting yearling at $170,000 at the inaugural Nutrien Equine Melbourne sale in 2021.
It was no mean feat for the siblings Dancin Dolly (by Somebeachsomewhere) and Sheza Chocolatier (by Art Major) to win on the same card at Maryborough last Friday.
Dancing Dolly, a pacer, notched her maiden success, while the trotter Shez Chocolatier won for the seventh time.
Both were bred and are raced by Goornong couple Peter and Beatrice Salathiel.
