Havana Magic is top Queensland trotter

The six-year-old mare Havana Magic, who was bred in Victoria by Pat Driscoll’s Yabby Dam Farms, is the leading trotter in Queensland for the 2019/20 harness racing season.

Her end-to-end triumph at Albion Park last Saturday (August 8) was her ninth success for the season and her second in the space of just four days. The winner of $64,252, Havana Magic is the second foal out of the Kadabra mare Pepperell Magic, a half-sister to the Victoria Trotters Oaks winner Adella’s Dash, dam of the Group winners Glenferrie Dreamer and Glenferrie Burn.

Havana Magic, a half-sister to Group 2 winner All Cashed Up, is one of six winners bred by Yabby Dam Farms during the last fortnight.

Majestic Player, bred and formerly raced in Victoria by Driscoll, has taken American trotting by storm since being exported last year. The five-year-old gelding stretched his winning sequence to 10 and took his USA earnings to beyond $100,000 when he won an $US18,000 Open in 1:51.8 at Hoosier Park, Indiana on August 1. 

In further American news, Ready Cash, whose leading son Bold Eagle and Group winning sons Brilliantissime and En Solitaire (NZ only) are all available for this season from Haras Des Trotteurs, sired the placegetters Ready For Moni (2nd) and Back Of The Neck (3rd) in the record equalling $1 million Hambletonian. The pair are members of a crop of seven foals in America sired by the French champion.

Imsettogo, a four-year-old and one of the first crop of resident stallion Used To Me, continues to fly the flag for her sire, winning for the seventh time this season at Ballarat from the front end and clocking the last 800 in a blazing 56.7.

The French stallion Orlando Vici, another of the Haras Des Trotteurs frozen semen roster, produced the runaway 1:57.6 Menangle winner Adelle NZ and the homebred Orlando Jolt, who completed back-to-back successes at Stawell. The pair are from Orlando Vici’s initial Australasian crop of 19 foals, 14 of which have been successful!

Brilliant Love You colt Eurokash, a double winner at two, opened his three-year-old campaign in style with a dashing come-from-behind winning effort at Addington.

Other Yabby Dam Farm-bred winners were Petite Love (Cranbourne) and the pacer Live For Peace (Launceston).

by Peter Wharton