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.

Redcliffe Gold Cup winner from top family

The most important race on the Redcliffe calendar, the $106,070 Redcliffe Gold Cup, was won by the Hurrikane Kingcole gelding Free Thinker, who downed Mossdale Terry in a nail-biting finish. 

Free Thinker, one of the last commercial crop of Hurrikane Kingcole (a 1:47 son of Cam’s Card Shark), is out of the grand producer French Charm, by Art Major from the Fake Left Faith Prevails and tracing to Call Girl, who established a great winning line for Brisbane identity Kevin Seymour, the breeder-owner of Free Thinker.

French Charm, who was only lightly raced, left others in the Inter Dominion heat winner Future Assured 1:50.9 ($228,244), French Fries (1:52.1), Fact Finder (1:52.8) and Frontliner (1:56.5).

French Charm, was a half-sister to the Group winners Fame Assured 1:50.8 ($318,537) and Frankie Rocks 1:52.2 ($264,648), whose dam, Girl From Ipanema (1:57.6), a dual Group winner, was by Vanston Hanover from the Queensland Oaks winner Goldrush Girl  (TT1:55.3), by Transport Chip from the Tempest Hanover mare Call Girl.

This is the family which produced the millionaire Colt Thirty One, the Oaks winners Cool And Classy and Cherry Cheer, Good Lookin Girl (NSW Ladyship Mile), Cheer Leader (QBred For Life 2YO), Rhapsody In Red, the Triad winners Rani Major, Racy Roxy, Girl From Ipanema and Red Charmer and Call To Order, winner of this year’s The Hayden.

Rubira is well bred

Rubira, the convincing winner of the $52,000 Redcliffe Derby and who is unbeaten in five attempts this season, is a three-year-old of some potential.

The gelding has an all-American breeding background and one which has been most successful. By Always B Miki, Rubira is out of the winning Bettor’s Delight mare Delightful Kas (2:00), and is her first produce to race.

Delightful Kas, who was bred near Auckland, was out of Lady Cullen (1:55.9, by Christian Cullen from the American-bred mare Andress Blue Chip, dam of the outstanding NZ racemare and dual Oaks winner Carabella.

The winner of three races, Delightful Kaz was a sister to the Victoria Oaks, Ladyship Cup and Jewels winner Belle Of Montana 1:54.1 ($602,706) and a half-sister to the dam of NZ Ace of Diamonds and Harness Million winner Stella Rouge 1:56.3 ($223,668).

Rubira was bred and is part-owned by Ken and Karen Breckon, of Breckon Farms.

Well related three-year-old filly

The winner of the NSW Pink Bonnet as a two-year-old last season, Namaka downed a smart field of three-year-olds at Menangle last Saturday in a career-best 1:52.8

Namaka has only been sparingly raced, but has proved herself a young pacer of great ability. By Bettor’s Delight, Namaka is out of Capitana (1:57.6), by Captaintreacherous from R We There Yet, by Western Terror from the Butler B G mare Bee Gee’s Dream, who left a Hunter Cup winner in Another Party, the dual NZ Group 1 winner Party Party and the Queen of the Pacific heroine Champagne Party.

Namaka was bred and is raced by North American cousins March Hanover and Gordon Banks.

Noted family of trotters

Izarra, winner of the Redcliffe Trotters Cup, one of the features of the Queensland calendar, belongs to one of NZ’s top ranking families of trotters.

Bred by Pat Driscoll’s Yabby Dam Farms, is a five-year-old mare by the French horse Used To Me, a leading percentage sire of trotters in Australia. He has sired such winners as the Vicbred champions Don’t Care and Gardena Ronda, My Used To Be (SA Derby), Imsettogo, Taylad To Use and Avant Guard.

Amarula, the dam of Izarra, won seven races including the SA Trotters Derby and left two winners from three foals. She was by Bacardi Lindy, who also distinguished himself as a sire of trotters, from Valley Of The Moon (TT1:58.5), a winner of eight races and by Sundon from Wise Game, by Game Pride.

Valley Of The Moon was a sister to Sunloch, dam of the Albion Park winner Tyron Lochie  (1:59.4) and the grand-dam of the NZ Group 1 winner Tyron Eros and the Menangle victor Alluring Tyron (1:57), and a half-sister to the Victorian country cup winner Intelligence.

Sea Salt an emerging star

Sea Salt, who is proving herself a star filly in South Australia, has won three of her four starts including the $25,000 Kevin and Kay Seymour Emerging Stars Final at Globe Derby Park.

Sea Salt is a three-year-old by the top colt pacer Downbytheseaside and out of the handy racemare Jet Quick (1:58.5), the dam of the SA Ladyship winner Coco Mia (1:53.7) and The Quick Shadow 1:57 (Gawler Derby).

Jet Quick, a winner of 18 races, was a Jet Laag mare from Aussiek, by The Unicorn (a Vance Hanover horse from the Black Watch family) from Regal Bo, by King Carramar from Carramar Leesa. 

Sea Salt is the best winner from this family in recent years but in an earlier decade it produced a top racemare in Pintara Carramar, who won 14 races including the Queen of The Pacific.

Leading sire’s absence a loss

The results of racing around Australia last weekend further demonstrated the loss of Always B Miki to breeders for the forthcoming stud season, owing to a leg injury.

The Alabar Bloodstock stallion sired four winners at Gloucester Park in Paul Edward, Miki’s Pride, Miki Made Monty and Franco Motu and the winner of the $52,000 Redcliffe Derby in Rubira.

With his oldest stock as six-year-olds, Always B Miki has sired the winners of $10 million in Australia at an average of $37,300.

He has climbed to fourth place on this season’s all aged sires’ list with progeny earnings of $3.1 million.

Breeding of Inter Dominion runners

Captaintreacherous has the largest representation in the Inter Dominion Pacing Championship heats starting at Albion Park on Saturday night with seven runners.

Bettor’s Delight has five, A Rocknroll Dance (four), Art Major (three) and Betterthancheddar, Betting Line and Sweet Lou two each.

In the trotting section Majestic Son has the most numbers with five, followed by Love You (four) and Andover Hall, Pegasus Spur and Trixton with two apiece.

Bettor’s Delight figures as the damsire of six runners with Art Major (five), while Sundon’s daughters have produced six finalists in the trotters’ division.

by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink