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.

Leap To Fame – The Greatest

The Bettor’s Delight entire Leap To Fame achieved yet another moment of glory in a brilliant career when he became the greatest stake winner in Australasia of all-time.

His superlative success in the $1 million Inter Dominion Championship Grand Final at Albion Park boosted his earnings to $4,630,884, surpassing the previous record of $4,575,438 held by Blacks A Fake.

Leap To Fame won in the manner of a true champion, and the crowd accorded the bay stallion a great reception on his return to scale.

It was his 22nd consecutive win at Albion Park and his 56th from 69 starts.

Bred by Wagga (NSW) breeder Paul Kahlefeldt, of Redbank Lodge Standardbreds, Leap To Fame was sold for $47,500 to Kevin and Kay Seymour at the Australian Pacing Gold Sydney sale in 2020.

He is out of the Art Major mare Lettucereason 1:55.9 ($180,073), the dam of the dual NZ Cup winner Swayzee (1:48.6), a winner of 30 races and $2.2 million, and the exported Maximus Red (1:51.6), a winner of 40 races and $488,747.

Lettucereason, a multiple Group 1 placegetter, is from the Fake Left mare Left For Me (1:59), a mare bred by the Seymour’s who won 17 races and left 11 winners including the millionaire pacer and successful colonial sire For A Reason.

Inter Dominion Trotting Championship winner

Arcee Phoenix (Trixton), the convincing end-to-end winner of the $500,000 Inter Dominion Trotting Championship Grand Final at Albion Park, and the newest member of the ‘Million Dollar Club’, was bred in NSW but has deep breeding roots in both North America and New Zealand.

A six-year-old gelding by the Muscle Hill horse Trixton, a Hambletonian winning son of the great Muscle Hill, Arcee Phoenix is out of the Sundon mare Justa Phoenix (2:00.2), who produced others in the Melton winner Querencia, In Redwhiteandblue, Tomahawk Phoenix and Justatrixta.

Justa Phoenix, a winner of four races, was out of Byrdie Num Num, a good Globe Derby Park winner and by Speed Supreme from Jolabyrd, by the pacing stallion Joey’s Byrd from the Gentry mare Bobby Gentry, dam of the cups winner Joseph Boppard and the Listed winner Supreme Gent.

A half-sister to Byrdie Num Num in the unraced Dodo Rocket (by Wagon Apollo) established this family to some purpose in Australia. She left four winners including the Vicbred champion Princess Phoenix (1:55.5), Veruckte Phoenix (1:59.1) and Hadrian’s Phoenix (2:00) and figured as the grand-dam of the four-time Group 1 winner Eljaykay Phoenix 1:58.6 ($256,877), Peregrine Phoenix (1:56.8), the Victoria Trotters Oaks winner She’s Ruby Roo 1:54.1 ($202,366) and the Inter Dominion heat winner Ofortuna (1:58.8).

Bobby Gentry, who was foaled in NZ, was out of Dawnlight, a cup class mare by Light Brigade from Josedale Dawn, an American bred mare by Grattan McKinney, a member of the noted Grattan tribe. 

The family traces eventually to the Almont (grandson of Hambletonian 10) mare Jenny W, who was foaled in USA in the 1870’s. 

Arcee Phoenix was bred by Ash Haynes, Chris Shaw and Brian and the late Ted Payne.

Eye Keep Smiling is the top racemare

When she won the $150,000 The Golden Girl for the second time at Albion Park, the Sweet Lou mare Eye Keep Smiling scored her fifth Group success for the season, and she is entitled to be rated the top racemare in the country.

Earlier in the season, she won the Queen Elizabeth II Mile, Riverina Championship Mares’ series, Robin Dundee Stakes and the Fleur De Lil Ladyship.

From 14 starts this season, she has won 11 times and been once placed for $377,684 in stakes. She has earned $777,983 lifetime.

Eye Keep Smiling ranks as a half-sister to a capable pacer in Private Eye (1:50.3), being a five-year-old by the Yankee Cruiser horse Sweet Lou from Oh Eye See (1:54.5), a Listed winner by Armbro Operative from the grand producer Grace Robinson, by Perfect Art from Jasmarilla 1:55.2 ($503,000), who at one stage held the Australian mile two-year-old record and was the best racemare of her era.

Rubira is well bred

The $150,000 Queensland Derby, one of the major three-year-old classics of the season, was won by Rubira, a gelding by Always B Miki from Delightful Kaz (2:00,4), by Bettor’s Delight from Lady Cullen (1:55.9), by Christian Cullen.

Bred and part-owned by Ken and Karen Breckon, of Breckon Farms, Rubira is the first foal of Delightful Kaz, a sister to the champion racemare and six-time Group 1 winner Belle Of Montana 1:54.1 ($602,706) and to Lady Gilpin, dam of the NZ Harness Million and Ace Of Diamonds victor Stella Rouge 1:56.3 ($223,668).

Rubira belongs to one of North America’s top families, Lady Cullen being out of the Artsplace mare Andress Blue Chip, who was imported to NZ by Auckland breeder and studmaster Robert Famularo.

Andress Blue Chip left the dual Oaks winner and NZ Horse of the Year Carabella 1:55.2 ($693,615), dam of the Gore Cup winner Johnny Mac (1:55.5), Prima Bella, dam of the dual QBred Triad winner First String 1:51.5 ($229,972) and the NSW Canola Cup winner Racing Time (1:52.4), and the American Ideal mare Pretty Pins, who ranks as the dam of the Listed winners Miki Pins (1:49.7) and Captain Pins (1:55.1) and Sweet Pins (1:56.5), a winner at Gloucester Park last Friday.

Queensland Oaks winner’s family background

The American Ideal filly Soho Americano firmly established herself as the top three-year-old of the season when she won the $150,000 Queensland Oaks at Albion Park.

Soho Americano, who was bred and is raced by Perth businessman Robert Watson, has won nine of her 14 starts this season for $217,575 in stakes. Earlier in the season she won the J. L. Raith Memorial and Victoria Gold Chalice and was placed in the NSW Oaks and Bathurst Gold Bracelet.

Soho Americano is by the Western Ideal horse American Ideal from the dual WA Group 1 winner Soho Interceptor (1:55.9) and is her first produce to race. Soho Interceptor was by Art Major from the former 2YO Filly of the Year Aussie Made Lombo 1:55.1 ($578,456), by Bettor’s Delight from the great Tailamade Lombo (1:55.3), a winner of 49 races and Australia’s first million dollar racemare.

Soho Interceptor was a sister to Soho Siren, the dam of the Victoria Caduceus Club Cup and NSW Derby heat winner Catalpa Rescue (1:53) and a half-sister to the Listed winner Soho Moonraker (1:55.2) and the recent Menangle two-year-old winner Soho Trump (1:54.5).

This is a long established Australian family and includes top horses the calibre of Espeshlimade Lombo, Colossal Stride (1:49.4), Disco Force, Tsunami Lombo and the top Tasmanian pacer Yakuza.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Raider Stakes winner by Ultimate Machete

A four-year-old to take high ranking in Tasmania is Cuzzy Bro, one of the first crop sired by the NZ 3YO and 4YO of the Year Ultimate Machete, who is now at the stud in China.

He has won seven races and been seven times placed for $91,034. He won the $60,000 Raider Stakes Final at Launceston on Sunday, beating the best four-year-olds in commission on the Apple Isle.

Cuzzy Bro is out of Invest, by Christian Cullen from Custom Franco (TT1:59.3), by McArdle from the good producer Cherubic, by Tuapeka Knight and tracing back to the noted foundation mare Pride Of Lincoln.

Heavenly Gipsy in form

Heavenly Gipsy, a Rock N Roll Heaven mare bred in Victoria, continues to prove herself in the top bracket among the female brigade in Perth. She has won four of her six starts at Gloucester Park to date.

Heavenly Gipsy is out of Mach Robyn (1:59.2), by Mach Three from Sign Of Robyn, by Life Sign from the Son Of Afella mare Robyn’s Treasure (1:57.7), a NZ Oaks winner who is the dam of five winners and the grand-dam of the smart Sydney pacer Salty Robyn ($527,151), who took a record of 1:49.2 in America, and the prolific Menangle winner My Guy Mac (1:52).

Mach Robyn, a Melton winner, was a half-sister to Tartan Robyn (1:57.1) and to the dam of the dual Listed winner Dalvey Robyn (1:54.1) and a member of the same family as the NZ country cups specialist Robyn’s Playboy.

Heavenly Gipsy was bred by the late Tom Payne.

by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink