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.

Magician star sprinter

The Sweet Lou gelding Magician advanced strong claims to being the best sprint pacer in Tasmania today when he scored a fighting win in track record time in the Golden Mile at Launceston.

It was his fourth successive win. At his previous start he made short work of a 20 metre handicap to win a 2220 metres handicap and two runs prior to that he downed a class field in the Launceston Mile.

Magician has not done a great deal of racing, having averaged eight starts a season. In four seasons of racing Magician has won 15 races and has been 11 times placed from 33 starts for $329,363.

By the Yankee Cruiser horse Sweet Lou, he is out of Kyleasha (1:59.3), by Bettor’s Delight from Magi Lune, by Windshield Wiper from Kasabar, by Vance Hanover.

Kyleasha was a half-sister to an earlier Golden Mile winner in Hexus 1:55 ($555,199) and to the dam of the exported Stars Align 1:48 ($779,191).

By A Rocknroll Dance

Rocknroll Hammer (A Rocknroll Dance), who won at the feature meeting at Albion Park last Saturday, has now won seven races and is rated one of the brightest prospects in his class. He ranks as a four-year-old three-quarter brother by A Rocknroll Dance to the champion pacer King Of Swing 1:47.9 ($3.3million), now standing at Cobbity Equine Stud in NSW.

Twist And Twirl (1:56), the dam of Rocknroll Hammer and King Of Swing, was an Artsplace mare from Giveitawhirlgirl, by Jenna’s Beach Boy from Impish, has proved a most successful broodmare. She is also the dam of the seven-time Group 1 winner Bettor Twist 1:52.1 ($605,437) and Extreme Stride (1:56.7).

Twist And Twirl, a NZ Sires Stakes champion and Great Northern Oaks victor, was a sister to the dual Group 3 NSW winner Feels Like Magic 1:51 ($261,728) and a half-sister to the dual Listed Victorian winner Bettor Give It 1:57.4 ($138,061), dam of the Derby and cups winner Mach Dan 1:50.3 ($931,275).

Rocknroll Hanover was the second leg of a winning double at Albion Park for renowned North Island breeder Ken Breckon, who also bred Bet N Win, who took out The Stellar Square.

Taipo in 1:49.3

Taipo (American Ideal) has joined the growing list of New Zealand bred horses to enter the 1:50 list in Australia. He recorded 1:49.3 when he was successful at Menangle last Saturday.

By the deceased Western Ideal horse American Ideal – a brilliant pacer himself – Taipo is from Haylin Express (2:01.6), by Christian Cullen (a son of In The Pocket) from Haylin Magpie, by the Albatross horse Holmes Hanover, the leading sire in NZ on five occasions.

Taipo ranks as a half-brother to the Cambridge Futurity winner Te Kawau, who took a mile record of 1:49.4 in America.

Taipo can claim a doubling of Albatross blood in his pedigree through Three Diamonds, the grand-dam of his sire American Ideal, and Holmes Hanover, his second maternal sire.

Breeding of Queen Of Hearts winner

Pandaia (Downbytheseaside), winner of the Queen Of Hearts at Albion Park, continues to prove herself in the top bracket among the female pacers in Australia.

Bred by North Canterbury horsewoman Catherine Butt, Pandaia has an all-American breeding background and one which has been most successful. By Downbytheseaside (son of Somebeachsomewhere), she is out of the Artsplace mare Pearl White, an unraced mare who also left the recent NSW three-year-old winner Applied (1:57.6).

Pearl White, who was bred in the Ohoka district, was out of the American import West End (1:52.4), by Western Hanover from the broodmare gem Grand Lady (1:52.8), by Matt’s Scooter.

West End, who earned $148,010, was a half-sister to the double millionairess Glowing Report (1:49.4), Perfect Union (1:49), Urgent Action (1:49.6), Get It Now (1:49.8) and to the dam of the Little Brown Jug winner and highly successful sire Well Said (1:47.6).

Gus is top Queensland trotter

The NZ bred Gus (Majestic Son), who made a clean sweep of the Somerset Farms Darrell Alexander Championship series at Albion Park, is entitled to be regarded as Queensland’s top trotter this season.

Bred by Nathan Williamson, the five-year-old Majestic Son gelding has a wealth of breeding on his dam’s side, being out of the talented Monarchy mare Kylie Ree 1:59.9 ($112,730), a member of the Edith Locanda family.

Kylie Ree, who won the Harness Jewels and NZ Sires Stakes Final at two, was a half-sister to three trotting winners including Thanks Shane (2:07.8). Their dam, Nerokilo (2:04.8), the winner of six races, was sired by Clever Innocence from Five Kilos, by the Miracle Mile winner Locarno from Ann Lord, by Lordship.

Gus ranks as a brother to the NZ Trotting Stakes victor Springbank Lachie (1:59.8) and a half-brother to the dual Cambridge Trotters Gold Cup winner Son Of Patrick 1:55.6 ($123,822).           

Leading sire’s absence a loss

The results of the Westsired Classics for three-year-olds at Gloucester Park further demonstrated the loss of Rock N Roll World to breeders.

With wide representation in the classics, he sired the trifecta in the $30,000 colts and geldings’ division in Arionrock, Worlds Above and Maximum Rock and the winner World Secret and minor placegetter Pushbutton Rock in the fillies’ division.

Both were bred by Bob Fowler, the principal of Allwood Stud Farm, who stood Rock N Roll World in his initial season.

In all, Rock N Roll World progeny have won almost $650,000 from only two racing crops. Of his first crop of 83 foals, 45 have raced and 23 are winners.

Up-and-coming trotter

One of the most promising trotters racing in NSW is London To A Brick (Bettor’s Delight), the winner of the Group 2 $50,000 Trot NSW 4&5YO Final at Menangle. A four-year-old, London To A Brick is in his second full season of racing and from 23 starts he has won 11 and been four times placed for $235,849.

London To A Brick might well have distinguished himself as a pacer, being by Bettor’s Delight from the Christian Cullen mare Im Justforyou (1:55.3), a useful pacer herself and dam of the smart pacer Sugar For My Honey 1:54.2 ($111,394) and the trotter Unspoken Love.

The next dam, Just An Angel, was by Artiscape from the In The Pocket mare Almost An Angel, a sister to the prolific Perth winner Highest Honour 1:57.2 ($232,887) and the NZ Listed winner Hero 1:58.8 ($132,970) and a half-sister to Highfields Princess, dam of the Vicbred champion Hei Shangri La 1:56.9 ($195,334).

Yabby Dam Farms production sale

Pat Driscoll’s Yabby Dam Farms is set to hold a production sale online via AuctionsPlus on July 23 and 24.

The sale comprises a quality lineup of 15 trotting broodmares in foal or ready to go in foal this season. The offering includes three daughters of the champion French stallion Ready Cash, the black type winners My Chimera and Parisian Chic and the dam of the Group 1 winners Kinvara Sue and pretty Majestic.

There’s also half-sisters to Don’t Care, Glenferrie Dreamer, Glenferrie Burn, Wilma’s Mate, My Valerie, Une Belle Allure and Brandlo Prince, all trotters of some worth.

Catalogues and further details from Nutrien Equine.

First winner 

The American import Lather Up (1:46), a North America Cup winner and now standing at Woodlands Stud in NZ, was represented by his first Australian winner when the two-year-old Ogedie was successful at the Redcliffe midweek meeting.

Ogedie had been twice placed at Albion Park last month.

Raced by his breeder Ross Patrick, Ogedie is out of the Somebeachsomewhere mare Argyle Beach (1:52.1), whose dam, Summer Ale was by Christian Cullen from the Deal Direct mare Little Egypt, who left several useful winners including the exported Kickupyaheels (1:50).

by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink