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.

Lion Queen is well bred

Lion Queen (Control The Moment), who has won eight of her 18 starts, and has worked her way down to a NR88 mark, is regarded as one of the best young mares in Western Australia.

She is a four-year-old sired by the Well Said horse Control The Moment (1:48.4), a top colt pacer in America whose successes included the Meadowlands Pace, Cane Pace and Metro Pace.

Lion Queen is out of the American-bred mare Lilianna Beauty (1:53), a Walton Hanover mare from the same family as the A. G. Hunter Cup winner and millionaire pacer Sting Lika Bee (1:55.8).

Lilianna Beauty, who was imported by the late John Gibson, of the Success Stud (NSW), has left five winners including the WA Sales Classic 2YO winner Tenniele Erin (1:55.1).

A product of the Australian Pacing Gold Perth sale in 2022, Lion Queen was bred by Kevin Charles.

Well related three-year-old

Arrive (Captaintreacherous), who won the $50,000 QBred Breeders Classic 3YO Final at Albion Park, showed ability as a two-year-old last season when she finished second to Cool And Classy in the QBred Triad.

She has opened her three-year-old season in top form, winning four of her five starts and will be well in line for the major juvenile classics.

Arrive is a filly by the Somebeachsomewhere horse Captaintreacherous from Washington Lass (1:55.6), the best of whose several progeny have been the multiple Group winners Blacksadance 1:49.2 ($446,844), Big Wheels 1:50.6 ($435,139) and Awaywego 1:49.2 ($227,023).

Washington Lass, a Menangle and Albion Park winner, was a Washington VC mare from Supreme Duchess, by Son Of Afella from Sparkle Bret, by Knowing Bret and tracing eventually to the noted foundation mare Red Diamond.

Arrive was bred and is owned by NSW breeder John Polson.

Top two-year-old by Bettor’s Delight

The Bettor’s Delight colt Fight For Victory firmly established himself as the top Queensland two-year-old pacer of the season when he won the $50,000 QBred Breeders Classic at Albion Park.

Fight For Victory, who was bred and is raced by Kevin and Kay Seymour, has won two of his four starts and $45,451 in stakes. Earlier in the season he took out the Changeover Classic.

Fight For Victory is by the Cam’s Card Shark horse Bettor’s Delight from Fame Assured, who won 24 races and $318,537 and took a mile record of 1:50.8. This is her first foal. She has since produced a yearling filly and a weanling colt by Bettor’s Delight and has a positive test to Always B Miki.

Fame Assured was by Mach Three from Faith Prevails (1:58.1), by Fake Left from the dual Group winner Girl From Ipanema (1:57.6), a sister by Vanston Hanover to the dual Listed winner Girl In A Million (1:58.5) and a half-sister to the NSW Ladyship Mile winner Good Lookin Girl 1:53.7 ($361,445).

This is a long established Queensland family and an earlier top two-year-old belonging to it was Rhapsody In Red, who won her first five starts including the Kay Seymour Nursery.

A Star from Bamako Mali

A star three-year-old in Victoria so far this season is Seathestars (Captaintreacherous), who was bred by Benstud Standardbreds and trained by Geoff Webster.

A gelding by Captaintreacherous, he is out of a top flight racemare in Bamako Mali 1:55.6 ($259,309), who left earlier winners in the APG Gold Bullion winner Perpetuity (1:52.9) and Sundiata (1:55.8).

Seathestars downed older more experienced rivals at Melton last Saturday and before that finished a close second in the $125,000 Nutrien Equine Classic and looks a three-year-old with the potential one would expect of his breeding.

QBred Breeders Classic 3YO Final winner

The $50,000 QBred Breeders Classic, one of the major three-year-old classics of the season at Albion Park, was won by Udderly Sweet, a colt by Sweet Lou who downed the highly fancied French Fries in a photo finish.

Udderly Sweet belongs to one of Queensland’s top families, being by Sweet Lou from Elusive Heart, by Modern Art from Exclusif, by Perfect Art from Madam Ex, who established a great winning line for the Vagg family from Southbrook.

She left a smart racemare in Bistro Lady, a winner of 55 races including the QBred Triad, Jethro’s Madam, also a Triad winner and dam of the dual Treuer Memorial winner Loorrim Lake 1:50.9 ($348,743), Ex Factor (1:56.9) and the lightly raced Exclusif, dam of the dual Newcastle Mile winner Bettor Bet Black 1:51.6 ($455,809), the top Tasmanian pacers Kadar (1:52.5) and Taurisi (1:55.3) and Elusive Heart (dam of Udderly Sweet and Gotta Go Milking).

Udderly Sweet was bred by Taree (NSW) dairy farmers John Polson and Doug Johnston.

First winners by Classic Connection

The Love You horse Classic Connection, a multiple Group winner in France and now available to breeders in both Australia and NZ, was represented by his first winner when the two-year-old Cee Cee In Paris was successful in a heat of the NSW Foundation Trot at Menangle. A second winner from Classic Connection’s first crop was Franco Americano, who saluted at Maryborough at its second start.

Cee Cee In Paris had been placed in one of her previous three starts.

Raced and trained by her breeder Lisa Fitzpatrick, Cee Cee In Paris is out of the Muscles Yankee mare, Glenferrie Conquer, whose dam, Adellas Dash, a Victoria Trotters Oaks and Cochran Cup winner, left several top trotters including Glenferrie Dreamer 1:52.8 ($332,841) and Glenferrie Burn 1:55.5 ($234,430).

Cee Cee In Paris ranks as a half-sister to the NSW Foundation 3YO Trot winner Malibuu.

Close relative of Major Crocker

Beachbabe Crocker, who won the $50,000 QBred Breeders Classic Final for two-year-old fillies, run at Albion Park, is a Somebeachsomewhere filly from the same family as that which produced the top South Australian pacer Major Crocker.

Beachbabe Crocker, who ran third in her heat, had been placed in five of her previous seven starts, , has shown up as a very useful pacer, and it was a strong field she beat at Albion Park.

Bred by Adelaide identity Gary Crocker, who also races her, Beachbabe Crocker is out of the Art Major mare Samara Crocker (1:58.2), a sister to the standout pacer and millionaire Major Crocker (1:49.4) and Offyarocka Crocker 1:54.5 (SA Pot of Gold) and a half-sister to the Group 2 winner Adam Crocker 1:49.6 ($226,642), the Listed winner Innocent Crocker (1:52.1) and Eve Crocker (1:55.8).

Their dam, Aratusa Lass (1:57.1), a Moonee Valley winner, was a half-sister to six winners, being by D M Dilinger from Fanciful, by Classic Garry from Romantic Joanne, a NSW Princess Mile winner by the Tar Heel horse Paulos Hanover.

Siblings star at Menangle

Two of NSW’s star performers at present, and both winners at Menangle last Saturday who promise to be a force in upcoming cup and feature races are the trotter London To A Brick (by Bettor’s Delight) and the pacer Sugar Pie Honey (by Sweet Lou).

Both are from Im Justforyou (1:55.3), a pacing winner, and who has left others in the Albion Park pacing winner Sugar For My Honey (1:54.2) and the trotter Unspoken Love.

Im Justforyou was by the In The Pocket horse Christian Cullen from Just An Angel, by Artiscape from Almost An Angel, by In The Pocket. On their latest form, London To A Brick and Sugar Pie Honey look certain to pick up their share of the spoils at the Brisbane winter carnival.

Inter Dominion trotting prospect

One of the stronger Inter Dominion trotting candidates, particularly among the youthful brigade will be Imperial Monarch (Imperial Count), who has proved himself at Group level and has won eight of his last 16 starts including five at Melton.

His latest winning run over 2240 metres from the second line of the mobile barrier was a fine performance. He settled worse than midfield on the outer, but finally won decisively at a 1:59.5 mile rate.

A tough customer, Imperial Monarch is a gelding, being by Imperial Count from the lightly raced Ann’s Monarch and the first of her produce to race. Ann’s Monarch was sired by Monarchy (a son of Balanced Image) from Strapless, by Straphanger from the American-bred Arndon’s Pride, by Arndon.

Arndon’s Pride left the smart trotters Xenon (1:58.5), Arndon’s Raider and Arnika’s Pride, dam of Pride Of Sundon (1:59.7) and Emily’s Vacation, both metropolitan winners.  A top Queensland trotter in Majestic Simon, a winner of 20 races including two Group events and $212,831 belongs to this family.

by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink