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.

Our Luciano for Chariots

A former Vicbred Final placegetter and now a winner of his first two starts in NSW, Our Luciano (Sweet Lou) became the latest qualifier for the Chariots of Fire when he produced a barnstorming finish to win the $50,000 Paleface Adios Stakes in 1:49.8 at Menangle.

By the Yankee Cruiser horse Sweet Lou, Our Luciano is out of the dual Vicbred finalist Gotahavasheffield (by Bettor’s Delight), dam also of Sparkling Sue (1:58.2). Gotahavasheffield was out of Milady Sheffield, by Classic Garry from the crack racemare Sheffield Thor, a Thor Hanover mare from the family of the Derby winner Sheffield Spring.

Milady Sheffield was an unraced half-sister to the Edgar Tatlow Memorial winner Earl Of Sheffield and to the dams of the Australian Pacing Gold winner Waranga Drive, Sheffield Mark (Mildura Cup), Village Driller (Vicbred 3YO Final), Maywyn’s Best and Special Chance.

Our Luciano was one of three winners sired by Sweet Lou on the night, the others being Birkirkara (1:50) and Compete.

Keayang Chucky top trotter

The Love You gelding Keayang Chucky firmly established as the top Victorian trotter of the season when he won the Australasian Trotting Championship at Melton. He has won three of his six starts this season including the V. L. Dullard Cup and Terang Trotters Cup.

Keayang Chucky has a background of trotting blood second to none. His sire, Love You, has left the great Victorian mare Queen Elida and other top trotters in Monbet, Enghien and Habibti. His dam, The Sun Goddess, is by Sundon, the leading sire of trotters for many years.

Keayang Chucky ranks as a brother to the NZ Listed winner Dieu De L’Amour and a half-brother to the dual Trotters Derby winner The Bohemian.

The Sun Goddess, who was only lightly raced, ranked as a sister to the exported Don Pauli and a half-sister to the Australian metropolitan winners Mr Mayfly and Leonard.

The family, which traces to the Vancleve mare Verity, produced a top flight trotter in Tronso, who won 10 races including the Dominion Handicap and the Banks Peninsula Trotting Cup, and other good trotters in Conquer All, War Spirit (Breeders Crown 3YO) and Bellingham. 

Keayang Chucky was bred by Pat Driscoll’s Yabby Dam Farms.

Steno star racemare

The Sweet Lou mare Steno advanced strong claims to being the best racemare in Western Australia today when she won the $50,000 Lord Mayor’s Cup at Gloucester Park last Friday.

It was her third successive win. At her previous start she disposed of Wonderful To Fly and others in the $50,000 Laurie Kennedy Free-for-all and before that she downed a class field in the $50,000 Christmas Belles at Gloucester Park.

Steno has not done a great deal of racing, having averaged 10 starts a season. In five seasons of racing Steno has won 24 races and has been 13 times placed from 49 starts for $569,913.

By the Yankee Cruiser horse Sweet Lou, she is out of the top racemare Lady Waratah (1:59.5), by Walton Hanover (son of Big Towner) from Waratah Way, by Tompkins Hanover from Yankee Leanne, by Select Yankee.

Bred and raced by Dianne Kelly, Steno is a half-sister to the exported Some Waratah (1:50.3) and the Listed winner The Baggy Green (1:57).

Siring feat to Love You

Rather a notable siring feat was credited to the French sire Love You at the all trotting meeting at Melton, when he sired three winners on the seven race program.

They were Keayang Chucky, winner of the Group 3 Australasian Trotting Championship, Queen Elida, who won the Group 3 Lyn McPherson Memorial Breed For Speed Gold, and Our Marvella (Lyn McPherson Memorial Breed For Speed Silver Series).

All told, Love You (by Coktail Jet) sired nine starters on the night including the third placegetter Amour Maternal.

Love You’s oldest stock are seven-year-olds, and they include Luvaflair (one of the star trotters in WA), the Vicbred champion Locksley Lover, Affaire De Cover, Maestro and Parisian Artiste.

A second son of Coktail Jet in The Best Madrik sired a handful of winners from very few runners including the prolific Menangle winner Right Moves.

SA Pot of Gold winner

Offyarocka Crocker, who won the $25,000 Kevin and Kay Seymour Pot of Gold at Globe Derby Park, after having a torrid passage, has now won 12 races and is rated one of the brightest prospects in the State. He ranks as a six-year-old brother by Art Major to the top pacer Major Crocker (1:49.4), a Breeders Crown champion who later competed successfully in America.

Aratusa Lass, the dam of Offyarocka Crocker, was a D M Dilinger mare from Fanciful, by Classic Garry from the Group 3 victor Romantic Joanne, by Paulos Hanover from Williamstown Lady, has proved a most successful broodmare. She is also the dam of the Group 2 winner Adam Crocker (1:49.6), the Listed winner Innocent Crocker and Eve Crocker.

Aratusa Lass, a useful racemare herself, was a sister to the Menangle winner Talkeetna and a half-sister to the Moonee Valley winner Tally Ho Tell.

This has been one of the most successful branches of the Rawene family, Williamstown Lady being a half-sister to the Kilmore Cup winner Bar Adios and the top class WA performers Zarama, Express Adios and Ex Adios.

Offyarocka Crocker was bred and is raced by well known SA identity Gary Crocker.

Eighth winner from broodmare

When the Bettor’s Delight two-year-old Soho Park Avenue won on debut at Bendigo recently, he credited his dam Pixel Perfect with her eighth individual winner.

Soho Park Avenue, bred and owned by Robert Watson, had shown good form at the trials. Others from Pixel Perfect to win have been the millionaire Soho Tribeca (1:53.8), the NSW Ladyship Mile winner Carla’s Pixel (1:49.5), Birdy Mach (1:51.4), Soho Broadway (1:54.5), Soho Hamilton (1:54.6), Perfect Mach (1:58.5), the Australian Pacing Gold winner Soho Nolita (1:53) and now Soho Park Avenue.

Pixel Perfect, who is now in her 19th year, has since produced a yearling colt by Huntsville and a colt by Captaintreacherous.

Pixel Perfect, the 2018 Australian Broodmare of the Year, was an Art Major mare from the grand producer Amarillen, by Fake Left from Nellirama. This is one of the most successful branches of the Topsy family, to which top horses the calibre of Villagem (Chariots of Fire), Miss Graceland (Victoria Oaks), the Australian Pacing Gold winner Nostra Beach and others belong.

by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink