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.

Bulletproof Boy is new Cups king

Bulletproof Boy, a son of the American sire Art Official, has been the star of the Country Cups carnival in Victoria.

The 10-year-old gelding posted his fourth successive win when he downed a class field in the $100,000 Ballarat Pacing Cup last Saturday. At his previous start he disposed of Tact McLeod and others in the $75,000 Bendigo Pacing Cup, and before that he scoired an  effortless win in the Christmas Cup at Globe Derby Park.

Bulletproof Boy has now won 46 races with 44 placings from  204 starts for $704,541 in stakes.

By the Art Major horse Art Official, he is out of My Riviera Girl (1:58.7), by Red River Hanover (a three-quarter brother to Rocknroll Hanover) from Dance Trix, by Holmes Hanover from Woodpecker, by Lordship. 

Other members of this family have been the NSW Oaks and Breeders Crown winner Dancingonmoonlight, Master Moonlite (Queensland Derby), Moonrock (City of Melton Sprint), Moonlite Dream and the Cambridge Gold Cup winners Potkova and Xray.

Bulletproof Boy was bred in South Australia by the late Charles Okmasich, Margaret Smith and Jeff Radomi.

Star siblings win in two States

Australia’s top two pacers at present, and both recent feature race winners who promise to be a force at the Brisbane Inter Dominion series, are Leap To Fame (by Bettor’s Delight) and Swayzee (by Rock N Roll Heaven). 

Leap To Fame made a triumphant return in the Open Pace at Albion Park, while took out the $60,000 Tamworth City Cup.

Both bred by Paul Kahlefeldt are from Lettucereason (1:55.9), a fine racemare herself, who also left the Group 2 winner Maximus Red 1:51.6 ($448,117).

Lettucereason was by the Artsplace horse Art Major from the grand producer Left For Me, by Fake Left from Our Lady Delwin, by Lordship. On their present form, Leap To Fame and Swayzee almost have a stranglehold on the major pacing features. 

Noted family of trotters

Arcee Phoenix, who won the Group 3 Knight Pistol at the Ballarat Cup meeting and is one of the leading local hopes for the Great Southern Star, has a background of trotting blood second to none.

His sire, Trixton, a Hambletonian winning son of Muscle Hill, left the great French trotter Callmethebreeze and other smart Australian trotters in Aldebaran Vera (who ran third in the Knight Pistol), Van Sank and Constantinople.

His dam, Justa Phoenix, is by Sundon, the leading sire of trotters for many years. Justa Phoenix, who won four races, was out of a useful racemare in Byrdie Num Num, by Speed Supreme from Jolabyrd.

The family, which traces to the American mare Jenny W, produced a champion two-year-old trotter in Eljaykay Phoenix , who won 18 races including four Group 1’s, and other good trotters in Princess Phoenix (Vicbred 2YO Final), She’s Ruby Roo (Vic. Trotters Oaks) and Ofortuna.

Arcee Phoenix was bred by Ash Haynes, who part-owns him, Chris Shaw and Ted and Brian Payne.

Won Adore Me Stakes

Promiseland (Bettor’s Delight), winner of the $30,600 Adore Me Stakes at Menangle – Tay Tay and Aardie’s Express filled the placings behind her – continues to prove herself in top bracket among the mares in NSW.

As a two-year-old she captured the Pink Bonnet and finished runner-up in the Australian Pacing Gold Final, while at three she won the Breeders Crown Silver.

Promiseland has not done a great deal of racing, having averaged 12 starts a season. In four seasons of racing Promiseland has won 10 races and has been 20 times placed from 48 starts for $216,193.

Bred and raced by the Xerri family, Promiseland is a five-year-old Bettor’s Delight mare from the Art Major mare Miss Ami Sloy (1:56.2) and is her first produce to race. 

Miss Amy Sloy, a winner of seven races, was out of the NSW Oaks heat winner and grand producer My Ami Lee, by Safely Kept from the Thor Hanover mare Cosmophylla.

My Ami Lee left nine individual winners including the multiple Group 1 winners Louvre 1:54.5 ($402,665), Miss Hazel 1:57 ($310,063) and Renaissance Man 1:53.1 ($297,904) and others in My General Lee 1:52.2 ($261,897), Priceless Gem (1:55.5) and Rocknroll Tony (1:56.4).

She is the second dam of the exported Benicio 1:50.2 ($313,391), Mister Brazil 1:51.2 ($247,821), the Group 2 winner Let’s Go To Brazil 1:50.6 ($218,376), Oliver Dan (1:51.3), Hazelnuts (1:52.7), Christian Sloy (1:53.8) and Barrett (1:52.7), all pacers of some worth.

Nyack in 1:49

Nyack (Bettor’s Delight) has joined the growing list of horses to enter the 1:50 list at Menangle. He recorded 1:49 when he was successful in a $20,000 Free-for-all last weekend.

By the Yankee Cruiser horse Sweet Lou – a world champion – Nyack is from Benediction (1:57.8), by Bettor’s Delight from the crack racemare Queen Carey (1:56.3), by Walton Hanover from Draw Card, by What’s Next.

This is the family that produced top pacers the calibre of Devendra, Bettor Draw, Faithful Gabby, Diva’s Delight, Kohanah and King Carey.

A star from Ima Spicey Lombo

A star pacer in WA over the summer racing is Spicey Major, who was bred by Trevor Swan’s Elite Bloodstock and trained by Gary Hall Junior. 

A gelding by Art Major, he is out of a top flight racemare in Ima Spicey Lombo 1:55.1 ($483,686) and her fifth winner from seven starters. He won a heat of the Nights of Thunder at Gloucester Park and looks a five-year-old with the potential one would expect of his breeding.   

Burnie Cup winner           

Keayang Fitzy (Sportswriter) gave a taste of his class when he easily won the $20,000 Burnie Cup, the feature race of the season at the picturesque northern Tasmanian track.

He was not in danger of defeat over the last 800 metres. By Sportswriter, who has since returned to Canada, Keayang Fitzy is out of Emma Jade, a lightly raced Victorian winner. Emma Jade was by Safari (son of Fake Left) from Dianne Valerie, by Classic Garry form Louise Mitch, by Lou Mitchell from Heytesbury Eve, by the top Victorian western districts pacer Heytesbury Meadow and tracing eventually to the noted foundation mare Topsy.

Heytesbury Eve founded a good winning branch of this family. They include the Hamilton Cup winner Bad Billy, the Victoria Youthful Stakes winner Speedy Heytesbury and the top SA pacer Flying Relay.

Keayang Tara, a Western Terror half-sister to Keayang Fitzy, won at Redcliffe the following night.

by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink