Offspring of top race-mares shine on first Vicbred night

Sons and daughters of several leading racemares from yesteryear prevailed at the opening of the Vicbred Super Series for harness racing two-year-olds at Kilmore on Tuesday night.

The four-time Group 1 winner Nike Franco NZ 1:48 ($913,870) figures as the dam of the impressive winner of the second heat of the colts and geldings, Bay Of Biscay (Somebeachsomewhere). Bred by Alabar Bloodstock, Bay Of Biscay is the first foal of Nike Franco and realised the equal highest price of $150,000 at Nutrien Equine’s Sydney sale last year.

Stormryder (Captaintreacherous), the runaway winner of the third heat, is out of the dual listed winner The Baggy Green ($108,700) and is her eighth foal and sixth winner. The colt is one of four Vicbred semi-finalists bred by Durham Park’s Bruce and Vicki Edward.

Elusive (by Million Dollar Cam), the end-to-end winner of the first fillies’ heat, is the 10^th foal of the dual SA Southern Cross champion Endeared ($244,650), the dam also of the 2017 Vicbred four-year-old trotting champion Enrolled.

The filly was bred by Adelaide enthusiasts David and Glenda Battye, of Buckland Park Homestead.

Beauty Secret, a Victoria Oaks and Breeders Crown champion and winner of $425,921, left the second fillies’ heat winner in Vague Beauty (by Art Major). The seventh foal and fifth winner of her dam, Vague Beauty was bred by Benstud Standardbreds and Bruce and Craig Cameron, and is raced by Peter and Craig Judd and Mark Commadeur.

The winner of the first colts and geldings’ division race, Kingman NZ (by Always B Miki), is the first issue of the Melton winner Gotta Go Dali Queen NZ, and was bred and is owned by Mick Harvey of Go Racing fame.

Among the sires, Woodlands Stud’s Sweet Lou has the largest number of Vicbred two-year-old semi-finalists with six.

Art Major, who has sired a record six Vicbred juvenile champions, has five representatives, A Rocknroll Dance has four, Always B Miki and American Ideal have three each, Captaintreacherous, the sire of two Vicbred two-year-old final winners, has two and Somebeachsomewhere, who has left five Vicbred two-year-old champions, has a single entry.

Tonight will see heats of the Vicbred Super Series for three-year-old pacers at Ballarat, with the first round of VSS qualifiers for four-year-olds scheduled at Shepparton on Thursday.

Ballarat breeder Verna El-Khishin has enjoyed a productive month with comeback trotter Hadtobeharry winning at Shepparton and Chirripo (Mildura).

Jereme’s Jet, a former USA and Canadian 2YO Colt of the Year and who stood at Alabar Bloodstock for many years, died in Indiana last week. The Western Hanover horse sired the winners of $7million in Australia and his daughters left the winners of $4million including last year’s WA Pacing Cup hero Wildwest.

Australian Pacing Gold reports that it has received more than 100 entries for its Victorian yearling sale next February.

by Peter Wharton, for Harness Racing Victoria