Weekly spotlight on breeding

Breeding authority Peter Wharton presents harness racing news on breeding from Australia, New Zealand and North America brought to you by Yabby Dam Farms & Racing!

Yabby Dam Racing, principal Pat Driscoll’s dream to breed and race world class trotters was born after seeing a billboard on the Champs Elysees in Paris advertising the famous trotting race the Prix d’Amerique. Driscoll attended the Prix d’Amerique and immediately a love affair with the trotter was formed.

Driscoll spent the next five years visiting world class trotting establishments in Europe before embarking on his own venture here in Australia where he has lead the charge in the significant advancement of Southern Hemisphere trotting.

Along the way Driscoll formed friendships with many of Europe’s leading owners and breeder.

Yabby Dam Racing has components of the premier European trotting establishments all rolled into one at a state of the art property on the outskirts of Ballarat.

Minstrel eyes The Nullarbor 

Minstrel (Rocknroll Hanover), one of Western Australia’s leading pacers for many years, has become the latest graduate for the $1.25million The Nullarbor at Gloucester Park on April 19. 

The Rocknroll Hanover gelding earned a ‘golden ticket’ to the Slot Race when he outstayed a top field in the Group 3 $50,000 Governor’s Cup last Friday night. It was Minstrel’s fourth success for the season and his mile rate of 1:54.6 was put up when he had nothing in his favour, drawing the outside gate and being forced to sit parked for the majority of the 2130 metres trip.  

He is a seven-year-old gelding from Ovaride, by Mach Three from a smart racemare in Top Gear (1:55.9), by Falcon Seelster from Fill The Purse, by Holmes Hanover from Village Rose. This family has produced some useful pacers over the years including the Derby winners City Rogue and Raukapuka Ruler, War Dan Delight (NZ Kindergarten Stakes), B Grudge and Magic Oats ($225,278). 

Millwood Bliss is Oaks material 

Millwood Bliss, who effortlessly won the Golden Easter Egg at Menangle and is regarded as Oaks material of the highest order, is a three-year-old filly by Sweet Lou from the unraced Millwood Ivy. 

She is a member of an old-time NZ family which was represented by a winner on the grass at Blenheim earlier this season in Millwood Indie. Millwood Indie has since been sold to Australia. 

Millwood Ivy was a Bettor’s Delight mare from Millwood Minisota, by Christian Cullen from Millwood Annie, by Falcon Seelster from Chrisarma, by Bo Scot’s Blue Chip from Arma’s Image, by Lordship from the champion racemare Armalight. Chrisarma left a smart pacer in Arma Fake (1:56.9), a winner of 18 races in NZ and Queensland and $127,772. 

Armainapocket, an In The Pocket mare from Chrisarma, produced the exported American Tour 1:52.4 ($312,852) and the Menangle and Albion Park winner Bomb Suit (1:51.2). 

Millwood Annie, a lightly raced winner, was responsible for a most successful branch of this family including the dual Derby winner Ohoka Punter 1:52.4 ($1.1million), now siring winners in Queensland, the Hannon Memorial victor Ohoka Rebel ($189,730) and the NZ country cups winner Scorched Arma. 

Millwood Bliss ranks as a half-sister to the Menangle winner Our Ultimate Ivy (1:55.5) and Ohoka Creed (1:57.3). 

Mildura Cup winner is well bred 

Dangerous (Sweet Lou), who won his first race at Group level when he led throughout in the $50,000 Mildura Pacing Cup, is a four-year-old expected to graduate far beyond his present rating. 

A member of Shane Sanderson’s Charlton team, Dangerous has a good deal more in his favour on the score of blood to most. By Sweet Lou, the sire of million dollar winner Spirit Of St Louis, and other top pacers in Never Ending, Cantfindabetterman and Virgil, he is out of the Presidential Ball mare Ark Monroe, whose dam was a smart racemare in Ark Maree (1:58.7), a winner of 13 races in Queensland. 

Ark Maree left a fine mare in Arkareena, who ranked as the dam of the NSW Derby heat and prolific Albion Park winner Monarckmac 1:53 ($313,002), Whitehaven Lass (1:52.4) and the recent Perth winner Mister Montblanc. The family was founded by the American-bred mare Flora B. 

From the Ark Maree branch of it and to which Dangerous belongs, others in the Inter Dominion heat and Redcliffe Cup winner Atomic Ark, Eleniark (QBred Triad 4YO), the Queensland Derby winner Arkamigo, Ghadastar (Tas. Oaks) and the top Tasmanian juvenile Playing Arkabella also are members. 

Gold for Bet The House 

Bet The House (Betting Line), who made a clean sweep of the APG Gold Bullion series at Gloucester Park, is one of the best three-year-olds in WA at present. 

He has won four of his six starts and $72,730 in stakes, a worthwhile return for the $20,000 paid for him as a yearling.  

By the Bettor’s Delight horse Betting Line, whose first Australian crops have been most impressive and have run up a particularly good record, Bet The House is out of Katesplace, by the champion American sire Artsplace from a fine racemare in Kate’s First 1:57.2 ($624,023), by Holmes Hanover from the broodmare gem Pleasant Franco. 

Kate’s First, who won 19 races including the Auckland Cup and the NZ and Queensland Oaks, is a half-sister to the champion NZ racehorse and sire Christian Cullen. 

Bred by Trevor Lindsay, Bet The House is the best of several progeny of Katesplace, a half-sister to the country cups winners Hurricane Stride 1:54.4 ($195,760) and Maverick 1:56.7 ($124,465). 

WA Gold Bullion winner 

Winner of the WA Diamond Classic and Sales Classic as a two-year-old last season, Water Lou (Sweet Lou) downed the top three-year-old fillies in the $50,000 APG Gold Bullion at Gloucester Park. 

Water Lou has been a most consistent campaigner throughout her short career and has proved herself a young pacer of great ability. 

The winner of $267,090, Water Lou is a product of the American horse Sweet Lou and Living Hei, by Live Or Die (son of Die Laughing) from the Holmes Hanover mare Bali Hei, who left the Invercargill Cup winner Bali Mystic 1:53.4 ($158,027). 

Water Lou, who was bred by the Charles family, ranks as a half-sister to the good metropolitan winners Erskine Range 1:54 ($255,480) and Living The Dream (1:57.4). 

NSW Foundation Trot to Familiar Tricks 

The NSW Foundation Final, for four-year-old trotters, one of the features of the NSW trotting calendar, was won by Familiar Tricks, a little fancied entire by Used To Me from Abitofmagic. He was bred by Pat Driscoll’s Yabby Dam Farms. 

Used To Me, a French bred horse from the Speedy Crown line who won at Group level in Europe and Victoria, has been one of Australia’s leading percentage sires of trotters for several years.  

Based at Haras Des Trotteurs, Ballarat (Vic.), Used To Me has sired such winners as Don’t Care (1:58.4), a winner of 12 races including the Vicbred 2YO Final, Imsettogo (1:59.5), the dual Vicbred champion Gardena Ronda (1:57.4), My Used To Be (SA Derby), Chateaubriant (1:56), Used To Me A Maid (APG Sales Classic) and Queen Of Quebec. 

Abitofmagic, the dam of Familiar Tricks, was by Sundon, who also distinguished himself as a sire of trotters, from Mason Magic, a mare by the leading Canadian sire Kadabra, who left the Group 1 winner Aldebaran Misty and the winner winner Aldebaran Miley. 

Mason Magic was a half-sister to the Group winning trotters Gus An Maori, Central Otago Imamaorijet and Aroha Koe, being out of Sumthingaboutmaori, an Inter Dominion champion by Pine Chip from Maori Princess and tracing to the Hall of Fame immortal Maori Miss. 

The latest NSW Foundation winner Familiar Tricks has certainly a wealth of successful trotting blood on both sides of his pedigree. 

SA Kindergarten heat winners 

The first three heats of the SA BOTRA Kindergarten Series, for two-year-olds, have been conducted.  

The opening heat at Globe Derby Park was won by the promising Bizzie Lizzie, a filly by Always B Miki out of the top racemare Steam Washed (1:53.3), a winner of 20 races including the Victoria Ladyship Cup, Queen of the Pacific and SA Oaks and $283,274 in stakes. 

At the stud Steam Washed has left five winners from five foals of racing age including Steam Cleaned 1:56 (23 wins to date) and Miki Steamed Home (1:58.9) and Better Steam Ahead (1:58.9).    

The winner of the second heat, run at Port Pirie, was Oil The Frisbee, a filly by the fast American import Mel Mara and one of his second crop, from Swingsnroundabouts, by Four Starzzz Shark from the Classic Garry mare Kaseba, a sister to the Inter Dominion heat and dual Redcliffe Cup victor Hexus ($555,199).            

Bred and raced by Toby Ryan, who also trains her, Oil The Frisbee ranks as a half-sister to the 2022 Kindergarten placegetter Lildabldooya.      

The third heat, run at Globe Derby Park, fell the way of the Queensland bred and owned filly Torque Intheusa, a half-sister by American Ideal to the 2022 Southern Cross and Golden Nursery victor He’s All Torque.

The Final will be conducted at Globe Derby Park on April 27. 

First winner for sire 

The Star’s Pride line horse Royalty For Life, a Hambletonian winner and now at the stud in Canada, was represented by his first Australian winner when Keayang Kurki was successful in a prelude of the Nutrien Equine Haras Des Trotteurs Classic at Bendigo. 

The filly was making her first public appearance. 

Bred by the Pangrazio family, Keayang Kurki is out the Muscle Hill mare Hilary Hill, whose dam, Box Brownie was by S J’s Photo from the R C’s Dee Jay mare Midnight Till Dawn, who left several useful winners including a cup class trotter in Action After Dark. 

by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink