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 The Nullarbor winner

Mister Smartee (Always B Miki), who won the $1.25million The Nullarbor at Gloucester Park, is a NZ bred gelding with an interesting and successful family background.

Bred by Robert and Sara Famularo’s Dancingonmoonlight Farm, of Ohoka near Christchurch, he was got by the world champion Always B Miki from Luna Danza, a mare by the Artsplace horse Stonebridge Regal.

Luna Danza, who was unraced, was out of a fine racemare in Lento, who took a record of 1:56.4, won 15 races – including eight at Group level – and $272,110 in stakes and became the dam of winners in Strauss (1:57.6), who won 18 races including the Nyah Pacing Cup, the exported Vivaldi (1:53.8), the prolific Perth winners Future Assets (1:56.3) and Our Toto (1:58.4), the Group 1 NZ winner Whanau 1:57.1 (dam of Rock Bottom 1:53.1 and Mabrook 1:53.5), and Luna Danza (the dam of Mister Smartee).

Lento was a People’s Blue Chip mare from Orbell, by Patron Score from Light Chase, by the NZ Derby winner Good Chase. Besides Lento, Orbell, who was unraced, left a good racemare in Bella Chip (1:52.6, who won 16 races, Classic Score (1:59.3) and Abbeybell, a New York Motoring mare who became the dam of the Inter Dominion Consolation winner Awesome Armbro 1:49.8 ($849,309), Paekakariki Express and Bettor Abs.

Another daughter of Orbell was Bell’s Butler, a lightly raced Butler B G mare who was the dam a top WA pacer in Glencadam 1:57.7 ($210,205) and the grand-dam of Rum Delight (1:54.7), a winner of 34 races and $269,802.

Queen Elizabeth Mile Graduate

Pandaia (Downbytheseaside) became the latest graduate for the $200,000 Queen Elizabeth 11 Mile on May 10 when she outsprinted a top field the Group 3 $50,000 Sibelia Stakes at Menangle including Steno, Rakero Rebel and Tay Tay.

It was Pandaia’s seventh lifetime success and her third this season and there is no doubt that she is a young mare of considerable potential.

Bred in the Canterbury district, she is a five-year-old mare by Downbytheseaside from the unraced Pearl White, by a champion sire in Artsplace from the American-bred mare West End (1:52.4), by Western Hanover from the Matt’s Scooter mare Grand Lady, a USA Hall of Fame Immortal whose progeny has won over $4.5 million including the crack racemare Glowing Report 1:49.4 ($2million).

Cup winner by Rock N Roll Heaven

The main event of the Anzac Day meeting at Globe Derby Park, the $25,000 Adelaide Pacing Cup, was won by the Rock N Roll Heaven gelding Bellezza Nera, who downed the favourite and pacesetter Springfield Affair.

Bellezza Nera, who was bred and originally raced in WA, has won twice and been placed twice from eight attempts in SA.

A seven-year-old gelding, Bellezza Nera is out of Elena S (1:55), a Group 3 winner, by In The Pocket from Elena Star, by Fake Left from Speeding Star (1:59.20, by Starship, a Lordship horse who held the NZ mile record for five years.

Bellezza Nera is a half-brother to the WA Listed winner Major Pocket 1:51.6 ($426,901), who later competed successfully in America.

Breeding feat to Kevin Seymour

Rather a notable breeding feat was credited to Brisbane identity Kevin Seymour when he bred three winners on the same night at Albion Park, all from the same family.

The trio included the siblings Charge Ahead (by Bettor’s Delight) and Cheer Leader (by Always B Miki) and their close relative Fight For Victory (by Bettor’s Delight), winner of the Garrard’s Changeover 2YO Classic.

Charge Ahead and Cheer Leader are both out of the Listed winner Cherish The Moment (1:53.1), a Mach Three mare from the Australian and Victoria Oaks winner Cherry Cheer 1:56.7 ($278,372), by Fake Left from Charming Reminder, by Vanston Hanover from Call Girl.

Fight For Victory, who was having only his second start, is the first foal of the Group 3 winner Fame Assured 1:50.8 ($318,537), a Mach Three mare from the grand producer Faith Prevails (1:58.1), by Fake Left from Girl From Ipanema (1:57.6), by Vanston Hanover from the Queensland Oaks winner Goldrush Girl (TT1:55.3), a sister to Charming Reminder, the third dam of Charge Ahead and Cheer Leader.

Among others from this fine family are the millionaire pacer Colt Thirty One, a winner of 51 races including 11 in Group company, the champion racemare Good Lookin Girl, Rhapsody In Red, the Inter Dominion heat winner Future Assured, Cool And Classy, the QBred Triad winners Rani Major, Forever After and Racy Roxy and the NSW Breeders Challenge winner Tay Tay.

Won SA Kindergarten

Open The Gates, who won the SA Kindergarten Series Final, for two-year-olds at Globe Derby Park, is by the Somebeachsomewhere horse Downbytheseaside, sire of a top racemare in Aardiebytheseaside.

Open The Gates is out of Nikki Louise (1:53.2), by Art Major from Jane Elouise, by Beach Towel from the Atashy mare Shy Amazon, who established a great winning line for leading Perth breeder Steve Johnson. She left a top ranking Tasmanian juvenile in Robway Magic.

Nikki Louise is a half-sister to the exported Soho Jackman 1:50.6 ($368,278, Liam Neil (1:57.2) and the Western Crown winner Harriet Elisabeth (1:57.4), dam of the WA Derby and Golden Nugget winner Tricky Miki 1:53.6 ($577,810) and Orlando Blue 1:52 ($217,597)

Open The Gates was bred and is part-owned by Summit Bloodstock.

Chynchilla in top form

The Sunshine Beach mare Chynchilla, a very impressive winner of the Mares’ Open at Albion Park beating Rhylee Rhayne Bow, continues to prove herself in the top bracket among the fairer sex in Queensland. She has won 11 of her last 15 starts and increased her stake tally to just shy of $200,000.

Bred by Alabar Bloodstock, Chynchilla is a member of one of NZ’s most successful families, being a five-year-old mare from Gotta Go Jet Away, a Jereme’s Jet mare from the outstanding racemare and triple Oaks winner Elect To Live 1:55.5 ($535,800).

Gotta Go Jet Away was a half-sister to the Jewels winner Gotta Go Harmony 1:55.5 ($205,909), the second dam of the Bathurst Gold Tiara winner Bittersweet and the Tasmanian Derby winner Kingman (1:51.4), and to Gotta Go Electobet (1:54), Gotta Go Cullect (1:57), a successful sire in Queensland, and Glenferrie Elect, dam of the NSW Breeders Challenge winner Captn Me (1:52.2). 

13th winner from broodmare

When then My General Lee two-year-old filly Tony’s Dream won on debut at the Anzac night meeting at Newcastle, she credited her dam Full Pleasure with her 13th individual winner.

Tony’s Dream, one of only a few foals by My General Lee, came from last to win in 1:58.4. 

Others from Full Pleasure to win have been the dual Oaks winner Kept For Pleasure 1:56 ($542,343), Don Boston 1:49.8 ($393,402), Egodan 1:51.3 ($387,170), Lebron 1:52.9 ($250,550), Letsrockletsroll 1:52.7 ($218,554), the WA Golden Nugget winner Nowitzki 1:54 ($237,967), a standout pacer whose career was cut short by injury, It’s My Pleasure (1:55.9), Mannho (1:56.4), What For (1:56.5), Tiger Island (1:56.6), Lagoon Beach (1:57.4), Five Star Rocker and now Tony’s Dream. 

Full Pleasure, a Vicbred champion at two, was an Armbro Operative mare from Play The Field, by Kentucky from Saunders Sapphire, by Hilarious Way from Saunders Directa, a mare bred in Wales and who founded a very successful family in Victoria. 

by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink