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.

Breeding of Bathurst Gold Crown winner

Message Bank (Captaintreacherous), the winner of the $150,000 Bathurst Gold Crown, the season’s first Group 1 for two-year-olds, is a NSW bred gelding with deep breeding roots to New Zealand.

Message Bank, who is raced by his breeder Ross Angove, was sired by Captaintreacherous from the Bettor’s Delight mare Give Me Twenty, who produced earlier winners in My Ultimate Skeeta (1:52.9), Leaveamessage (1:56.8) and Jazzmin (1:59.9).

Give Me Twenty, a Methven three-year-old winner, was out of Excite A Franco, by Holmes Hanover from the Nero’s B B mare Emily Franco, the dam of the Australian and Queensland Derby winner Franco Enforce 1:50.6 ($593,738) and the second dam of the Harness Jewels winner Franco Emirate 1:53.8 ($332,830), the Group winner Eden Franco (1:54.1) and the Menangle winner Little Rascal 1:50.2 ($362,689).

Captaintreacherous, the sire of Message Bank, sired the winner of the 2023 Gold Crown in Chart Topper.

Won Bathurst Gold Tiara

Bathurst’s premier race for two-year-old fillies, the $150,000 Gold Tiara, was won by the Bettor’s Delight filly Ripples, who downed the warm favourite Sparkling Sea. She is unbeaten in two appearances.

Bred and owned by Sydney enthusiast Mick Harvey, Ripples is a well developed youngster, possessing both speed and stamina and is the fourth Gold Tiara winner sired by Bettor’s Delight, joining Just Hope (2021), Michelle Lee Mac (2019) and Aussie Made Lombo (2010).

On her dam’s side, Ripples has something in her favour. Her dam, Naiya Franco (1:58.8), by Mach Three, is a half-sister to the outstanding racemare Nike Franco (1:48), a winner of 32 races in Australia and North America including seven at Group level and $913,870 in stakes.

Nike Franco, a dual Oaks winner, ranks as the dam of this year’s Chariots of Fire winner Bay Of Biscay 1:49.1 ($821,580).

Another half-sister in Nicaea Franco left the good Albion Park winner Franco Nandor 1:53.4 ($141,944), now racing successfully in America.

The family traces back to No Paba, an Abercrombie mare imported from America by Spreydon Lodge and who is responsible for the good sorts Pull The Other Leg (Stawell Cup), Runaway Three (WA Manea Classic), Master Publisher, Franco Nevada and others.

Magnificent Storm wins Bunbury Cup

The most important race of the season at Bunbury, the Group 3 $50,000 Bunbury Cup, was won by the American Ideal gelding Magnificent Storm, who downed Waverider and the short priced favourite Mister Smartee, who ran fifth.

Magnificent Storm, who was bought in NZ as a lightly raced three-year-old, has had his share of problems in the last 15 months and he is lucky to be racing. He suffered an infection on a knee and was twice on the operating table.

The win lifted his stake tally to $1.14 million, the result of 37 wins including 16 at Group leveland 10 placings from 60 starts.

An eight-year-old gelding, Magnificent Storm is out of Splendour 1:56.2 ($142,217), a Group 3 winner, by Bettor’s Delight from Splendid Deal, by In The Pocket from Splendid Dreams, by Dream Away from the grand B G’s Bunny mare Scuse Me, dam of the million dollar winners Have Faith In Me and Adore Me.

Won Bathurst Gold Chalice 

Winner of the NSW Bred Final as a two-year-old last season, Gunna Reload (by Sweet Lou) downed the top three-year-olds in the $100,000 Gold Bracelet at Bathurst, including the top-ranking three-year-olds in Soho Americano, who finished third, and Sugar Pie Honey.

Gunna Reload has only been lightly raced, but has proved herself a young pacer of great ability.

She has won seven of her 10 starts and her mile rating of 1:53.2 for 1730 metres was put up when she had nothing in her favour, drawing the back line and being buried three back along the marker pegs in the final lap.

By Sweet Lou, Gunna Reload is out of Mile High Anvil NZ (1:58), by McArdle from Flight Of Fantasy, by Island Fantasy (son of Life Sign) from the New York Motoring mare Twice As Fine, dam of the prolific Perth winner Pacific Warrior 1:54.8 ($343,419).

Gunna Reload ranks as a sister to the Menangle winner Beauty Play (1:55.6).

A star from Major Reality

A star three-year-old in NSW this season is the NZ bred Jack’s Ultimate Fury, who was bred by K. J. and G. P. Walsh and trained by Russell Jack.

A gelding by Bettor’s Delight, he is out of a top flight racemare in Major Reality 1:50.9 ($434,455), and the second of her produce to race. He won a heat and the $100,000 final of the $100,000 Gold Chalice at Bathurst and looks a three-year-old with the potential one would expect of his breeding.

Bought for $80,000 at the NZB National Yearling at Karaka in 2023, Jack’s Ultimate Fury has earned $95,510 from eight wins and a placing in 12 starts.      

Well related three-year-old

Apollostorm, a runaway winner at Melton, showed ability as a two-year-old last season when he finished third in a heat of the Nutrien Equine Classic.

He has opened his three-year-old season on a winning note and will be well line for then major juvenile classics.

He is a colt by the Artsplace horse Art Major from Snug Harbor NZ, the best of whose several progeny have been the Group 3 winner Redbank Adddi 1:51.4 ($222,414) and Three Of The Best 1:50.2 ($268,759).

Snug Harbor, who was unraced, was by Bettor’s Delight from the In The Pocket mare Erin Brockovich, a sister to a grand pacer, five-time Derby winner and a successful sire in Courage Under Fire.

First winner by Bold Eagle

The French horse Bold Eagle, a dual Prix d’Amerique winner and USA Breeders Crown champion, was represented by his first southern hemisphere winner when the two-year-old Kyvalley Ray was successful on debut at the midweek Maryborough meeting.

Kyvalley Ray had shown good form earlier at the trials.

Bred by Phil Williamson, Kyvalley Ray is out of the good Dream Vacation mare Kenny’s Dream, whose dam, One Under Kenny was by Sundon from the Pointer Hanover mare Frances Jay Bee, who left several winners, including a top flight trotter in One Over Kenny, a seven-time Group 1 winner and dual NZ Trotter of the Year.

Broodmare treble

The Bettor’s Delight mare Bellasario, owned by the Munnerley family, left three winners of four races for the month.

Captain Bellasario (by Captaintreacherous) won twice at Melton, Rio Rock (by Pet Rock) scored at Mildura, while Bella Louise (by Sweet Lou) won on debut at Cranbourne.

by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink