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.

Breeding feat to Kevin Seymour

Rather a notable breeding feat was credited to well known Brisbane identity Kevin Seymour when he bred the winners of both Group 1 $150,000 QBred Triad Finals for two-year-olds at Albion Park in Fire Raiser and Cool And Classy.

Fire Raiser, who has won four of his six starts, is a two-year-old Bettor’s Delight gelding out of the Mach Three mare Fire One (1:53.7), produced others in the QBred For Life winner Firebolt (1:55.3) and Feistynfearless.

Fire One, an Albion Park winner, was a sister to the exported Burning 1:53.2 ($201,717) and a half-sister to the Group 3 NZ winner Ears Burning (1:56.2), being out of Sparks Under Fire, by Fake Left from the Clever Innocence mare Belle Glade, dam of the NSW Oaks and Nevele R Fillies winner Sparks A Flyin 1:52 ($510,133).

Cool And Classy, the winner of four out five, is a two-year-old filly by Captaintreacherous from the Mr Feelgood mare Charming Allie 1:53.9 ($266,329), a dual QBred Triad winner herself and dam of a capable pacer in Captain’s Pick 1:53.8 ($155,675).

Charming Allie was a half-sister to the millionaire Colt Thirty One (1:51.2), now standing at Egmont Park stud, and the APG Gold Bullion winner Class To The Max (1:54.7), being out of the Perfect Art mare Charm Personified, a half-sister to the triple Triad and dual Oaks winner Cherry Cheer 1:56.7 ($278,372) and the Group 2 winner Rhapsody In Red (1:56.8).

QBred Triad winning line

The Group 1 QBred Triad three-year-old winner Bronski Zulu (Sweet Lou) is a son of the Fake Left mare Bronski Gorgeous 1:57.3 ($210,622), who won the Triad herself and left an earlier Triad winner in General Bronski.

Bronski Zulu’s Triad win was his seventh lifetime success and lifted his stake tally to $181,928. The Sweet Lou gelding ran a close third in the two-year-old decider last season.

Bred and raced by Stuart Hunter, Bronski Zulu is out of Bronski Gorgeous, a fine racemare who left a string of classy pacers including Admiral Bronski, Brigadier Bronski, Bronski Mackenzie and Major Bronski, now standing stud in Tasman.

Bronski Gorgeous was a half-sister to the Derby and Triad winner Sir Galvinator 1:56.8 ($516,723) and the Australian Pacing Gold victor Esprit De Kayjay 1:51.6 ($586,976), being out of Promise, by Land Grant from the influential Armbro Del mare Blythbank Del.

Triple Triad champion

The For A Reason entire For Real Life joined a select list when he completed the QBred Triad grand slam in the $76,500 Final for four-year-olds at Albion Park.

Actually he was a class above his rivals, and was not seriously tested in running out the 2138 metres in a 1:53.3 rating.

A tough customer, For Real Life is an entire, being by the Art Major horsed For A Reason from She’s Elegant, dam also of useful winners in Tightrope (1:53.6) and Somedreamsomewhere (1:56.6).

She’s Elegant, who was bred in Victoria, was sired by Safely Kept (son of Jate Lobell) from She’s Our Angel, by Classic Garry from the Glen Almahurst mare She’s Cool.

A champion pacer from this family was Menin Gate, a winner of 16 races and $574,758 in stakes including the Victoria and Queensland Derbies, the Breeders Crown and Vicbred Final. He was awarded the Australian 3YO Colt of the Year honours in 2015.

Sebastian James top WA two-year-old colt

When he won the Group 2 $100,000 Pearl Classic at Gloucester Park the Captain Crunch colt Sebastian James proved himself the top two-year-old in Western Australia for the current season.

It was his fourth success on end, and he led throughout to beat the best two-year-olds in the State after being pressured in front.

In five starts Sebastian James has now won four and been once placed for $92,711 in stakes for breeder-owner Steve Johnson.

Sebastian James, who earlier won the Western Crown, is a two-year-old by the Captaintreacherous horse Captain Crunch and one of his first crop.

He is the first produce of the unraced Nina Sue, by Artesian (son of Artiscape) from Like A Dame, by the dual-gaited stallion Golden Greek from Hold Tight, by Embrace Me from a top ranking juvenile in Stormy Port.

Nina Sue is a sister to the millionaire pacer and dual Vicbred champion David Hercules (1:52.7) and the Group 3 winner Hugh Victor (1:54.9) and a half-sister to the Listed winner Paul Edward (1:54.2) and the exported Kerrin Joseph 1:52 ($226,190).

This family has consistently produced a number of good winners over the years. A close relative to Sebastian James is Never Ending, the winner of 16 races and $629,600 and rated one of the bets four-year-olds in the country. Never Ending’s dam Endless Journey is a half-sister to Like A Dame, the grand-dam of Sebastian James.

Rylee Rhayne Bow bred to be good

There was never much doubt that the Art Major filly Rylee Rhayne Bow was the season’s top rating three-year-old filly in Queensland as she was the previous season at two years, and she duly confirmed her class by winning the Group 1 $153,000 QBred Triad Final at Albion Park.

Rylee Rhayne Bow took full advantage of a perfect trip to down a smart field, rating a career-best 1:53.1 for 2138 metres.

Her sire, Art Major, has now sired three QBred Triad three-year-old filly winners – Shez No Fake (2012), Rani Major (2013) and now Rylee Rhayne Bow. He also sired the runner-up Ever Art and the dam of last year’s Triad winner Jewel Melody.

Rylee Rhayne Bow is out of the useful racemare Argyle Beach 1:52.1 ($133,542), by Somebeachsomewhere from Summer Ale, by Christian Cullen from Little Egypt, by Deal Direct from Impressionable, by Talk About Class.

Impressionable, the dam of three winners, was a sister to an outstanding pacer and dual Inter Dominion heat winner in Impressionist. This is the family which produced the 1:50 pacers Soho Wall Street, Brooklyn Bridge and Kickupyaheels and others in Rumour Has It, Pelusiac and Summertime Lizzie.

Rylee Rhayne Bow was bred and is raced by Ross Patrick.

Star four-year-old by Art Major

Roadmaster (Art Major), a winner of three of his four starts at Melton this season, is one of the best four-year-olds in Victoria at present.

He has earned $63,050 from six wins and six placings in 16 lifetime starts. By the Artsplace horse Art Major, he is out of Josie’s A Delight, a Bettor’s Delight mare from a cup class mare in Joy To Behold (1:56.2), by Fake Left from the grand producer Sweet Mover.

This is the family which has produced a string of classic winners for leviathan Brisbane breeder-owners Kevin and Kaye Seymour such Joy’s A Babe 1:51.7 ($400,818), Jasper 1:55.4 ($233,994), Son Of Fortune, Jaccamo 1:53.6 ($281,471), Catwalk Beauty, Cat King Cole, Attack Life and A Good Chance (1:50.2).

New three-year-old trotting sensation

Violet Stanford (Volstead), last season’s 2YO Filly Trotter of the Year, increased her unbeaten winning sequence to seven when she won the Shepparton Trotters Oaks on Tuesday night.

On a cold night and required to work hard from her outside gate, she rated 2:00.1 for 2190 metres with something up her sleeve.

By Volstead, and one of the first crop of the Cantab Hall horse whose frozen semen is available in Australasia, Violet Stanford is out of Mingara, a winning mare by Thanksgiving (King Conch-Diedre Hanover USA) from Sporty Spice, and thus a member of the Tot Huon family which has produced the Rowe Cup winner Paulette and the dual Breeders Crown champion Super Command.

Top priced yearling wins

The American Ideal three-year-old colt Supa American, who brought the top price of $150,000 at the Nutrien Equine Sydney sale in 2022, was an impressive winner on debut at Newcastle last Friday.

The colt had shown some good form at the trials at Menangle in the previous month.

Bred by Benstud Standardbreds, Supa American is out of the Art Major mare Beninjurd, who has proved a very successful broodmare. She is also the dam of the Group 1 winners Tough Tilly 1:51.1 ($618,333), Centenario 1:53.4 ($332,520) and Lightning Dan 1:51.7 ($205,847) and others in Somedan (1:55.9) and Elysian Jay (1:54.5).

Awaywego in 1:49.8

Awaywego (Sunshine Beach) became the 350th 1:50 horse bred in Australasia when he won a $15,200 race in 1:49.8 at Hoosier Park, Indiana recently.

By the Somebeachsomewhere horse Sunshine Beach – a top pacer himself – Awaywego is from Washington Lass (1:55.6), by Washington VC (a son of Presidential Ball) from Supreme Duchess, by Son Of Afella and tracing to a noted foundation mare in First Water.

Awaywego is a half-brother to the Albion Park track record holder Blacksadance (1:49.2) and the dual QBred Triad winner Big Wheels (1:51).

by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink