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.

Wisper A Secret in top form

Wisper A Secret, a son of the American import Huntsville, now standing at Cobbitty Equine Farm in NSW, has been one of the stars of the autumn racing at Albion Park.

The gelding has won four races – two over the 1660 metres sprint trip and two over 2138 metres – from six starts. He put up a fresh lifetime mark of 1:49.7 for 1660 metres in April.

Wisper A Secret is closely related to a top racemare in She’s A Runa, who won 19 races including the NSW Oaks and Bathurst Gold Bracelet and $291,126 in stakes.

Bred by Taree (NSW) dairy farmer Doug Johnston, who also races him, Wisper A Secret, who has a lifetime bankroll of $506,275, is by Huntsville from Monique Josephine, by Panorama, an Abercrombie horse from the Golden Miss family. 

Monique Josephine, who was unraced, produced earlier winners in Cassius Deck (1:51.8), a Menangle winner of $222,952, Mighty Franco (1:58.4) and Jazzie Josephine. She was out of Breffni Castle, winner of six races and by Tompkins Hanover from Tiffany Liz, a Tiff N Time mare tracing to Trunkey Queen, who established a good winning family for the late Bob Humphries, a prominent studmaster-breeder in NSW and WA.

Won NSW Regional Championship

One of the most capable young pacers racing in NSW at present is the five-year-old entire Horn Player (Sweet Lou), who led throughout to win the $100,000 Regional Championship Final at Menangle. He has now won seven races and $119,054 in stakes.

Horn Player has a background of blood to back up his claims to further promotion, being by Sweet Lou from the NZ bred Ideal Lover, by American Ideal from Art Lover, by Artsplace from the outstanding Kiwi racemare and thrice Oaks winner Under Cover Lover.

Ideal Lover, who was only lightly raced, was a half-sister to the Menangle winner Our Classical Art 1:52.4 ($141,058), Lost In Bangkok (1:55.6) and to the Rocknroll Hanover mare Aqui A Mi Lado, dam of the prolific Melton winner Jillibyjacksparrow (1:53.2).

Their dam, Art Lover, was a sister to the NZ Yearling Sales Series 2YO winner My Exotic Lover (1:59.5), who in turn produced several winners including the NSW Renshaw Cup winner Match In Heaven 1:50.9 ($368,810).

Another sister to Art Lover in Fortune Lover ranks as the dam of the top flight West Australian pacer Vampiro (1:52.6), a winner of 29 races and $697,921. The WA Derby winner Major Trojan and the exported Underthesouthernsun (1:47.8) also belong to this family.

Horn Player was bred by Jake Stockton, the manager of Wingate Stud in the NSW Riverina district.

WA Diamond Classic winner

The winner of the Diamond Classic and the De Campo Memorial as a two-year-old last season, Ruby Lovera (Sweet Lou) downed the top three-year-olds in the $50,000 Diamond Classic at Gloucester Park, including the top ranking fillies Reinette and Ruby Lou.

Ruby Lovera has only been sparingly raced, but has proved herself a young pacer of great ability. By Sweet Lou, she is out of the Badlands Hanover mare Lovera, who produced others in the WA Oaks winner Artemis Belle 1:56.1 ($359,559) and the 2012 Diamond Classic winner Eagle Rox 1:55.2 ($225,656).

Lovera, who was unraced, was from the successful Holmes Hanover mare Emerald Franco, a half-sister to the dual Derby winner and 3YO of the Year Franco Enforce 1:50.6 ($593,738).

A $70,000 buy at the Australian Pacing Gold sale at Perth in 2023, Ruby Lovera was bred by leading WA horsewoman Debra Lewis.

Siring feat to Elite Stride

Rather a notable siring feat was credited to the Muscle Hill horse Elite Stride at Melton last Saturday, when he sired the first three placegetters in the nine-horse field for the two-year-old trotting event.

Vance Lane, a good type of youngster, Jays All That and Howdy That finished first, second and third respectively.

Vance Lane, who was bred and is owned by former Australian Standardbred Breeders Association president Grahame Searle, is out of Valsue, an Elsu half-sister to The Redwood and dual Trotters Derby winner Lord Of The Gym 1:59.6 ($262,090) and the Group 3 victor Lord Chancellor.

A dual Group 1 winner and 3YO Trotting Colt of the Year, Elite Stride, who stands at Alabar Bloodstock, has already left five individual winners from his first crop in Australia and NZ.

Steam Washed’s son wins Southern Stars

The $25,000 SA BOTRA Southern Stars Series, the second feature race for two-year-olds in SA and run at Globe Derby Park, was won easily by Steam Machine, a gelding by Captain Crunch from the smart racemare Steam Washed (by Washington VC), a six-time Group/Listed winner.

Bred by Bob and Zita Maloney, Steam Machine, who brought the top price of $40,000 at the Southern Stars Yearling Sale last year, looks a top youngster.

He ranks as a half-brother to the useful paced Steam Cleaned (1:56), Miki Steamed Home (1:57.3) and Always Steamed Up (1:59.1).

Ninth winner from broodmare

When the Tintin In America three-year-old Eva Waratah won at West Wyalong last Sunday, she credited her dam Lady Waratah with her ninth individual winner.

Eva Waratah, who was bred and is raced by Wagga couple Bernie and Dianne Kelly, had been placed once as a two-year-old. Others from Lady Waratah to win have been Steno 1:51.9 ($618,650), a multiple Group winner and runner-up in the recent Queen Elizabeth II Mile, Some Waratah (1:50.3), the dual Listed winner The Baggy Green (1:57), Cherishthememories (1:52.2), Waratah Lou (1:52.3), Geraldton Wax (1:55.1), State Emblem (1:57.9), Waratah Beach and now Eva Waratah.

Lady Waratah, who is now in her 23rd year, a two-year-old colt by Sweet Lou, to whom she is currently in foal.

A dual Breeder Crown champion and winner of $564,770, Lady Waratah was a Walton Hanover mare from Waratah Way, by Tompkins Hanover from Yankee Leanne, a Select Yankee granddaughter of the Kelly’s foundation mare Illinois.

by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink