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.

Along the way Driscoll formed friendships with many of Europe’s leading owners and breeder.

Yabby Dam Racing has components of the premier European trotting establishments all rolled into one at a state of the art property on the outskirts of Ballarat.

Bittersweet unbeaten two-year-old filly

The Captaintreacherous filly Bittersweet is rated NSW’s top two-year-old filly this season, particularly after her dominant win in the Group 1 $150,000 Gold Tiara Final at Bathurst.

Her winning sequence of four two-year-old starts – by a combined 72 metres – makes her the best of her age by a wide margin, and she looks to have the remaining juvenile classics in NSW at her mercy.

A well developed filly, possessing both speed and stamina, Bittersweet is a particularly easy going juvenile and is the second Gold Tiara winner trained by Brad Hewitt, who brought out Jewel Melody in 2022.

Bittersweet’s earnings are now $90,366.

Bittersweet’s dam, Gotta Go Jazzy Jet (1:54.8), was a useful racemare, being by Jereme’s Jet from Gotta Go Harmony 1:55.5 ($205,909), a NZ Jewels winner and by the champion NZ racehorse and sire Christian Cullen.

Gotta Go Harmony was out of the top flight racemare Elect To Live (1:55.5), a winner of 19 races including the Australian Derby and NZ, NZ Great Northern and NSW Oaks and $535,800 in stakes.

Bittersweet was bred and is raced by Forbes (NSW) enthusiasts Phil and Denise Thurston.                                                                                                                             

Won Bathurst Gold Crown

Fox Dan (Art Major), who completed a clean sweep of the Bathurst Gold Crown series by winning the $150,000 Final last weekend, gives the impression that he could develop into one of next season’s top three-year-olds.

Bred and raced by Geelong enthusiast Danny Zavitsanos, Fox Dan is a strongly built colt by Art Major from Jodila (1:57.5), the dam of earlier winners in Ideal Dan 1:51.6 ($185,081) and Yianni 1:51.7 ($153,390), both Group winners.

Their dam, Jodila, a Bathurst Tiara Consolation winner, was a Jereme’s Jet mare from Trudee 1:58 ($167,757), a smart racemare by Albert Albert from Avonali (dam of 10 winners), by Toliver Hanover from the Stormyway mare Stormy Helen.

This is the family which produced the champion racemare Make Mine Cullen ($874,178), Leonidas 1:48 ($1.2million), Supersonic Miss (NZ Jewels), Sicario (SA Pacing Cup), Goodtime heaven (Breeders Crown), College Chapel (Bathurst Gold Crown), Whirily School, Captain Hammerhead and many others.

Minos is well bred

The Group 2 $100,000 Bathurst Gold Chalice, one of the major three-year-old classics of the season, was won by the New Zealand bred Minos, a gelding by Bettor’s Delight from Ariadne Lavra, by Art Major.

Minos, who was bred by world champion driver Mark Jones, belongs to one of NZ’s most successful families, that tracing to the imported American mare Norice.

Minos’s dam Ariadne Lavra was only lightly raced but she won five races as a two and three-year-old and took a record of 1:58.5. The Gold Chalice victor is her first foal.

Ariadne Lavra was out of Hilarious Lavra, by Grinfromeartoear from Tuapeka Kay, by Smooth Fella from the champion race and broodmare Tuapeka Star 1:59 ($136,347), dam of the Miracle Mile and NZ Cup winner Iraklis 1:54.2 ($1million), the NSW Carousel winner Blue And Royal 1:51.6 ($235,586), the crack NZ juvenile Ermis 1:59 ($191,568) and others.

This family has had an association over many years in NZ and has been responsible for a strong lineup of winners such as the dual Derby winners Lavros Star and Brad Adios, the NZ 3YO Filly of The Year O Baby, the dual NZ Cup winner Monkey King, Talaspring (Vic. Ladyship Cup), Galactic Star ($824,674), The Orator, Saloon Passage (1:49.4) and the current top Victorian racemare Sew What.

Bathurst Gold Bracelet winner

Soho Honey Rider (American Ideal), who won the Group 2 $100,000 Gold Bracelet at Bathurst, showed ability as a two-year-old last season when she qualified for the Bathurst Gold Tiara and Breeders Crown finals.

She has opened her three-year-old season on a winning note and we will be well in line for the remaining classics.

Bred and raced by Robert Watson, Soho Honey Rider is a filly by the Western Ideal horse American Ideal from the smart racemare Soho Angel 1:53.3 ($168,430), and is her first produce to race.

Soho Angel, who won 10 races including the Tatlow Memorial, ranks as a sister to the Group 3 Victorian winner Soho Bollinger (1:54), being by Bettor’s Delight from Soho Champagne, by Artsplace from Miss Maddy Jay NZ, by In The Pocket.

Bluto’s Cup success

Bluto (Sweet Lou), who won the Wagga Pacing Cup, after appearing to be hopelessly out of it at one stage, has now won six races and is rated one of the brightest prospects in his class. He ranks as a four-year-old half-brother by Sweet Lou to the dual Oaks winner Partyon 1:51.3 ($638,261) and the dual Derby winner Line Up 1:50.3 ($357,047).

Their dam, Beach Parade, a Beach Towel mare from Idle Franco, by Falcon Seelster from Imperial Franco, has proved a most successful broodmare. She is also the dam of the exported Typhoon Stride (1:49.6) and the Group 3 NZ winner Life’s A Beach ($211,036).

Idle Franco, who was only lightly raced, was a half-sister to the Victorian Listed winner Innocent Franco and the exported Indigo Franco (1:54.2) and a close relative of High Rolling (1:51.8), the Group 3 winner Glenferrie Blade ($347,615) and the smart NSW trotter Royal Glenferrie.

Star four-year-old by Sweet Lou

A bright future is being predicted for the Sweet Lou four-year-old Skylou, whose success in the $50,000 Easter Cup at Gloucester Park was his seventh winning run from only 10 starts.

He has a good deal in his favour on the score of blood. Apart from being by Sweet Lou, and one of his fourth crop, Skylou is out of the In The Pocket mare Sky Beauty, a half-sister to the Thames Pacing Cup winner Eagles Together, being out of Skyhigh Eagle, by Tuapeka Knight and tracing back to the Brooklyn mare Seacliff, whose family today is one of the best in the NZ stud book.

It includes the Chariots of Fire and Harness Jewels winner Sky Major, the NZ 2YO Colt of the Year Major Mark, El Jacko (Pinjarra Cup), the Vicbred champion My Bella Star, Robbie Burns (1:49.6), Young Modern, Dreamy Nights, and others.

Max Delight wins Renshaw Cup

The most important race on the Penrith club’s calendar, the $50,000 Renshaw Cup, was won by the Bettor’s Delight gelding Max Delight, who downed Spirit Of St Louis and the favourite Nerano.

Max Delight, who was bought as a yearling for a then record of $245,000, has model a model of consistency throughout his career. He has banked $1,051,174 from 27 wins and 32 placings in 109 starts.

An eight-year-old gelding, Max Delight is out of Lady Euthenia, a top flight racemare, by Art Major, and is bred on the identical cross as champion pacer Leap To Fame.

Lady Euthenia was out of Reggae Miss, also a smart racemare, by Maple Lane’s Strike from Girl Next Door, by What’s Next from the Express Byrd mare Lady Ex. Lady Euthenia, a winner of five Group One’s, is also the dam of the Australasian two-year-old fillies’ mile record holder Major Delight (1:50.3), the Breeders Crown finalist Sunset Zeus, Lady Shakira and Lady Delight.

Crack colt by Poster Boy

Its Confidential, who is unbeaten in two starts so far, is a two-year-old colt who can claim some worthwhile blood.

By Poster Boy, by Somebeachsomewhere from Aston Villa USA, by Artsplace, he is out of the Well said mare Speak No Evil 1:50.9 ($354,300), a Breeders Crown and Vicbred champion, whose dam, Top Tempo 1:56.5 ($225,513), ranked as a three-quarter sister to McKay 1:55.7 ($236,445), their dam, Kliklite (1:56.7), being a sister to the dam of the dual Derby winner The Court Owl.

Interestingly, both Its Confidential’s sire Poster Boy and his dam Speak No Evil were bred by Anne and Bill Anderson’s Lauriston Bloodstock.

Tasmanian Easter Cup winner

The Shallows, who won the $75,000 Easter Cup, the main event of the Launceston calendar, is a Shadyshark Hanover gelding from the same family as that which produced a top Victorian racemare in Exotic Strike.

The Shallows, the winner of the Tasmania Cup and 4 and 5YO Classic in 2021, has been one of the island’s most consistent performers for several years, and it was a strong field he beat at Launceston.

Bred by Victorian horseman Ian Stanley, The Shallows is the only foal out of the unraced Exotic Angel, a Grinfromeartoear mare from the Australian Pacing Gold winner Exotic Strike ($171,945), dam of four winners and the grand-dam of the Listed winner Spiritwriter (1:53.1) and the speed merchant Ella’s Puppeteer (1:52.8).

Up-and-coming trotter

One of the most promising trotters racing in Victoria is Amigos (Bacardi Lindy), bred by Steve O’Donoghue and trained by Lisa Pitt. An eight-year-old, Amigos is in his first season of racing, but is unbeaten in five attempts to date.

Amigos has a background of trotting blood second-to-none. His sire Bacardi Lindy has left the great trotting mare Claudy’s Princess and other top trotters in Cruisin Around, The Boss Man, Margaret Ruth, Needabacardi and Sammy Showdown. His dam Cashel Epona is by Pine Chip, a leading sire of trotters in America for many years.

Amigos ranks as a half-sister to the good Melton winner Mont Morley.

Cashel Epona, a useful trotter herself, was a half-sister to other winners at the trotting gait in Kyvalley Pink, Kyvalley Racer and Cheque Again, dam of the Group 2 winner Chissy Tr 1:57.9 ($128,493), and a sister to the unraced Cashel Dagha, dam of the cup winner Kyvalley Boomerang Tr 1:57.4 ($244,086) and Flash Kyvalley 1:56.6 ($164,692).

The family, which traces to Hood’s Polly, produced a top flight NZ trotting mare in Indette, who won 21 races and $111,512, and other good trotters in Inda Bank ($138,660), who won three Group races, Frozen Funds (NSW Trotters Oaks), the Vicbred champion Kyvalley Finn and last season’s classics winner Kyvalley Maven.

by Peter Wharton for Harnesslink