Group 1 Gleeson eyes Breeders Crown greatness

Maryborough identity Peter Gleeson is on the verge of achieving yet another milestone in a decorated career as a breeder.

The 2017 Victorian Breeder of the Year will be represented by the two-year-old filly Very Pretty (American Ideal) and the three-year-old colt Perfect Class (Captaintreacherous) in their respective Finals of the Breeders Crown at Melton Entertainment Park on Saturday night.

Both closely related were very impressive winners of their semi-finals at Melton last Saturday.

“They’ve both drawn well but they are very difficult races to win,” Peter said.

Wins by both youngsters will elevate Gleeson to second on the Breeders Crown pacing honour roll behind Bill and Anne Anderson, of Lauriston Bloodstock fame, who have bred a record seven Crown champions.

Pat Driscoll’s Yabby Dam Farms has brought out six Breeders Crown trotting champions.

Gleeson’s quartet of Breeders Crown winners are Beauty Secret (2014), Lovelist (2016) and the siblings Rocknroll Magic (2016) and Ride High (2018). The first three were bred by Gleeson in conjunction with close friends Bruce and Craig Cameron.

The quartet all trace to a plain looking unraced mare named Hot Foot, who Peter bought sight unseen for $8,000 from an advertisement in Trotting Weekly more than 40 years ago.

“I only had $3,000 to spend, so I borrowed $5,000 off ‘Darkie’ Wilson,” Gleeson said.

“I sent her to Happy Talk and she produced Avant Garde as her first foal.”

He won 18 races including five at Moonee Valley.

Hot Foot’s fifth foal, the Windshield Wiper mare Larrakeyah Lady, was the winner of 11 races including the Vicbred 4YO Final in 1989 and her family today is one of the best in the Australian stud book.

It includes the Group winners Safe And Sound, Petracca, Treachery, Out To Play, Beauty Secret, Major Secret, Massarua, Perfect Major and The Good Times, dam of Very Pretty.

“Safe And Sound won the Hunter Cup, Beauty Secret gave us our first Oaks win and Major Secret was our first Derby winner,” Gleeson said.

Gleeson is breeding 11 mares this season to leading sires in Sweet Lou, Captaintreacherous, Rock N Roll Heaven and Stay Hungry as he searches for yet another Group 1 champion.

Pat Driscoll bred a winning double at Bendigo with Keayang Chucky in the Breeders Crown 4YO Trotting Championship and Just Believe in the Breeders Crown Graduate Trotters Free-for-all

Three Harness Breeders Victoria committee members Jess Tubbs, Terry Lewis and Ian Stanley bred important winners last weekend.

Tubbs bred and part-owns Vee Em Gee Macray, a winner at the Breeders Crown meeting at Bendigo, Lewis bred and races the Hamilton juvenile winner Browniesatmidnight and Stanley bred and owns the Launceston free-for-all winner Rackemup Tigerpie

Lochinvar Camaro, who won at his second start at Cranbourne, is an American Ideal half-brother to the Hunter Cup winner and Breeders Crown champion Honolua Bay. The youngster was bred by Lauriston Bloodstock and is the seventh winner of his dam, National Gallery

by Peter Wharton, for Harness Racing Victoria