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.

Inter Dominion prospect

One of the stronger Inter Dominion candidates, particularly among the youthful brigade will be Captain Hammerhead, who has proved himself in the top flight and has won his back to Grand Circuit class with two recent Riverina successes.

His latest winning run in the $100,000 Riverina Championship Final (2270 metres) from the second line of the mobile barrier was a terrific performance. He settled down in last position, looped the field in the middle stages and finally won decisively at a 1:53.5 mile rate.

A tough customer, Captain Hammerhead is a five-year-old entire, being by Captaintreacherous from Roger’s Passion (1:56.6), a winner of 10 races and $136,446. 

Roger’s Passion was sired by Art Major from the prolific matron Intrude, by Fake Left from the Toliver Hanover mare Avonali. 

This is one of the fastest moving families in the Australian stud book. Intrude was also the dam of the champion racemare Make Mine Cullen 1:53 ($874,178), the Victoria Sapling winner Bella Joy (1:55.8), the Listed winner Intrusive (1:56.5) and Billy Badlands (1:55.7) and the second dam of Sicario ($590,446), Supersonic Miss ($373,722), Goodtime Heaven, Jukebox Music, Make Mine Memphis, Obahma Joy and College Chapel, all Group 1 winners.

WA Empress Stakes to Little Darling

One of Western Australia’s premier races for mares, the $75,000 Empress Stakes, run at Gloucester Park, was won by the Art Major mare Little Darling, and although Aardiebytheseaside, rated the top female pacer in the west, could manage only second, this fact could not detract from the merit of Little Darling’s success.

She has now won 10 races and $262,228; Aardiebytheseaside has won 17 races and $504,237.

Fay Darling (1:56.4), the NZ bred dam of Little Darling, was got by Bettor’s Delight from the Christian Cullen mare Molly Darling 1:51.4 ($506,033), a thrice Group winner who has proved a most successful broodmare. She is also the dam of the NZ Spring Cup and Southern Supremacy Stakes winner No Doctor Needed 1:50.2 ($330,085) and the Hawera Cup victor Mimi E Coco (1:55.2).

Molly Darling, a winner of 24 races, was a half-sister to the WA Derby heat winner Lobo (1:58.5), the Manakau Cup winner Mandrake (1:56) and to the unraced What’s Next mare Lizzy O’Shea, dam of the dual Group 3 winner Sweet Molly O’Shea (1:52.1) and the metropolitan winner Kynuna Boo (1:52.8) and Yackandadah (1:56.5).

Little Darling was bred and is part-owned by Perth horseman Barry Howlett, who also trains her.

NSW mare Eyes Queen Elizabeth Mile

Eye Keep Smiling, who is being fitted for a tilt at the $200,000 Queen Elizabeth II Mile, won the $100,000 Riverina Championship Final at Wagga to mark her ascent to the top bracket among the female brigade in NSW with a good deal to spare.

The Sweet Lou mare’s winning sequence of four and her close second to Aardie’s Express in the Victoria Ladyship Cup make her one of the best her age and sex and she looks certain to be a force in the mares’ classics this season.

A strongly built mare, possessing both speed and stamina, Eye Keep Smiling is a particularly easy going mare and the latest of a long line of stars brought out by the Success Stud, Young. Eye Keep Smiling’s earnings total is $512,783.

Eye Keep Smiling’s dam, Oh Eye See (1:54.5), was a Listed winner, being by Armbro Operative from Grace Robinson, the dam of nine winners and by Perfect Art, a brother to champion sire Art Major.

Grace Robinson was out of Jasmarilla 1:55.2 ($503,000), a former Australian two-year-old mile record holder and the winner of 50 races in Victoria, SA and America.

Triedtotellya is top Tassie pacer

The Well Said gelding Triedtotellya firmly established himself as one of the top Tasmanian pacers of the season when he won the $75,000 Easter Cup at Launceston.

It was his eighth success from his last nine starts. At his previous start he disposed of Magician and others in a heat of the Cup and before that he established a new track record of 1:53.7 for 1680 metres at Launceston.

Triedtotellya has not done a great deal of racing, having averaged five starts a season. In three seasons of racing Triedtotellya has won 11 races and has been three times placed from 16 starts for $139,731.

By the Western Hanover horse Well Said, he is out of Ballroom Belle, by Presidential Ball (son of Cam Fella) from the grand producer Beena Karalta, by Torado Hanover from Beenaway, by Hilarious Way from Nubeena, who won the Easter Cup twice.

Trietotellya is a half-brother to the exported Tulhurst Santanna 1:49.6 ($449,141) and Vae Victus (1:56.7).

Wisper A Secret in 1:49.7

Wisper A Secret has become the third pacer to enter the 1:50 list at Albion Park. He recorded 1:49.7 when he was successful in a $20,770 Open last Saturday.

By the Somebeachsomewhere horse Huntsville – a brilliant speedster himself – Wisper A Secret is from Monique Josephine, by Panorama (a son of Abercrombie) from the Tompkins Hanover mare Breffni Castle, dam of the Bathurst Sales Classic winner Lamorak (1:52.6) and the Menangle winner Foreverinbluejeans (1:56.7).

Wisper A Secret was bred and is raced by Taree (NSW) enthusiast Doug Johnston.

Sahara Breeze is well bred

Sahara Breeze, who won the Free-for-all at Melton, after appearing to be hopelessly out of it at one stage, has now won 12 races and is rated among the top bracket of female pacers in Victoria.

She ranks as a five-year-old half-sister by Captaintreacherous to the smart pacer and Mildura Cup winner Sahara Tiger 1:51 ($269,231), the Group winners Sahara Sirocco 1:51.7 ($247,824) and Starofsahara (1:56.2) and to Sahara Sunrise, dam of the Group placegetter Sahara Storm (1:54.4).

Their dam, Sahara Miss 1:54.4 (by Village Jasper), a winner of 13 races, was a half-sister to a top ranking juvenile in Distant Memory (1:55.1), the dam of the Group winners Delightful Angel (1:49.9), How’s The Memory (1:50.1) and Beach Memories (1:53.4) and the exported Something Bettor (1:50.6).

This has been one of Australia’s most successful families over a long period. It was established in Victoria by the NZ bred mare Melanie, who was bred from in the Goulburn Valley district, where she left a capable racemare in Macrandra, owned by the Howe family of Wagga, who became the dam of 14 individual winners.

Sahara Breeze was bred and is part-owned by Melbourne enthusiasts Peter Watkinson and Bruce Paul.

Tenth winner from broodmare

When the Quaker Jet two-year-old Unclad won at the Melton Easter meeting, he credited his dam Starcus NZ with her tenth individual winner.

Unclad, a member of one of the largest Australasian crops by Quaker Jet, was having only his second start. Others from Starcus to win have been the cup class trotters Ward Dan Destroyer (1:53.8), Naked Ambition (1:56.5) and Zhenya, the Listed winner Link In Bio, Nakedtruth (1:56.3), Naked Majesty (1:59.7), Birthday Suit, Trixy Nixie, Star Monarch and now Unclad.

Starcus was a S J’s Photo mare from a fine trotter in Staka Pride (15 wins), by Stakhanovite from Van’s Pride, by Game Pride and tracing eventually to the noted foundation mare Harold’s Rest. 

by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink