Weekly spotlight on breeding

Breeding authority Peter Wharton presents all the harness racing news on breeding from Australia, New Zealand and North America every week brought to you by Garrard’s Horse & Hound.

Red letter night for breeder

Ballarat breeder Pat Driscoll, the principal of Yabby Dam Farms, had a night to remember at the all-trotters meeting at Melton when he bred an unprecedented four winners – including three at Group level – on the nine-race card.

The haul comprised Group 1 winners in Cravache Dor ($60,000 Need For Speed Prince Final) and Amandine ($60,000 Need For Speed Princess Final), the Group 2 victor The Locomotive ($30,000 Bob Conroy 2YO Trotters Classic) and Revelstoke (Need For Speed Consolation).

Cravache Dor, a three-year-old gelding by the French stallion Orlando Vici, is out of the American-bred mare Muscles N Blues, a Muscles Yankee mare who Driscoll bought as a weanling at the Perretti Farms dispersal sale in 2013. He is her first foal.

Amandine, a three-year-old filly by the Love You horse Village Mystic and one of his first small frozen crop, is from the Sundon mare Mybrotherwasastar, a sister to the NZ Trotting Derby winner Thedonsson 1:54.8 ($252,126) and a half-sister to the NZ and Australian 2YO Trotting Colt of the Year Galleon’s Assassin 1:55.4 ($495,411) and the multiple NSW Group winner King Of Strathfield 1:56.8 ($227,934).

Mybrotherwasastar, who was only lightly raced, left a top flight trotting mare in Wilma’s Mate 1:55.5 ($343,527) and Amour De Frere 1:56.5 ($105,940), winner of the Need For Speed Princess in 2018.

The Locomotive, a Muscle Mass two-year-old colt, is out the champion trotting mare La Coocaracha 1:58.5 ($428,911), a winner of 23 races including six Group 1’s in both Australia and NZ. At the stud La Coocaracha became the dam of 10 individual winners including the 10-time Group winner Dance Craze 1:55.6 ($551,780), the Vicbred and Breeders Crown champion Reina Danzante (1:57.1), the exported La Grange 1:54.2 ($163,350), Mataderos ($144,791) and Louey Louey Louey, a sire of winners in Victoria.

Revelstoke, who has won four out of five this season, is a three-year-old Quaker Jet filly from the unraced Miss Manitoba, by Angus Hall from the Lindy Lane mare Showmethemaori and thus a member of the celebrated Maori Miss tribe.

Tasmanian Sweepstakes winning line

The Tasmanian Sweepstakes winner Nyack is a Sweet Lou colt out of Benediction, who won the Sweepstakes herself and left the winner of the 2019 edition, Kohanah.

Nyack’s win was his third success from four starts. “We think he is pretty quick, we will see how strong he is later on,” his trainer-driver Todd Rattray said.

Nyack, who was bred by the Rattray family, is out the Bettor’s Delight mare Benediction 1:57.8 ($161,235), whose dam, Queen Carey 1:56.3 ($165,227), a dual Tasmanian Sires Stakes winner was by Walton Hanover from Draw Card, by What’s Next.

This line has been bred from extensively over three generations by the Rattray’s and it includes horses the calibre of dual Inter Dominion heat winner Devendra, Bettor Draw, Diva’s Delight, Faithful Gabby and King Carey.

Half-brothers win in two States

Two of Australia’s star young pacers at present, and both winners in metropolitan company recently who promise to be a force in this year’s Vicbred Super Series are Tuppence (Lincoln Royal) and Cobber (A Rocknroll Dance).

Both bred by David and Glenda Battye’s Buckland Park Homestead are from the good Melton and Globe Derby Park winner Star Crossed (1:56.2), who won 12 races.

Star Crossed was by the Artsplace horse Art Major from Endeared 1:56.7 ($244,650), a dual Southern Cross Final winner by Albert Albert from the grand producer Tuapeka Reign, by Vance Hanover.

On their present form, Tuppence and Cobber look capable of progressing deep in the Vicbred series.

Runaway Celebrity is Ladyship Mile material

Runaway Celebrity, who outsprinted her rivals in the Group 3 Matriarch Pace at Melton and is regarded as Ladyship Mile material of the highest order, is a four-year-old mare by A Rocknroll Dance from Celebrity Ball, a handy racemare who took a record of 2:01.

She is a member of an old time NZ family, which was represented by a winner at Launceston in My Celebrity the night after Runaway Celebrity won.

Celebrity Ball was a Presidential Ball mare from the broodmare gem Larrakeyah Lady, by Windshield Wiper from Hot Foot, by Mark Lobell from Sceptical, a mare by Garrison Hanover.

Larrakeyah Lady, a Victoria Sires Stakes champion, was the dam of the A. G. Hunter Cup winner Safe And Sound 1:57 ($995,606), the Tatlow Memorial winner The Good Times 1:54.4 ($201,024), Massarua 1:55.8 ($282,692), the exported Gold Rocket 1:51 ($393,387) and Safeguard (1:55.8).

Lifeline, a Classic Garry mare from Larrakeyah Lady, was the dam of the Breeders Crown champion Lovelist 1:53.2 ($222,889) and Secret Life (1:58.6), both of whom founded good winning families.

Lovelist became the dam of the dual Southern Cross winner Treachery 1:53.5 ($262,699) and this season’s exciting juvenile Petracca, while Secret Life left the NSW Derby winner Major Secret 1:55.1 ($464,872), now at the stud in SA, and the Victoria Oaks and Breeders Crown winner Beauty Secret 1:52.4 ($425,921).

Runaway Celebrity ranks as a half-sister to the Victoria Silver Chalice winner Starburst Girl 1:53.6 ($143,670), Our Celebrity 1:55.1 ($130,019), the Victoria Sapling Stakes winner Major Celebrity and to the Live Or Die mare All The Magic, dam of brilliant speedster Ride High 1:49 ($289,427) and the 3YO Filly of the Year Rocknroll Magic 1:54.5 ($466,183).

Star four-year-old by Bettor’s Delight

A bright future is being predicted for the Bettor’s Delight four-year-old mare Braeview Kelly, whose success at Menangle last Saturday was her third winning run from four starts on Australian soil. She clocked a career-best 1:51.6.

She has a good deal in her favour on the score of blood than most. Apart from being by Bettor’s Delight, Braeview Kelly is out of the American Ideal mare Idolise, a half-sister to a fine racemare and Group 1 winner in Am Opulent 1:54.9 ($269,515), being out of Imprint, by Life Sign from Impish (1:54.9), by Falcon Seelster from the grand producing El Patron mare Smarty Pants and tracing to the taproot Jessie Pepper.

From the Smarty Pants branch of it and to which Braeview Kelly belongs other top performers in the triple Miracle mile winner King Of Swing, Bettor Twist (NZ Oaks), Twist And Twirl (NZ Sires Stakes 3YO Final), Smart Son (1:49.6), Mach Dan (NSW Breeders Challenge 3YO), Costa Del Magnifico, Banana Dana and Darkershadeofpale and also members.

Well related two-year-old

A top two-year-old colt in Victoria this season – he has won three and has been placed once in five starts – is El Camino a close relative of the Carousel winner Gold King. He hoisted a fresh lifetime mark of 1:55.3 winning in cavalier fashion at Melton last Saturday.

El Camino is a colt by American Ideal from the Listed winner Morgan Abby 1:55.7 ($118,050), by Aces N Sevens from Boldandbeautiful (1:59.2), who proved a great broodmare. She left five winners including the NSW Breeders Challenge 2YO Final winner It’s Only Rocknroll 1:50.8 ($491,057), who later competed successfully in America, and the Breeders Crown Silver victor Lynniemach.

By Albert Albert, Boldandbeautiful was out of Serene Queen (7 wins), by Gammalite, a dual Inter Dominion winner from the grand producer Taurus Lady, by Overtrick.

There are some notable winners in almost every remove of this family. Duel Queen, a daughter of Serene Queen, became the dam of the prolific Harold Park winner Duel Prince 1:57 ($163,902) and is the third dam of the outstanding Perth pacers Shockwave 1:53.4 ($514,802) and Double Expresso 1:55.4 ($328,034).

El Camino was bred by Benstud Standardbreds, Katunga (Vic.).

Siblings salute in Hobart

It was no mean feat for the siblings Iylac Pakaria (Betting Line) and Iylac Beach (Sunshine Beach) to win feature races at the Trot Into Spring meeting at Hobart. Iylac Pakaria took out the Sweepstakes for two-year-old fillies, while Iylac Beach won the Equine Veterinary Services Final.

Both bred, raced and trained by Bianca Heenan are from the Modern Art mare Glamour Art, a capable racemare herself and who qualified for the Breeders Crown as a two-year-old.

Glamour Art, a winner of four races, was out of Any Clues, a NSW bred mare by Panorama from Roxanne, by Thor Hanover from West Side Story, by Goodland and tracing eventually to the taproot Nancy Lee (by Victor III).

Roxanne was the dam of the prolific Harold Park winner Rockola (1:57.6), a winner of 16 races, and Putn Ontheritz (1:58.3), dam of the Albion Park victor Demolition Babe (1:55.8) and grand-dam of recent winner Jelignite Jack (1:56.4).

Yearling by Bit Of A Legend

The first crop of former champion NZ pacer Bit Of A Legend 1:49.8 ($2.6 million), now at the stud in North America, will go up for auction at the Buckeye Classic Yearling Sale in Ohio next month.

The consignment includes five colts and a filly.

by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink