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.

Fremantle Cup to Mister Smartee

Mister Smartee, a son of the American sire Always B Miki, who stands at Alabar Bloodstock, was the star of the autumn racing at Gloucester Park.

He won the $1,250,000 The Nullarbor slot race over 2536 metres in a 1:54.4 rate and a week later the $300,000 Fremantle Cup over 2936 metres rating 1:56.4, outsprinting his rivals on both occasions.

Mister Smartee is closely related to an earlier smart pacer in Strauss, who won 18 races including the Nyah Pacing Cup and $160,611 in stakes. 

He is second foal from Luna Danza, by Stonebridge Regal, a 1:48.2, million dollar-winning son of Artsplace from the noted Esther family.

Luna Danza, who was unraced, was out of Lento 1:56.4 ($272,110), winner of eight Group races and by People’s Blue Chip from Orbell, by Patron Score from the Good Chase mare Light Chase.

Besides Strauss, Lento was the dam of the exported Vivaldi (1:53.8), the prolific Perth winners Future Assets (1:56.3) and Our Toto (1:58.4) and the Group 1 NZ winner Whanau 1:57.1, dam of the Queensland Western Star winner Always Smokin (1:49.6), Rock Bottom 1:53.1 ($243,486) and Mabrook 1:53.5 and the second dam of a cup class pacer in Vintage Cheddar 1:50 ($321,476), the Listed victor Wingatui Dew (1:53.6) and the good Melton winner Followthewind 1:51.8 ($275,951). 

Mister Smartee was bred off Robert and Sara Famularo’s Dancingonmoonlight Farm, of Ohoka near Christchurch.

New Tasmanian mile record

A fresh Tasmanian record for 1609 metres was established by the Terror To Love gelding Magnetic Terror of 1:53.6 – bettering the previous record of 1:54.1 set by Sunny Sanz by 0.5 of a second – when he won the Elite at the Hobart twilight meeting.

Magnetic Terror, who has won seven of his 12 starts this season – including his first five on end – is a member of the same family as the Inter Dominion champion Baltic Eagle.

Magnetic Terror ranks as a half-brother to the NZ winners Magnetic Watch (1:54.7) and Magnetic Beckerd (1:58.1), being by Terror To Love from the Man Around Town mare Clock Watcher (2:00.4), whose dam Vested Power was by Smooth Fella from Armbro Gold, by Armbro Del from Arahina, by U Scott.

Clock Watcher was a half-sister to the Tasmanian Danbury Cup winner Outa Power (2:00). 

Robin Dundee Stakes winner

Eye Keep Smiling (Sweet Lou), winner of the $50,000 Robin Dundee Stakes at Menangle in 1:49.8, continues to prove herself in the top bracket among the female brigade in NSW.

Bred and raced by Jackie Gibson, of Success Stud, Eye Keep Smiling is a member of one of Australia’s most successful families, being a five-year-old Sweet Lou mare from a smart racemare in Oh Eye See (1:54.5), an Armbro Operative mare who produced others in the dual Listed winner Private Eye (1:50.3) and Parfait Amour (1:59.9).

Oh Eye See was out of Grace Robinson, a noted producer by Perfect Art from Jasmarilla, a dual Vicbred champion and rated one of the best racemares of her day.

Grace Robinson, who was unraced, left nine winners – all inside 2:00 – including the Group 1 winner Two Eye See 1:52.4 ($306,703) and the NSW Breeders Challenge victors Eye See Diamonds 1:51.6 ($284,875) and Hardhitter (1:51.4).

Well related three-year-old

Miss Ari, who won a heat of the NSW Oaks at Menangle, showed ability as a two-year-old last season when she captured a heat of the Vicbred Super Series.

She has opened her three-year-old season on a winning note and will be one of the leading fancies for the $200,000 Oaks final on Saturday night.

Miss Ari is a filly by the Artsplace horse Art Major from Miss Deville (1:58.8), the best of whose several progeny have been tbne exported Heavens Showgirl 1:50.6 ($390,391) and Knight’s Templar (1:50.4).

Miss Deville ranks as a half-sister to four winners, being by D M Dilinger from Lauraville, by Hilarious Way from Gift Ray, by First Variety, sire of the 1968 Inter Dominion Grand Final winner First Lee.

Cyclone Jordy unbeaten three-year-old

Cyclone Jordy, an Art Major gelding bred in NZ, won the $50,000 Caduceus Club Classic at Gloucester Park to send his season’s earnings to just shy of $100,000.

His winning sequence of seven three-year-old starts makes him the best of his age in WA by a wide margin, and he looks to have the remaining three-year-old classics at his mercy.

A well developed youngster, possessing gate speed and stamina, Cyclone Jordy is a particularly easy going gelding and is the eighth Caduceus Club Classic winner trained by Gary Hall Snr, who brought out Im Themightyquinn.

Cyclone Jordy’s dam, Cyclone Kate 1:50.3 ($341,723), was a five-time Group winner, being by Mach Three from Eyre To The Throne (1:58.9), a good producer by the American import Presidential Ball.

Eyre To The Throne was out of Erin Brockovich, an In The Pocket mare from Advance Debra and thus a sister to the mighty Courage Under Fire.

Ruby Rules is well bred

Ruby Rules, who won a heat of the NSW Oaks and is regarded as one of the best her age and sex in Queensland, is a three-year-old filly by Ohoka Punter from the lightly raced mare Rich Ruby Red.

She is a member of an old-time family, which was represented by a winner at Albion Park in Seaside Glory on the same night as Ruby Rules 

Rich Ruby Red is a Mach Three mare from the Group 3 winner Rich Heritage (1:56.3), by Christian Cullen from a fine racemare in Rhapsody In Red (1:56.8), by Fake Left from Charming Reminder, by Vanston Hanover.

Rich Heritage won 21 races and left six winners including Remember Ruby (1:54.6), the dam of Seaside Glory. This family has been bred form successfully over five generations by leviathan Brisbane breeder-owner Kevin Seymour, who bred and races Ruby Rules.

Up-and-coming trotter

One of the most promising trotters racing in Victoria is Pinnie, bred and raced by Queensland enthusiast Jerome Nieuwenburg who won at Melton last Saturday. A four-year-old, Pinnie is in her third season of racing, but from 21 starts she has won six and been 10 times placed for $112,533.

Pinnie has a background of trotting blood second to none. Her sire, Volstead, has left the great Australian trotting mare Keayang Zahara, and other top trotters in Derek The Jet, Violet Stanford, Maori’s Mac and Nordic Reign.

Her dam, Needle (1:57.4), is by Muscle Mass, a leading sire of trotters for many years. Needle, a Group 3 winner, was a half-sister to the Inter Dominion champion Winterfell  1:58.1 ($429,917), the NZ Trotting Derby and Oaks winner Escapee 1:57.4 ($263,115), the Australasian trotting gelding’s mile record holder Caligula 1:53.1 ($236,333) and the NZ Group 3 winner Galway Girl (1:58.8).

Their dam, Una Bromac, a Group 2 winner in NZ, ranked as a sister to Ursula Bromac, dam of the top WA trotter Ushaka Bromac (1:59.3), who, in turn, left the NSW Trotters Oaks winner and Australian two-year-old mile record horse Aldebaran Ursula (1:55.7). She was a half-sister to the smart pacer Ulrica Bromac 1:49.6 ($250,339).

by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink