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.

The Narcissist six on end

The Narcissist, a son of the American sire Always B Miki, who stands at Alabar Bloodstock, is one of the stars of the autumn racing at Melton.

He has won twice in March – over 1720 metres and 2240 metres – and stretched his winning sequence to six. His winning run in the City of Melton Plate (2240 metres) in a 1:55 rate was a terrific performance.

The Narcissist is closely related to an earlier top racemare in Classy Filly, who won 10 races and $200,890 including the NZ Oaks and Sires’ Stakes Championships at two and three. She also raced in Australia.

The Narcissist is by Always B Miki from Smooth Sista, by Modern Art, an Artsplace horse from the same family as the champion sires Western Hanover and Walton Hanover. Smooth Sista, only a moderate, was out of Ice Lady, an unraced mare by Soky’s Atom from Smooth Ice (TT2:00), a mare by the leading NZ sire and broodmare sire Smooth Fella.

Smooth Ice was the dam of Classy Filly, the NZ Listed winner Glacier Bay, Sign Of Class 1:52.4 ($187,015) and Arctic Fire 1:51.6 ($357,872), who won 21 races in NZ, Australia and North                                                                                                                         America and became the dam of four winners. Classy Filly left a top rating pacer in Classic Line ($474,565), a Group winner in NZ and who later reduced her mark to 1:51.6 in America.

Café Girl, the dam of the Melton winner Magic Mike (1:54.3), Classy Return (dam of Baker Creek 1:54 and Shadow Roll 1:56.1) and Ice Lady, the dam of four winners and the grand-dam of The Narcissist, were other daughters of Smooth Ice to breed on.

Im Ready Jet for NZ

Im Ready Jet (Quaker Jet), who is bound for the TAB Slot race at Cambridge next month, won the $60,000 Sumthingaboutmaori Trotting Mares Free-for-all at Melton for the third time with a good deal to spare.

It was her eighth Group 1 success and the 28th of her 78-start career. She has lifetime earnings totalling $761,975.

Bred by Pat Driscoll’s Yabby Dam Farms, who also race her, Im Ready Jet is a particularly easy going trotter by Quaker Jet, a leading son of the champion French sire Love You.

Im Ready Jet’s dam, Im Ready Set, won 10 races in NZ and Australia and was a smart trotter in her own right. Besides Im Ready Jet, Im Ready Set, who took a record of 1:56.6, left the winners and Group placegetters Imsettogo 1:59.5 ($119,135) and La Perriere (1:59.5), both now being bred from by Driscoll.

Im Ready Set was sired by Monarchy (a son of Balanced Image) from Diedre’s Best, by Meadow Roydon from Roydon Diedre, by Arndon from Diedre Hanover, a mare imported from America by the late Sir Roy McKenzie. This is the family that produced trotters the calibre of the dual NZ Trotter of the Year Monbet ($768,730), the Breeders Crown champions Con Bridge and Hurricane Flyer, Diedre’s Pride ($230,241), the Australasian mile record holder Sunny Ruby (1:54.7) and the dual Vicbred champion Aldebaran Eve.  

Jorge Street wins Tasmania Cup

The most important race of the Tasmanian calendar, the Group 1 $150,000 Tasmania Cup at Hobart, was won by the Captaintreacherous gelding Jorge Street, who downed the favourite and stablemate Mydadsaid.

Jorge Street, who was bought for $80,000 at the Australian Pacing Gold yearling sale at Sydney in 2022, has now banked $160,060 from eight wins and 15 placings in 35 starts.

A four-year-old gelding, Jorge Street is out of the Bettor’s Delight mare Bettorthanyou, who produced others in Sicario (1:50.4), a winner of 27 races including four at Group level and $590,446, War Dan Apollo (1:53.9) and Imperious (1:54.5).

Bettorthanyou was a half-sister to the champion racemare Make Mine Cullen 1:53 ($874,178), being out of Fake Left mare Intrude and thus a member of the same family as Leonidas (1:48), Captain Hammerhead, Supersonic Miss, Make Mine Memphis and Goodtime Heaven.

Jorge Street was bred by Goulburn breeder Mat Day.

First 1:50 mile in WA 

The Art Major gelding Sangue Reale hoisted the first ever sub 1:50 mile in Western Australian history when he won the $50,000 Mount Eden Sprint in 1:49.9 at Pinjarra recently.

Sangue Reale, who has now won 15 races and $390,751 in stakes, is a member of the same family as Princess Tiffany.

Sangue Reale ranks as a brother to the dual Group winner Miss Sangrial 1:55.5 ($244,748) and a half-brother to the Melton winner Mio Christisimo (1:57.9), being by Art Major from the Christian Cullen mare Christisimo (1:57.2), whose dam Bellisimo was by Smooth Fella, a champion sire from Krina Bella, by Lordship from the NZ Derby winner Bellajily, by Van Dieman. 

Christisimo was a sister to the Listed winner The Cavalier 1:56.8 ($248,434) and a half-brother to the Queensland Derby winner Torbello 1:56.1 ($147,360), the Group 2 NZ winner Black Flash ($130,393) and the exported Alert Falcon 1:54.4 ($297,895).

Their dam, Krina Bella, a former NZ 2YO Filly of the Year, won seven races and left six winners including the SA Derby winner Keep It Up 1:57.8 ($244,851) and was the ancestress of the millionaire pacers Princess Tiffany and Rock Diamonds and the top WA pacers Ohoka’s Bondy and Code Red.

Wishing Belle unbeaten two-year-old filly

The Bettor’s Wish filly Wishing Belle, who won the $50,000 Champagne Classic (1730 metres) at Gloucester Park, is WA’s top two-year-old so far this season. 

It was Wishing Belle’s second success from as many starts and her mile rating of 1:56.4 was put up when she had nothing in her favour, drawing the outside in a field of five and having to sit parked throughout. She is a very good youngster.

Bred at Success Stud in NSW, Wishing Belle is a two-year-old filly by the Bettor’s Delight double millionaire Bettor’s Wish, and one of his first Australian crop. 

Wishing Belle’s dam, Libertybelle Midfrew (1:53.9), was one of the best racemares of her day. She won six races at Group level and $640,497 in stakes and at the stud has left six winners including the NSW Listed winner Libby Lou (1:52.8) and the exported Keayang Kamikaze (1:52.8).

By Christian Cullen, Libertybelle Midfrew was out of a useful racemare in Lucinda Midfrew (1:56.9), by Live Or Die from Lu Baker, by Don Baker, a grandson of the influential foundation sire Adios.

Close relatives win trotting features

The Locomotive and Berriesandcherries, who won feature trotting events at Menangle and Albion Park respectively last Saturday, both belong to the same family.

The Locomotive, who won the Free-for-all in 1:52.1, is a five-year-old entire by Muscle Mass from the crack racemare La Coocaracha, by Safely Kept from the Kentucky mare Poetry and was bred by Pat Driscoll.

While Berriesandcherries, winner of Trotters Marathon, is an eight-year-old mare by Crazed from the Village Jasper mare Meredith Castle, a half-sister to La Coocaracha. Berriesandcherries was by bred by Sydney veterinarian Andrew Daniels, who races her in partnership with Victorian identities Geoff and Lorraine Barnes.

Timmy Rictor in 1:49.2

Timmy Rictor has joined the growing list of horses to enter the list 1:50 list at Menangle. He recorded 1:49.2 when he was successful in the $30,600 Autumn Gift Final last Saturday.

By the Artsplace horse Modern Art – a crack juvenile in America – Timmy Rictor is from Bettor’s Package (1:55), by Bettor’s Delight from Total Package, by the Jate Lobell horse Mystical Prince, a leading sire and broodmare sire in WA

Bettor’s Package, who won 12 races, has left five winners – all inside 2:00 – from six foals of race age. Timothy Rictor, a winner of seven of his eight starts and $210,398 is easily her richest and fastest progeny.

The four-year-old entire was bred by Maitland studmaster and breeder Paul Carmody, who conducts the Lochend Stud.

by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink