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.

Bendigo Cup winner

Bulletproof Boy (Art Official), winner of the $75,000 Bendigo Pacing Cup, may not be the most fashionably bred pacer in commission, but he has proved himself a top racehorse by any standard.

He has now won 45 races with 44 placings from 203 starts for $647,541 in stakes.

Bulletproof Boy, who was bred in South Australia and is part-owned by Scott Ewen, who trains him, was sired by the world champion Art Official from the Red River Hanover mare, My Riviera Girl, whose dam, Dance Trix, was by Holmes Hanover from Woodpecker, by Lordship.

My Riviera Girl won 18 races in NZ and SA and took a mile record of 1:58.7.

Art Official, the sire of Bulletproof Boy, sired Group/Listed winners in Salty Robyn (1:49.2) and Simba Bromac. 

In 2014, the year Bulletproof Boy was foaled, Art Official left 27 foals. The following season he left 15 foals in Victoria before being shipped to North America. 

Great Southern Star prospect

One of the stronger Great Southern Star prospects will be Arcee Phoenix (Trixton), who has proved himself in the top flight and has strong together several outstanding performances in the summer racing in Victoria.

His latest winning run in the $75,000 Maori Mile at Bendigo coming from worse than midfield was a terrific effort. He was trapped three deep for the last 600 metres, but finally won decisively in 1:55.7.

A brilliant sprinter, Arcee Phoenix is a six-year-old gelding by Trixton from Justa Phoenix, dam also of useful winners in Querencia and In Redwhiteandblue. Justa Phoenix was sired by Sundon, the leading sire of trotters in both Australia and NZ for many years, from Byrdie Num Num, a smart racemare by Speed Supreme from the Joey’s Byrd mare Jolabyrd.

This family has consistently produced a number of good horses over the years. A close relative to Arcee Phoenix is Eljaykay Phoenix, the winner of four Group 1 races and $256,000 and rated one of the best two-year-old trotters of his era. Eljaykay’s dam Maple Eve Phoenix is a half-sister to Princess Phoenix, a dual Group 1 winner, and to the dams of the Inter Dominion heat winner Ofortuna and the Victoria Oaks winner She’s Ruby Roo.

Frith’s son wins Leeton Cup

The Leeton Pacers Cup, the first leg of the Riverina cups circuit, was won decisively by Dashing, a gelding by Art Major from the great racemare Frith (by Four Starzzz Shark), who took a mile record of 1:50.1 with a total of $1.1 million to her credit.

Dashing, who is in his third season of racing, has only been sparingly raced. He has won eight races with eight placings from 21 starts for $103,599 in stakes.

Bred by Dianne Kelly, who also races him, Dashing ranks as a half-sister to the APG Gold Bullion winner Peaceful (1:51.7).

Siblings shine at Melton

It was no mean feat for the siblings Our Kinky Boots (by Pet Rock) and Our True Colours (by Betting Line) to quinella a race at Melton last weekend. Another sibling Time After Time (by Huntsville) ran second at Melton one night earlier.

All were bred and are raced by the Melton-based Caldow family.

Lauper (1:57.2), the dam of Our Kinky Boots and Our True Colours, was out of a useful racemare in Sister Dancer, an Australian Pacing Gold final placegetter. Besides Lauper, she was also the dam of a top flight juvenile in Royal Verdict 1:53.5 ($537,522), the Vicbred champion Hexham Heartbeat (1:57.6) and Modern Girl (Vic. Sapling Stakes).

Hexham Heartbeat became the dam of the recent Vicbred Homegrown 3YO Classic winner Beat Sweet (1:52.2).

Bainbridge in top form

Bainbridge, who won his eighth race from only 18 starts in a heat of the New Year’s Gift at Menangle, is a five-year-old expected to graduate far beyond his present rating.

A member of James Rattray’s Exeter team, he has a good deal more in his favour on the score of blood than most. By Captaintreacherous, Bainbridge is out of the Falcon Seelster mare Miss Fantastic (1:58.6), whose dam was a grand producer in Shard’s Fantasy, the dam of six winners including a cup class pacer in Rick Reilly 1:54.1 ($237,123), Celtic Spirit (1:50.2), Slice Of Heaven (1:52.2) and Bledisloe (1:55).

Shard’s Fantasy, who was unraced, was gotten by Pacific Rocket from Gee She’s Mighty, by New York Motoring from Mighty Miss Mac, by Lordship from a fine racemare in Gretna Hanover, a Scottish Hanover mare from the family founded by Millie C.

From the Gretna Hanover branch of it and to whom Bainbridge belongs, others in Likmesiah (NZ Derby), the WA Golden Nugget winner Himself, Mighty Santana (Gore Cup), the NSW Group 2 winner Mister Presley and, I’ve Gottalife (Popular Alm Sprint) are also members.

The Falcon in 1:49.8

The Falcon has joined the growing list of NZ bred horses to enter the 1:50 list in Australia. He recorded 1:49.8 when he was successful in the $30,600 P. J. Hall Free-for-all at Menangle last weekend.

By Bettor’s Delight, The Falcon is from Tandia’s Bromac (1:53.7), a smart racemare by Art Major from the Group 1 winner Tandia’s Courage 1:53.6 ($305,236), a sister to the great Australian racemare Mother Courage. 

Tandia’s Courage, a winner of 23 races, ranks as the grand-dam of the crack racemare Aardie’s Express 1:48.9 ($463,634), the Queensland Oaks winner Aardie B Miki 1:50.5 ($228,317), Aardie’s Flash (1:51.7), Tenzing Bromac ($326,858), Tennyson Bromac (1:52.7) and others.

A half-brother to the Melton and Menangle victor Rumble Stride (1:52.6), The Falcon was bred by Southland farmers Todd and Fleur Anderson.

Chivalry wins The Warwick

The most important race at the first meeting of the season at Gloucester Park, the $30,000 The Warwick, was won by the Sweet Lou gelding Chivalry, who led throughout to beat a handy field.

Chivalry, who was bred by Woodend Beach horsewoman Catherine Butt, was sold to NSW interests as an unraced two-year-old and originally trained in Victoria. He was shipped to Western Australia at three.

A five-year-old gelding, Chivalry is out of the Artsplace Bedtime (1:56.5), a useful racemare who earlier left the WA Listed winner Dontstopbelievin 1:53 ($230,975) and The Warrior (1:55.8).

Beditime was out of Regret (1:59.6), by In The Pocket from the El Patron mare Going Royce (2:00), the dam of eleven individual winners including a top colt pacer and cups winner in Tribute, who held the NZ two-year-old mile record of 1:54.9 for five years.

by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink