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.

Wisper A Secret leading four-year-old

When he won the $355,000 The Rising Sun at Albion Park the Huntsville gelding Wisper A Secret proved himself the top four-year-old of the current season in Queensland.

It was his sixth success from nine starts this year, and he defeated the best four-year-olds in the country in The Rising Sun after being required to overcome a difficult barrier draw and a wide passage for the last lap. He joins Leap To Fame as the only Queensland trained winners of the Group 1.

In 27 lifetime starts Wisper A Secret has now won 12 and been seven times placed for $348,897 in stakes for Queensland breeder-owner Douglas Johnston.

Wisper A Secret is the eighth foal and fourth winner from the unraced Monique Josephine, a Panorama mare out of Breffni Castle, by Tompkins Hanover (son of Albatross) from Tiffany Liz, by Tiff N Time from Elizabeth Trunkey.

Wisper A Secret ranks as a half-brother to the multiple Menangle winner Cassius Deck 1:51.8 ($188,138) and Mighty Franco (1:58.4).

Never Ending wins WA Winter Cup

The most important race of the winter racing at Gloucester Park, the Group 3 $50,000 Winter Cup, was won by the Sweet Lou gelding Never Ending, who came from near last to down a top field. He is bound for the $2million Eureka.

Never Ending, who was bought for $75,000 at the Australian Pacing Gold sale in Perth in 2021, has established himself as clearly the best pacer in the West over the past 18 months. He has won 15 races including eight at Group level with two placings form 19 starts for $606,275 in stakes and at one stage, won nine races on end.

A four-year-old gelding, Never Ending is out of Endless Journey, a moderate racemare, by Die Laughing, a No Nukes horse who won the Woodrow Wilson and belonged to the noted Maud family. 

Endless Journey was out of Hold Tight, by Embrace Me (son of Albatross) from the crack Tasmanian juvenile Stormy Port, by Tarport King from the Stormyway breeding influence Mehitable.

Never Ending was one of three winners on the night bred by leading WA breeder Steve Johnson all the one family, the others being Otis and the two-year-old Sebastian James.

Breeding of APG winner

Hunger Strike (Stay Hungry), who was sold for $42,000 at the Australian Pacing Gold sale at Gold Coast in 2023, notched her most important success to date when she won the $156,000 APG Brisbane Sales Graduate Final at Albion Park.

Bred by Kate Baring, she is a two-year-old Stay Hungry filly who has a wealth of breeding on her dam’s side, being out of the Western Terror mare Tori May, a member of the prolific Moor Chimes family.

Tori May (1:54.4), who won eight races, was a half-sister to the exported Firebby 1:51.2 ($314,480) and Mister Rebbily 1:52 ($157,312) and the Albion Park winner Rebline (1:56.4).

Their dam, Rebby (1:56,6), was out of Tina Jaccka (1:58.5), by Ok Bye from the Holmes Hanover mare Tentative, dam also of the NSW Canola Cup winner Motu Surprise Gift, the exported Barchetta 1:50.8 ($238,778) and Unrehearsed, dam of the NZ Great Northern Oaks winner Lizzie Maguire 1:55.1 ($465,579). 

Hunger Strike is the first classic winner from the initial crop of the Cane Pace and Messenger winner Stay Hungry in Australia.      

Derby to In Excess

The most improved three-year-old in the Queensland winter racing is In Excess (Bettor’s Delight), a NZ bred gelding who numbered the South East Derby and Redcliffe Derby Consolation among his recent successes.

He is a Bettor’s Delight gelding from a fine racemare in Am Opulent (1:54.9), by Christian Cullen from Imprint, by Life Sign from Impish (1:54.9), by Falcon Seelster from the El Patron mare Smarty Pants (1:58.6), a good racemare who founded a strong branch of the Jessie Pepper tribe in NZ.

Others from Am Opulent have been the dual gaited Bitcoin (1:52.6) and Cardinal Sin (1:57.5).

Well related three-year-old

Our Goat (Warrawee Needy), who won the NSW Bred 3YO Final at Menangle, showed ability as a two-year-old last season when he took a heat of the NSW Breeders Challenge and was a finalist in the Westen Region series.

He has opened his three-year-old season on a winning note emerging successful in his only three outings and will be well in line for the major juvenile classics.

Our Goat is a gelding by the E Dee’s Cam horse Warrawee Needy from Mother’s Angel (1:54.1), the best of whose several progeny has been Mother’s Delight (1:55.4).

Mother’s Angel ranks as a half-sister to a useful sort in Fly Like An Angel (1:57.1), being by Art Major from Rossangel Gold, by Armbro Operative from Marchessa Gold, by Windshield Wiper. 

Siblings win at Albion Park

Two of Australia’s star pacers at present, and both feature winners at Albion Park who promise to be a force in the forthcoming classics, are Aardie’s Express and Aardie B Miki. Aardie’s Express took out the Group 3 $52,000 Fleur de Lil Ladyship Stakes and Aardie B Miki the South East Oaks. 

Both raced by the Toronto-based Mike Tanev are by Always B Miki from Tatijana Bromac 1:54.2 ($198,481), a smart pacer herself, and who has left others in Aardie’s Flash and Mohs Em Down.

Tatijana Bromac was by the Western Ideal horse Rocknroll Hanover from the Group 1 Tandia’s Courage (1:53.6), by Stoneridge Scooter from the broodmare gem Talk To Me, by What’s Next.

Rockinwithattitude top four-year-old trotter

There was never much doubt that Rockinwithattitude (Aldebaran Eagle) was the season’s top rating four-year-old trotter as she was at two and three years, and she duly confirmed her class by winning the Group 1 $150,000 Haras Des Trotteurs The Great Square at Albion Park.

After working to the front in the first lap, Rockinwithattitude was never in danger of defeat, running out the 2138 metres in 2:35.6, a mile rating of 1:57.1.

Her sire, Aldebaran Eagle, who died three years ago when at the height of his stud career, has an excellent winners-to-foals percentage record. He has sired other smart trotters in Aldebaran Jensen, Dichotomy, Aldebaran Demi and Aldebaran Dexta.

Rockinwithattitude is out of Rockin Shiraz (Tr 1:58.8), by Rock N Roll Heaven from Elite Shiraz, by Grinfromeartoear from Cindy Shiraz, by Safely Kept from Sinba, by Torado Hanover.

Cindy Shiraz, the dam of five pacing winners, was a half-sister to Tanabi, dam of the Victoria Derby winner Tanabi Bromac.

By Fear The Dragon

Jungle Dragon, who is proving himself a star juvenile in NSW, has won three of his last four starts including the NSW Bred Final at Menangle last Saturday.

He is a two-year-old gelding by Fear The Dragon, sire of the Vicbred Platinum winner Komodo, and out of a handy racemare in Ima Black Beauty 1:54.4 ($106,599), whose 13 successes included the NSW Breeders Challenge True Blue series.

Ima Black Beauty was a sister to the True Blue Final winner Lifes A Jungle 1:54.6 ($122,425) and a half-sister to Jungle Baby 1:53.7 ($102,656), being out of Jungle Talk, by Die Laughing from the NZ bred Paper Jungle (TT1:57.8), by Holmes Hanover.

Jungle Dragon was bred and is raced by Raymond Connolly.

From family of La Coocaracha

Berriesandcherries, who came from near last to win at Melton last Saturday, is a Crazed mare from the same family as that which produced a champion Australian trotter in La Coocaracha.

Berriesandcherries, who is in her third season of racing, has won 12 races including the Wangaratta Trotters Cup and $106,175, and has shown up as a very useful trotting mare.

Bred by NSW veterinarian Andrew Daniels and part-owned by Geoff and Lorraine Barnes, she is a seven-year-old out of the pacing bred mare Meredith Castle, who produced capable trotters in Iona Grinner 1:55.1 ($263,395) and Garland Greene 1:56.8 ($156,651) and a Listed pacing winner in Man Of Art.

By Village Jasper, Meredith Castle was out of the grand producer Poetry, by Kentucky from Morley Doll, by Royal Dollar from the SA Oaks winner Sheffield Morley.

This is the family which produced such winners as La Coocaracha and Dance Craze, The Locomotive (2YO Trotter of the Year), Reina Danzante (Breeders Crown), Royal Dan (1:52.1), Betty Hall (Vicbred Final) and the ‘black type’ pacers Bamako Mali, War Dan Buddy, Redbank Blaze and Sheezallattitude.

by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink