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 breeders.

Siblings quinella Hunter Cup

It was no mean feat for the half-brothers Swayzee (by Rock N Roll Heaven) and Leap To Fame (by Bettor’s Delight) to fill the quinella in the track record-breaking $250,000 A. G. Hunter Cup at Melton last weekend. Leap To Fame won the same race 12 months earlier.

Both were bred by well known Wagga horseman Paul Kahlefeldt, of Redbank Lodge Standardbreds and sold at the Australian Pacing Gold yearling sales.

Lettucereason 1:55.9 ($180,073), the dam of Swayzee and Leap To Fame, was out of Left For Me, who took a record of 1:59 and won at Harold Park and Albion Park. Besides Lettucereason, she was also the dam of the Victoria Cup and dual Derby winner For A Reason 1:49.4 ($1.1 million), now at the stud in NSW, Left Tennant (1:51.5), Weareallalone (1:53.5) and Straddie (1:53.6), all metropolitan winners.

One of her daughters, Deadly Woman, left the multiple Group 1 placegetter Hot Shot Woman (1:52.1), who became the dam of the Listed winner Roll With Sloy (1:52.3).

Breeding of Great Southern Star winner 

Watts Up Partytime, who won a heat and the $250,000 final of the Yabby Dam Farms Great Southern Star at Melton, is raced by his breeder Bradley Watts, of NSW and is a member of one of Australasia’s most successful families of trotters.

A five-year-old gelding, Watts Up Partytime was sired by Majestic Son, the leading sire of trotters for some years and the progenitor of earlier winners of the Great Southern Star in Majestuoso (2022) and Glenferrie Typhoon (2017).

Watts Up Rainbow, the dam of Watts Up Partytime, was by Bacardi Lindy, who also distinguished himself as a sire of trotters, from Rainbow Maori, a mare by Maori’s Idol, rated the finest trotter bred in this country.

Watts Up Rainbow, a Menangle winner, is also the dam of the promising Watts Up Raptor, a winner of two of his four starts to date. She was a sister to the Menangle trotting winner Watts Up Maori (1:58.6) and a half-sister to the Breeders Crown champion Watts Up Majestic 1:54.2 ($201,813) and Rainbow Jay Jay (1:59.2).

In the back removes of Watts Up Partytime’s pedigree are trotters of the calibre of the Inter Dominion champion Bay Johnny, Joanie Toliver, Jacanti Franco and Snow Globe.

Melton track record for trotters

A fresh Melton track record for trotters over 1720 metres was established by the Muscle Mass entire The Locomotive of a 1:51.6 rating – bettering the previous record of 1:53.1 held jointly Callmethebreeze and Tornado Valley by 1.5 seconds – when he won a heat of the Yabby Dam Farms Great Southern Star at Melton.

The Locomotive, who has now won 23 of his 37 starts – he finished a close second in the $250,000 Great Southern Star Final – is a son of the champion trotting mare La Coocaracha.

The Locomotive ranks as a three-quarter brother to the 2019 Great Southern Star winner Dance Craze 1:55.6 ($551,780) and the dual Group 2 winner La Grange (1:54.2) and a half-brother to the dual Group 1 winner Reina Danzante (1:57.1), being by Muscle Mass from the Safely Kept mare La Coocaracha 1:58.5 ($428,911), whose dam Poetry was by Kentucky, a leading son of Tar Heel from Morley Doll, by Royal Dollar from the SA Oaks winner Sheffield Morley, by Sheffield Globe.

La Coocaracha was a half-sister to a capable pacer in Blake Castle 1:53.2 ($265,498) and Meredith Castle, dam of the cup class trotters Iona Grinner 1:55.1 ($263,395), Garland Greene (1:56.8) and Berriesandcherries (1:58.6).

The Locomotive was bred by Pat Driscoll, the principal of Haras Des Trotteurs.

Top mare by Always B Miki

The Always B Miki mare Aardie’s Express firmly established herself as the top racemare of the season when she won the $50,000 Ladyship Cup at Melton last Saturday.

Aardie’s Express, who was bred by Bromac Lodge and Sydneysider Lynette Philpott, did her early racing in NZ. She won 13 of her 19 starts in her homeland including the NZ Harness 7000, Hannon Memorial, Southland Oaks and Northern Breeders Stakes.

From 12 starts on Australian soil she has won seven and been three times placed for $302,820 in stakes.

Aardie’s Express is by the Always A Virgin horse Always B Miki (sire of Mister Smartee, etc.), from Tatijana Bromac, who took a record of 1:54.2 and earned $198,481. She has produced other winners in the Queensland Oaks winner Aardie B Miki 1:50.5 ($228,317), the Group 3 winner Aardie’s Flash (1:51.7) and Mows Em Down. 

Tatijana Bromac was by the American import Rocknroll Hanover from the Australian 2YO Filly of the Year Tandia’s Courage 1:53.6 ($305,236), a sister by Stoneridge Scooter to the great Victorian mare Mother Courage.

This is the family which produced in cup class pacers in Tenzing Bromac and Tennyson Bromac and a string of top ranking pacers tracing back to Miss Tommy.

Well related three-year-old

Soho Americano, who won the Victoria Gold Chalice at Melton, showed ability as a two-year-old last season when she finished third to Ivseenheavenslight in the Vicbred Super Series Final.

She has opened her three-year-old season on a winning note and will be well in line for the major juvenile classics.

She is a filly by the Western Ideal horse American Ideal from the dual WA Group 1 winner Soho Interceptor (1:55.9) and is her first produce to race.

By Art Major, Soho Interceptor is a daughter of the 2011 Gold Chalice winner Aussie Made Lombo, by Bettor’s Delight from the millionairess Tailamade Lombo.

Soho Americano was bred by leading Perth identity Robert Watson, of Soho Standardbreds, who races her.

Won 4YO Bonanza

One of the most capable young pacers racing in Victoria at present is Miki To Success, who is quickly working his way to the verge of cup class. He won his second race at Group level when he took out the Group 3 $50,000 4YO Bonanza at Melton recently.

Miki To Success has a background of blood to back up his claims to further promotion, being by Always B Miki from Jo Louleonie, by Elsu (son of Falcon Seelster) from Tiz Herself, an Exotic Earl mare who established a great winning line for Bendigo breeder Rick Hasty.

She was the dam of nine individual winners including the NZ Messenger and Blacks A Fake winner Majestic Cruiser 1:51.9 ($896,757) and the Australian Pacing Gold winner Bus To Harland 1:55.6 ($317,869)

Miki To Success ranks as a half-brother to the Group 2 winner Jo An Leonie and Serengeti Sunrise (1:55.6).

Tenth winner from broodmare

When the Rock N Roll Heaven three-year-old Owen The Saints at the Shepparton midweek meeting, he credited his dam Torridon with her tenth individual winner.

Owen The Saints, bred and raced by Noel Watson, was making his debut. Others from Torridon to win have been the cup class pacers Torrid Saint 1:50.2 ($571,462) and Saint Flash 1:52.3 ($285,368), Courageous Saint 1:52.1 ($262,198), Saint Win (1:56.7), Saint Stormy (1:57.2), Four Star Saint (1:57.8), Saint Tommy (1:59.4), Saint Grace (1:59.8), Sunshine Saint and now Owen The Saints.

Torridon, who is now in her 25th year, has since produced a two-year-old filly by Vincent and a filly foal by Poster Boy.

Torridon, a winner of seven races, was a Safely Kept mare from Lauder Lass, by Armbro Aussie from the grand producer My Double Birdie.

by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink