Unparalleled feat by top Victorian trotting breeder

Champion Ballarat breeder-owner-studmaster Pat Driscoll chalked up yet another milestone in his storied career when he bred five trotting winners at the Vicbred Super Series meeting at Maryborough on Monday afternoon.

The feat is certainly a first in the modern era of Victorian harness racing and matched the record established by South Australian couple Peter and Lesley Medhurst, who bred five winners at Mount Gambier in January 2014.

Driscoll, the principal of Yabby Dam Farms, bred two winners of the three-year-old colts and geldings’ division in The Locomotive (Muscle Mass) and Stevie Gee (Used To Me) as well as the three-year-old filly Rapid Return and the two-year-olds Valtino and Preferred Love.

He also bred two other finalists in the two-year-old We Can Have It All (Volstead) and the three-year-old Vici Bloom (Orlando Vici) and he owns Preferred Love, a Love You filly out of the American-bred mare Access To Success.

Aldebaran Campbell (Muscle Hill), the winner of the second heat of the two-year-old males’ division, is also out of an imported American mare, Aldebaran Turnpike.

The Muscles Yankee influence was profound at the meeting with the great American sire appearing in the pedigrees of six of the 11 heat winners in The Locomotive (3YO colt), the three-year-old fillies Rockinwithattitude, Shesawish and Rapid Return, Aldebaran Campbell (2YO gelding) and No Telling Heather (2YO filly).

The Locomotive, the defending Vicbred champion, and Rapid Return are closely related, the former being out of the standout trotting mare La Coocaracha and the latter out of her granddaughter Nieta.

The Yabby Dam Farms’ dominance of this year’s Vicbred Super Series seems likely to extend to the Haras Des Trotteurs’ sponsored four-year-old trotting series at Bendigo tomorrow night.

Aroha Koe and Royal Dan are the ruling favourites in the opening males’ division, Iron Love, Keayang Chucky and King’s Guard will line up in the second heat, while Yabby Dam Farms bred five of the nine runners in the opening qualifying heat for mares in Gardena Ronda, Revelstoke, Used To Be A Maid, Courmayeur and Queen Of Quebec.

Shadow Celt, a three-year-old Shadow Play gelding bred and owned by Harness Breeders Victoria treasurer Maurice Hanrahan, made an impressive debut at Cranbourne last Sunday.

He is the fifth foal and third winner out of the dual Oaks placegetter Rhodium Castle.

Llowalong Farms, Kyabram will host their annual Stallion Parade and Open Day on Sunday from 11.30am.

Food and refreshments will be served with some terrific door prizes to be won.

Generally Speaking (Readly Express), the first foal of former champion trotting mare Maori Time, ran second in a qualifier at The Red Mile, Kentucky recently.

The two-year-old colt was bred and is part-owned by Duncan McPherson’s Aldebaran Park.

by Peter Wharton, for Harness Racing Victoria