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.

Along the way Driscoll formed friendships with many of Europe’s leading owners and breeder.

Siblings quinella Blacks A Fake

It was no mean feat for the siblings Leap To Fame (by Bettor’s Delight) and Swayzee (by Rock N Roll Heaven) to quinella the $400,000 Blacks A Fake Queensland Championship at Albion Park.

Both were bred by Wagga breeder Paul Kahlefeldt, of Redbank Lodge Standardbreds out of the Art Major mare Lettucereason (1:55.9), a sister to the Victoria Cup and dual derby winner For A Reason, now standing stud in NSW.

Leap To Fame sent his stake earnings over the $3 million plateau and he became the second richest Australian bred pacer of all-time, while Swayzee is the 110th member of the million dollar club in Australasia.

Bargain buy wins richest two-year-old race

Bought for $24,000 at the 2023 Nutrien Equine Sydney yearling sale and now a winner of $300,082, Fate Awaits (Always B Miki) became the season’s latest classic winner when he captured the $500,000 Protostar slot race at Albion Park.

A two-year-colt colt by the American import Always B Miki, Fate Awaits has a wealth of breeding on his dam’s side, being out of the Art Major mare For All We Know, a member of the prolific Krina family.

For All We Know, who took a mile record of 1:54.2, was a half-sister to a capable pacer in Chamonix 1:53.8 ($194,407), a winner of 15 races to date. Their dam, Tout Le Monde, was a half-sister to the six-time Group 1 winner and millionairess Bettor Cover Lover (1:53.8), being out of Front Cover Lover, who was unraced, and ranked as a half-sister to the triple Oaks winner Under Cover Lover 1:51.8 ($864,923).

This has been one of NZ’s most successful families over a long period. Among others from the Vain Franco branch of this tribe to which Fate Awaits belongs have been horses the calibre of Amore Vita, Vampiro, Match In Heaven, Major Trojan and My Chachingcaching.

Fate Awaits, who is the first produce of For All We Know, was bred by Phil and Denise Thurston, of Celestial Standardbreds, Forbes (NSW).

Blazing Home is Grand Circuit material

Blazing Home (Rock N Roll Heaven), who beat a top field in the $53,040 Queensland 4YO Championship at Albion Park and is regarded as Grand Circuit material of the highest order, is a gelding by Rock N Roll Heaven bred by NZ North Island horsewoman Michele Carson.

He is a member of an old-time family, which was represented by a winner at Launceston in Better Exclusive the day after Blazing Home won.

Capture My Heart, the dam of Blazing Home, was a Bettor’s Delight mare from Bury My Heart, by In The Pocket from Toast Of New York, by New York Motoring from Cinnamon Toast, a mare by the trotting sire Great Evander.

Capture My Heart, who was unraced, is also the dam of the exported Chevron’s Bypass (1:53.2) and the recent double Addington winner Trump Card (1:55). She was a sister to the grand stayer and NZ Sires Stakes champion Texican 1:50.2 ($1.1 million), who later raced successfully in America, Better Exclusive 1:56.2 ($111,458) and Derringer (1:58.5). 

Derby winner by Art Major

Winner of the NZ Timaru Nursery as a two-year-old last season, Major Hot (Art Major) downed the top three-year-olds in the $150,000 Queensland Derby at Albion Park, including the top ranking three-year-olds Bay Of Biscay and Minos.

Major Hot has been a model of his consistency throughout his career and has proved himself a young pacer of great ability. 

Bred by Waikato breeders Ken and Karen Breckon, who part-own him, is a gelding by the American import Art Major out of Hothooves, by Bettor’s Delight from the Soky’s Atom mare Matter Of Fact, who left the Ballarat Cup winner Cincinnati Kid 1:55 ($499,495) and the Artiscape mare Lady Fingers, dam of the six-time Group 1 winner The Orange Agent 1:51.1 ($746,423).

A half-brother to the multiple Group winner Hot And Treacherous (1:52.2), the winner of 17 races to date and $478,725) and the Perth winner Hotfoot It (1:56.8), Major Hot is the third Queensland Derby winner sired by Art Major.

Breeding of Queensland Oaks winner

Aardie B Miki (Always B Miki), who won the $150,000 Queensland Oaks, after being locked in a zip-fastener pocket in the last lap, has now won two Oaks classics and is rated one of the best fillies of the season.

She ranks as a three-year-old sister by Always B Miki to the outstanding racemare Aardie’s Express 1:48.9 ($406,484) and the Group winner Aardie’s Flash 1:51.7 ($170,982).

Tatijana Bromac (1:54.2), the dam of the three siblings, was a Rocknroll Hanover mare from Tandia’s Courage 1:53.6 ($305,236), a Victorian bred mare by Stoneridge Scooter from Talk To Me, has proved a most successful broodmare. She is also the dam of recent South Australian winner Mows Em Down (1:53.5).

Tatijana Bromac, the winner of $198,481 and a top racemare in her own right, was a half-sister to the Listed winner Tandia’s Bromac (1:53.7) and the NZ Yearling Sales Graduette victor Te Amo Bromac (1:55.8) and to Tallulah Bromac, the dam of the Listed winners Tenzing Bromac (1:53.9) and Tennyson Bromac (1:52.7). 

Another half-sister in Tania Tandia’s (by Falcon Seelster) became the dam of six sub 2:00 winners including the Group 3 winner Tommy Lincoln (1:52.7) and the exported Lincoln’s Girl (1:51.8).

This has been one of the most successful branches of the Miss Tommy family, Tandia’s Courage being a sister to the dual Oaks winner Mother Courage (1:56.9), a winner of 30 races and $462,520.

Aardie B Miki was bred and is raced by Canadian enthusiast Mike Tanev. 

Winter Gift winner is well bred 

Im Rockin It, a Pet Rock five-year-old and the winner of the $30,600 Winter Gift Final at Menangle, is out of Lil’s Dream, a capable racemare with a record of 1:58 who is proving a very successful broodmare.

Lil’s Dream is also the dam of Manly Mach 1:51.9 ($176,250), a good Menangle winner and his half-brother Tell Us We Dream (1:58), a prolific winner on Victoria’s Sunraysia circuit.

A sister to Lil’s Dream in Braeview Creation ranks as the dam of the Gloucester Park victor Braeview Bondi ($543,376), who took a mark of 1:49.6 in America, and Asante Sana (1:50.6).

Lil’s Dream was a Badlands Hanover mare from Universal First, by Caprock from Fine Cut, by Holmes Hanover from the Morano mare Milne Bay, dam of the Kaikoura Cup winner Michele Bromac.

Broodmare double

The Art Major mare Lady Euthenia produced important winners in two different States last Saturday. The siblings Major Delight, a four-year-old old mare, and Max Delight, an eight-year-old gelding, scored at Melton and Menangle respectively.

Both by Bettor’s Delight were bred by NSW horseman Peter Lewis, who trained Lady Euthenia early in her career. She won 21 races including five Group 1’s and $461,285 in stakes.

Major Delight led most of the way in the Garrard’s Jane Ellen Mares Free-for-all, while Max Delight took out the fast class event in 1:52.2 at Menangle.

Won Western Crown

A two-year-old colt to take a high ranking in Western Australia is Sebastian James, one of the first crop sired by Captain Crunch, who is standing at Alabar Bloodstock’s Victorian branch.

Sebastian James has won twice and been placed from three starts for $30,136. He won the $30,000 Western Crown at Gloucester Park in the smart time of 1:55.8 and appears every bit as good as the Sandgropers rate him. 

He is out of the unraced Nina Sue, by Artesian from the grand producer Like A Dame, by Golden Greek (free-legged son of Abercrombie) from Hold Tight, by Embrace Me from the top Tasmanian juvenile Stormy Port and tracing back to the Logan Pointer mare Royal Empress.

Sebastian James was bred and is part-owned by leading Perth breeder Steve Johnson.

Ninth winner from broodmare

When the Art Major three-year-old Lewendon won at Wagga recently, he credited his dam the NSW Oaks winner Miss Hazel with her ninth individual winner.

Lewendon, bred by the Xerri family, had shown good placed form in the Riverina area. 

Others from Miss Hazel to win have been the Listed winner Christian Sloy (1:53.8), Oliver Dan (1:51.3), the Group 1 placegetter Hazelnuts (1:52.7), Duggee Sloy (1:53.9), Hazel’s Girl (1:54.5), Miss Rocknroll (1:54.9), Roll With Me (1:56.2), Little Arty Miss (1:56.6) and now Lewendon.

Miss Hazel, who is now in her 21st year, has since produced a two-year-old colt by Art Major, a yearling colt by Captaintreacherous and a weanling colt by King Of Swing.

by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink