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.

WA Pacing Cup winner

Western Australia’s premier event, the $450,000 WA Pacing Cup, was won by the Rocknroll Hanover gelding Minstrel, who overcame a slight colic attack a few weeks earlier to win at his second start this campaign and his fourth tilt at the cup.

Minstrel was parked with cover throughout but raced to the front 400 metres from home and finally won decisively from the favourite Mister Smartee, Mighty Ronaldo and Captain Ravishing.

Bred by Woodend Beach horsewoman Catherine Butt, Jackie Butt and Penny Calder, who part-own him, Minstrel is a seven-year-old gelding by Rocknroll Hanover, a Western Ideal horse who was a leading sire in America, from Ovaride (2:00.2), by Mach Three from Top Gear (1:55.9), by Falcon Seelster from Fill The Purse, by Holmes Hanover from Village Rose – a pedigree with some real background with a strong staying influence behind it.

Minstrel is the third foal of Ovaride, whose family includes such winners as the Australian Derby winner City Rogue (1:49.6), War Dan Delight (NZ Kindergarten and Sapling Stakes), the Ashburton Cup winners Raukapuka Ruler and B Grudge, Prestonpans (Timaru Cup) and the recent Albion Park winner Mr McLaren, all top ranking pacers.

Steno star WA mare

Steno (Sweet  Lou) advanced strong claims to being the best female pacer in WA today when she scored and end-to-end win in the Group 2 $100,000 Norm’s Daughter Classic at Gloucester Park.

It was her third success at Group level since coming from NSW. Two starts earlier she won the Group 3 $50,000 The Schrader and in March she took out the Golden Girls Mile at Pinjarra.

Steno has only been sparingly raced, having averaged 11 starts a season. In four seasons of racing Steno has won 21 races and has been 12 times placed from 45 starts for $470,047.

By the Yankee Cruiser horse Sweet  Lou, she is out of the former outstanding racemare and dual Breeders Crown champion Lady Waratah 1:59.5 ($564,770), by Walton Hanover from Waratah Way, by Tompkins Hanover (son of Albatross) from Yankee Leanne, by Select Yankee.

Steno is a half-sister to the NSW Breeders Challenge Regional winner The Baggy Green (1:57), Cherishthememories (1:52.2) and the exported Some Waratah (1:50.3).

Steno was bred and raced by Wagga identities Bernie and Dianne Kelly. 

Well related three-year-old filly

Kiss, who won a heat of the three-year-old Breeders Crown at Melton, showed ability as a two-year-old last season when she finished to Treacherous Love in the Delightful Lady Classic at Auckland.

She opened her season on a winning note in NZ and then ran a nose second to Coastal Babe in the Harness Million before being shipped to Victoria. She has since won twice and finished second in Victoria Oaks and fourth in the Vicbred Final from eight attempts and will be well in line for her first Group 1 success in the $150,000 Breeders Crown on Saturday night.

Kiss is a filly by the Always A Virgin horse Always B Miki from the unraced Weownthenight, the dam also of the recent Addington two-year-old winner Midnight Miki (1:56).

Weownthenight ranks as a half-sister to a grand pacer and NZ Cup winner in Thefixer and the NSW Ladyship Stakes winner The Honey Queen, being by Art Major from the dual Oaks winner Tosti Girl, by Christian Cullen from Delightful Paula, by Jaguar Spur. 

Kiss was bred by Alabar Bloodstock in NZ.

Siblings shine in Queensland

Two of Queensland’s star pacers at present, and both recent feature winners at Albion Park who promise to be a force in the summer racing, are Blacksadance (by A Rocknroll Dance) and Attachment (by Sunshine Beach).

Blacksadance led throughout to win the Group 2 $53,040 Queensland Cup last Saturday, while the three-year-old Attachment took out the Listed $52,000 Peak of the Creek one week earlier.

Both bred and raced by John Polson are from Washington Lass (1:55.6), a good winner herself, and who has left others including the QBred Triad winners Big Wheels 1:50.6 ($408,328) and Awaywego 1:49.2 ($196,630) and Arrive (1:56.2), runner-up in this season’s Triad 2YO Final.

Washington Lass was by the Presidential Ball horse Washington VC (an Adios Stake winner) from Supreme Duchess, by Son Of Afella from Sparkle Bret, by Knowing Bret.

SA Oaks winner retires

The Art Major filly Showsomejoy, who won the SA Oaks at Globe Derby Park last Saturday, has been retired. She will be mated with Always B Miki this season.

A winner of seven races and almost $135,000 in stakes, Showsomejoy won twice at Group level – the $150,000 Vicbred 3YO Final and now the SA Oaks.

Bred in NZ’s Southland district by Clark Barron and Eric Parr, Showsomejoy has a good deal in her favour on the score of blood. Besides being by Art Major, she is out of the Somebeachsomewhere mare Somejoy (1:53.2), whose dam was a smart racemare in Jumpforjoy (1:55.8), the winner of seven races including the Southland Oaks and who left horses the calibre of Jumpingjackmac 1:55.2 ($921,708) and the Melton winning Jumping Joy (1:54).                                                           

E L Titan filly tops Day 3 at Harrisburg sale

A filly by the now Australian-based and owned Haras Des Trotteurs roster stallion E L Titan topped the third day of the prestigious Harrisburg yearling sales in America.

The filly, She’s On The Money, from his second last USA crop, sold for $95,000.

Two E L Titan colts each sold for $75,000, making him the standout of the day with the top average of $55,000 across his six lots sold.

Eureka Jo on Breeders Crown trail

Eureka Jo, a three-year-old filly by Bettor’s Delight from Our Star Dust (1:54,2), by Mach Three from Star Chaser, by Torado Hanover, failed to win a race in eight starts as a two-year-old last season though qualifying for the Breeders Crown and Vicbred finals.

But the Bettor’s Delight filly has proved herself to some purpose in her three-year-old racing, and she notched her third success in a heat of the Breeders Crown at Melton in a 1:57.7 rate for 2240 metres with the last 800 in 55.5 and the final quarter in 26.4. She is a very good youngster.

A $100,000 purchase at the Australian Pacing Gold sale in Melbourne in 2022, Eureka Jo was bred by nonagenarian Shepparton breeder Helen Head and traces back to the Bachelor Hanover mare Madame Han, who established a great winning line for Helen and her late husband Graham.

She left 10 winners including the Moonee Valley winners Chipmunk, Gold Mistress and Cocky Benz and was the ancestress of top horses the calibre of the ‘Cups King’ Safari, the Breeders Crown champions Zeus Bromac (1:49.4) and Don’t Hold Back, the Derby winners Garnet River and Astronaut, Queen Of Fire, Gemfire (Tatlow Memorial) and the Vicbred champion Our Maid Marianne.

Up-and-coming trotter

One of the most promising trotters racing in Victoria is Lovemeto (What The Hill), bred by Ken and Karen Breckon, of Breckon Farms in NZ’s north island. A four-year-old gelding, Lovemeto is in his second full season of racing, but from 14 starts he has won six and been four times placed. 

Lovemeto notched his third success at Group/Listed level when he scored a memorable win in the Haras Des Trotteurs Delvin Dancer Classic at Melton last Saturday, leading from virtually the outset and winning with something in reserve.

Lovemeto has a background of trotting blood second-to-none. His sire, What The Hill, has left the brilliant Kiwi trotter Bet N Win, and other smart trotters in Dreambigaimhigh, Inasinglemoment and Kiss And Run. His dam, Love Ya Doosie, is by Love You, the leading sire in France for many years.

Lovemeto ranks as a half-brother to the dual Derby winner Kyvalley Hotspur and the cups winner Kyvalley Chief.

Love Ya Doosie, a useful trotter herself, was a half-sister to the millionaire trotter and dual Inter Dominion champion in I Can Doosit and the Group winner Sno’s Big Boy.

The family was founded in NZ by the Speedy Crown mare Becalm Lobell, who was imported from America by the former National Bloodstock. It includes smart trotters such as Golden Blend (1:55), American Pride, Aldebaran Ay M (Breeders Crown) and this year’s Redwood winner Vytis.

by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink