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.

Siring feat to Volstead

Rather a notable siring feat was credited to the Cantab Hall horse Volstead on Breeders Crown meeting at Melton when he sired three Crown champions on the night. They were the two-year-olds Enchauffour and Prohibited Grace and the three-year-old filly Violet Stanford.

Enchauffour, a colt, is out of the French-bred mare Dream Island, a half-sister to the millionaire Italian trotter Infinitif, being by Sam Bourbon from Island Dream (1:58.8), by Coktail Jet, the sire of Love You.

Prohibited Grace, a two-year-old filly, is from the Group placed Majestic Son mare Majestic Grace (1:57.3), while Violet Stanford is out of Mingara (10 wins), by Thanksgiving (a Group winning son of King Conch) from the dual-gaited mare Sporty Spice, by Payson’s Brother.

Volstead’s oldest stock are three-year-olds and they include Keayang Zahara (one of the star trotters in Australia), Derek The Jet and Maori’s Mac.

Volstead was the first son of Cantab Hall imported to Australia and early crops have been most impressive. A second son of Cantab Hall in Father Patrick, whose frozen semen is available to ‘down under’ breeders, has been widely represented in NZ and Australia. He is the sire of Mufasa Metro, who captured the $50,000 Haras Des Trotteurs Australian Trotting Grand Prix on Breeders Crown night.

Breeders Crown meeting features

One of the most interesting features of Breeders Crown night at Melton was the fact that two of the main winners, Let Her Roll (Breeders Crown Final for two-year-old fillies) and Perfect Class (Caduceus Classic), who looks one of the most capable young pacers in the country, both belong to the same family.

The pair trace back to the Mark Lobell mare Hot Foot, who was imported from New Zealand by Maryborough breeder Peter Gleeson. This family has had a terrific influence on light harness breeding in this country. Few individual families have played a greater part.

Let Her Roll is a Sweet Lou filly from Rocknroll Magic 1:54.5 ($466,183), a Breeders Crown winner herself) and by Rock N Roll Heaven from All The Magic, by Live Or Die from Celebrity Ball, by Presidential Ball from Larrakeyah Lady, who founded the Hot Foot family to some purpose.

Larrakeyah Lady is the dam of the Hunter Cup winner Safe And Sound ($995,606) and the Group/Listed winners Massarua and The Good Times and the grand-dam of Very Pretty (NSW Oaks), Major Times, Lovelist, Punch Line, Starburst Girl and many others.

Perfect Class is a four-year-old Captaintreacherous entire from Perfect Life, by Live Or Die from Secret Life, by Safely Kept from Lifeline, by Classic Garry from Larrakeyah Lady.

Breeders Crown winning line

The Breeders Crown three-year-old winner Some American is a son of the Western Ideal horse American Ideal, who has sired five Breeders Crown champions, and is from a maternal family that has produced Crown winners in Menin Gate and Aleppo Sunrise. 

Some American’s Crown win was his fourth success and ended a frustrating run of minor placings in the Victoria Derby and Vicbred Super Series. He has a bankroll of $206,230.

Some American is out of the Somebeachsomewhere mare Somerocksomeroll (1:53.3), a half-sister to two fine pacers in Firerockfireroll 1:55 ($192,697), a Group 2 winner in Perth, and Idealrockidealroll (1:54.9).

Their dam, Rocknrolla (1:57.1), a dual Vicbred champion and winner of $287,351, was by Grinfromeartoear from the Victoria Sapling winner Nightngeorgia ($116,605), by Safely Kept from the Classic Garry mare She’s Our Angel.

Some American was bred and is raced by Warren Stewart.

By McWicked

Mac Bon, the winner of the $100,000 Breeders Crown for two-year-old colts and geldings at Melton, gives the impression that he could develop into one of next season’s top three-year-olds. 

Bought for a modest $19,000 at the 2023 Nutrien Equine Sydney Yearling Sale, Mac Bon is a well developed black colt by the first crop sire McWicked (a 1:46.4 son of McArdle) from Bon Accord Gal, a NZ bred mare who won 10 races in NSW including four at Menangle and took a mile mark of 1:52.3.

The next dam, Rejoicing, was a Sands A Flyin mare from Jubilant Poplar, by Nero’s B B from the Lumber Dream mare Elegant Poplar, a member of the noted Jane Hunt tribe. It is an interesting fact that there is a double strain of Falcon Seelster blood in Mac Bon, through his grandsire McArdle and damsire Elsu.

Bon Accord Gal is a half-sister to a top flight pacer in Terrorway, who won 18 races including the Blacks A Fake and Cranbourne Cup and $388,309.

Mac Bon was bred by Phil and Denise Thurston, of Celestial Standardbreds, Forbes (NSW).

Breeders Crown trifecta

The $50,000 Breeders Crown for two-year-old trotting colts and geldings was a triumph for Ballarat breeder Pat Driscoll’s Yabby Dam Farms as the breeders of the first three placegetters Enchauffour (1st), Rey Bailando (2nd) and Commodus (3rd).

Actually, Driscoll brought out five runners in the 11-horse field with Kyvalley Jagger (5th) and Sam Nine (11th).

He bred two Crown champions on the night, the other being the three-year-old colt Valtino, a son of Love You and Aspiring Eva, by The Pres from Aspiring Gal, by Sundon from the American mare Aspiring Lass.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Illavabubbles in 1:49.7

Illavabubbles put up her second sub 1:50 mile when she was successful in the $30,600 Sue Kelly Stakes at Menangle last Saturday in 1:49.7.

By the Always A Virgin horse Always B Miki – a multiple world champion – Illavabubbles is from Delightful Dale, by Bettor’s Delight from Dale Elinor, by In The Pocket from the crack racemare Megaera and tracing to the prized matron Black Watch.

A half-sister to the Group 2 Perth winner Shandale, Illavabubbles was bred by Ken and Karen Breckon.

Breeders Crown two-year-old trotting winner

When she won the $60,000 Breeders Crown Final at Melton, the Volstead filly Prohibited Grace scored her second Group/Listed success, and she is entitled to be rated the season’s top two-year-old trotting filly.

Earlier in the season Prohibited Grace won the $75,000 Nutrien Equine Classic and from six starts she has won twice for $71,950 in stakes.

Bred by Goulburn Valley breeders Dean and Blanche Poole, of Rhiannon Park, Prohibited Grace is out of the 10 win Majestic Son mare Majestic Grace (1:57.3), whose dam, Front And Square (by Yentl’s Image) left several useful winners including the Shepparton Trotters Cup winner Jackson Square 1:59.7 ($105,760).

First winner by Pastor Stephen

The Cantab Hall horse Pastor Stephen, a former USA 2YO Trotter of the Year and now at the stud at Llowalong Farms in Victoria, was represented by his first winner when the two-year-old Shezalover was successful at the Maryborough midweek meeting.

Shezalover had been a finalist in the Nutrien Equine Classic and Vicbred Silver.

Bred by Kath McIntosh, Shezalover is out of the Brylin Boyz mare Shezoneoftheboyz, a NZ Derby winner who left earlier winners in Oneoftheclan (1:57.7), Gunning , Northolt and Gun Slinger and the unraced I Am Who I Am, dam of the Vicbred champion Jaxnme.

by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink