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.

Hobart track record holder

A fresh Hobart track record mile rate for 2090 metres from the mobile barrier was established by the Always B Miki three-year-old Fighter Command of 1:55.3 – bettering the previous record of 1:56.3 by Pachacuti by a full second – when he won the $80,000 The Beautide.

Fighter Command, who has won eight of his 11 starts, is a member of the same family as the Inter Dominion champion Weona Warrior.

Fighter Command ranks as a half-brother to the Albion Park three-year-old winner Jackson Town (1:56.4), being by Always B Miki from the Jereme’s Jet mare Spitfire Rose (1:58.4), whose dam Weona Beachley was by Jenna’s Beach Boy from Weona Miss, by Troublemaker from Weona Jewel, by Hilarious Way.

Spitfire Rose, a dual George Johnson winner, was a half-sister to the NSW Breeders Plate placegetter Making Headlines. Their dam, Weona Beachley, was a sister to the NSW Listed winner Weona Beach Girl (1:58.2) and a half-sister to the Melton victor Giveusagrin (1:54.8).

This family was founded by Lady Pearl in NZ more than a century ago. Besides Fighter Command and Weona Warrior, other top pacers in the Inter Dominion heat winner Weona Chief, Weona Brave, Villacci, Frangrance (Vicbred 2YO Final), Hoo Nien, the Group 2 winner War Dan Bad Girl and Weona Sizzler (1:50) also belong to it.

Up and coming youngsters

Two smart young horses to win their $30,600 finals of the NSW Bred Series at Menangle were the two-year-old Gunna Reload, from Bargo, and the Camden pacer Dangerous Threats.

Gunna Reload, who has won three of her four starts, is a Sweet Lou filly from Mile High Anvil (1:58), who left earlier winners in Beauty Play (1:55.6) and Highinauckland (1:57.8). Mile High Anvil was a McArdle mare from Flight Of Fantasy, an Island Fantasy mare from the noted Miss Fortune family.

Dangerous Threats, who clocked 1:50.4 in his runaway success and is undefeated in three outings this season, was bred by Wayne and Anne Lamb, of Golden Gait Stud fame.  

He is a three-year-old colt by For A Reason, a millionaire son of Art Major from the family of Leap To Fame. 

Medusa Joy, the dam of Dangerous Threats, ranks as a half-sister to the Listed winners Our Road To Mecca (1:54.5) and Jeseeka (1:54.8), being out of the top racemare Petousa (1:57.3), by Western Hanover from Express Post (1:57.6), whose 11 successes included the NSW Sires Stakes 2YO Final and the Pink Bonnet.

This family has consistently produced a number of good winners over the years. A close relative of Dangerous Threats is the Australian Pacing Gold and dual Breeders Challenge winner Pelosi 1:52.2 ($466,602). Pelosi’s dam, For Dear Life (1:55.8) is a half-sister to Petousa, the grand-dam of Dangerous Threats.

By A Rocknroll Dance

A bright future is being predicted for the A Rocknroll Dance five-year-old Clymenus whose success at Melton last Saturday was his eight winning run this season.

The gelding has a good deal in his favour on the score of blood. Apart from being by A Rocknroll Dance, who sired a double at the meeting, Clymenus is out of the Christian Cullen mare Joy’s Underworld (1:57.7), a half-sister to the NZ Listed winner Life Of Luxury 1:51 ($414,927), who later won in top company in America, and Lavish Art (1:56.9), dam of the NSW Tatlow winner Shoobee Doo 1:49.2 ($470,201) and the Group 2 winner Katchar Shoobee (1:52.1).

Their dam, Lavish Franco, who was unraced, was sired by Soky’s Atom from Lady Barbara, by Lordship from the Armbro Del mare Barbara Del and tracing to a noted foundation mare in Mavis Wood.

Bred by Don Bates’s Norwegian Wood Breeding, Clymenus is a half-brother to the prolific NZ country cups and Albion Park winner Watch Pulp Fiction 1:51.1 ($336,940).

Won Higgins Memorial

Sorridere, bred and owned by the Oz-West Pacing syndicate, led from go to whoa in the $50,000 John Higgins Memorial at Gloucester Park and took his earnings over the $100,000 mark.

A Pearl placegetter, Sorridere has won six races this season and he looks ready to graduate to cup ranking. 

Sorridere, one of the second last crop sired by Sunshine Beach, is a four-year-old from the McArdle mare Smile Me Me (1:57.7), a NZ bred mare who left an earlier winner in To Fast To Serious (1:52.4), a winner of 18 races to date and $263,493 and who won his way back to cup class. He won the $100,000 Westbred Classic as a two-year-old.

Noted family of trotters

The Locomotive (Muscle Mass), a five-time Group 1 winner and a very impressive winner at Menangle last Saturday, is a four-year-old trotter of some potential.

Bred by Pat Driscoll’s Yabby Dam Farms, The Locomotive has a background of trotting blood second to none. His sire, Muscle Mass, has left The Redwood winner Illawong Byron, and other top trotters in Massive Metro, Credit Master, Custodian and K D Muscles.

His dam, La Coocaracha, was a champion trotter, winning 23 of her 36 starts – including six Group 1’s – in Australia and NZ and $428,911 in stakes.

The Locomotive ranks as a three-quarter brother to an outstanding trotting mare in Dance Craze 1:55.6 ($551,780) and the Breeders Crown and Vicbred winner Reina Danzante (1:57.1).

La Coocaracha, the 2020 Australian Trotting Broodmare of the Year, ranks as a half-sister to a useful pacer in Blake Castle (1:53.2) and to Meredith Castle, dam of the cup class square-gaiters Iona Grinner (1:55.1), Garland Greene and Berriesandcherries.

The Vicbred two-year-old champion Betty Hall is also a member of this fine family.

Huntsville’s rise

A feature of the North American sires’ statistics to date this season is the rise to the top of two-year-old pacing section by Huntsville, who is more than $300,000 ahead of the second sire Downbytheseaside.

Ladies In Red for stud

Ladies In Red (Mach Three), the seven-time Group 1 winner and triple Vicbred champion, has been retired.

She will be mated with the Sweet Lou horse Confederate, the reigning USA Horse of the Year and world champion.

Ladies In Red, a Mach Three mare from the American-bred Kabbalah Karen B, won $1,096,480, the result of 28 wins and seven placings from 37 starts.

Breeding of ‘Hambo’ winner

Karl, the winner of the $US1,050,000 Hambletonian, is a son of the Muscle Hill horse Tactical Landing, the sire of last year’s ‘Hambo’ winner Tactical Approach, who is standing this season at Alabar Bloodstock.

Karl is out of the RC Royalty mare Avalicious 1:53.4 ($202,348), a half-sister to the dam of the Finnish bred Daryl Boko, who later won in good company in NZ and NSW. 

Karl carries a 4×4 cross to American Winner, a Hambletonian champion himself and who sired Yankee Blondie, the dam of the mighty Muscle Hill, also a ‘Hambo’ winner and sire of three winners of the three-year-old classic.

Tactical Landing’s frozen semen is available in Australia from Stallions Australasia and in NZ from Robert Famularo’s Dancingonmoonlite Farm.

by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink