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.

District Attorney wins Patron’s Purse

The most important race in Queensland last weekend, the Group 3 $52,000 Chris Garrard’s Patron’s Purse, was won by the Courage Under Fire horse District Attorney, who downed the hot favourite Leap To Fame, who is New Zealand Cup bound.

District Attorney, who was bought for $122,500 at the Australian Pacing Gold sale in Melbourne in 2020, has only been sparingly raced but has proved himself a young pacer of great ability. 

By Courage Under Fire and one of the last commercial crop of the New Zealand champion, District Attorney is out of Crown Defender, by Life Sign from Classic Blue Jeans, by Camluck from the Albatross mare Oh Please, who left the NZ Listed winner Falcon’s Blue Jean 1:51.8 ($442,232) and the top Tasmanian pacer The Majority.

District Attorney is a half-brother to the NZ Cup and Free-for-all winner and millionaire pacer Cruz Bromac (1:50.1).

Redcliffe Sale Series winner by Ohoka Punter

Ellis Street (Ohoka Punter), the season’s latest three-year-old classic winner, in beating a useful field in the $52,000 Garrard’s Redcliffe Yearling Sale Series Final, gives the impression that he could develop into one of next season’s top ranking four-year-olds. 

Bred by North Maclean breeder Laurie Feehely, who also races him, Ellis Street is a well developed gelding by the dual Derby winner and emerging sire Ohoka Punter from Party In Paris, the dam of the Albion Park winner Party Polotix (1:57) and Favreau 1:56.9 (16 wins to date).

Their dam, Party In Paris, was a Partywiththebigdog mare from Wizard Of Aus, by Armbro Aussie from the smart racemare Mont Marte, by Black Gamecock from the Victoria Oaks winner Le Ruisseau. 

Wizard Of Aus, a winner of seven races, was a half-sister to a top flight juvenile in Indisputable, Art On The Beach (WA Sales Classic 2YO) and the Moonee Valley winner Role Model.

A top NSW pacer in Alta Orlando belongs to this family. He won 27 races including nine in Group company and $1.1million in stakes and took a mile record of 1:49.8. The Kilmore Cup and Vicbred champion Riverlea Jack, La Joconde (WA Sales Classic 3YO), the Victorian country cup winners Joueur and Stormy Day and the Inter Dominion Trotting heat winner Prince Kid are among many good winning members of Ellis Street’s family.

Pat Driscoll’s trio of Victorian awards

Pat Driscoll, the principal of Haras Des Trotteurs, was among the biggest winners at the 2023 Victorian Awards function.

He figures as the breeder of the Victorian Horse of the Year and Aged Trotting Entire/Gelding of the Year Just Believe (Orlando Vici-Heavens Above), who won eight of his 11 starts last season including the Inter Dominion Trotting Championship Grand Final, the Great Southern Star and the Australian Trotting Grand Prix.

Pat also bred the 3YO Trotting Colt/Gelding of the Year winner The Locomotive (Muscle Mass-La Coocaracha) and the 4YO Trotting Mare of the Year Gardena Ronda (Used To Me-Val Gardena).

Numbered among The Locomotive’s six successes were the Vicbred Super Series Final, the Need For Speed and a heat of the Victoria Derby (third in Final).

Gardena Ronda, who is also raced by Driscoll, won five races last season headed up by the $100,000 Vicbred 4YO Final.

Roadmaster is promising

One of the most capable young pacers racing in Victoria at present is Roadmaster, who is making rapid progress through the classes. A Vicbred finalist as a three-year-old last season, the Art Major gelding is undefeated in two outings this season highlighted by his convincing win in the $25,000 Metropolitan Pace Final at Melton.

Roadmaster has a wealth of blood to back up his claims to further promotion, being by Art Major from Josies A Delight, by Bettor’s Delight from a cup class mare in Joy To Behold (1:56.2), by Fake Left from the grand producer Sweet Mover, by the former 2YO and 3YO of the Year Rip Van Winkle.

Josies A Delight is a half-sister to the four-time Group winner Joys A Babe 1:51.7 ($400,818), the QBred Triad winner Jasper 1:55.4 ($233,994) and Jakes A Joy 1:54.1 ($129,627).

Their dam, Joy To Behold, was a sister to the Wyhalla Cup winner Saldivar (1:57.6) and a half-sister to the exported Jaccamo 1:53.6 ($281,471), the Seymour Nursery winner Son Of Fortune and to Down The Catwalk, dam of the thrice Group winner Catwalk Beauty and grand-dam of the APG Gold Bullion and QBred Triad victor Cat King Cole (1:54.7).

Roadmaster was bred and is owned by Paul Lewis.

Won Lucky Creed

Nerano (Tintin In America), who won the Lucky Creed, main race on the opening of the Queensland Constellations carnival at Albion Park, is a seven-year-old Tintin In America gelding from the same family as that which produced a top WA pacer in Rakarebel.

NERANO REPLAY

Nerano, who won two heats of the Inter Dominion at last year’s series in Brisbane, has been among the top echelon for some time, and it was strong field he beat at Albion Park.

By Tintin In America, who sired the world champion racemare Shartin (1:46.8), Nerano is out of the Village Jasper mare Jass (1:58.1), whose dam Wind Chime was by Windshield Wiper from Rakabelle, by Surmo Hanover from the prolific broodmare Sentimental Belle, by Lumber Dream.

From the Rakabelle branch of it and to which Nerano belongs, others in the dual NSW Breeders Challenge Final placegetter Rocknroll Emma ($165,713), Rolling With Stell (1:54.2) and the Harold Park winner Maristella (1:56.8) are also members.

Kerry Clarke winning line

The $50,000 The Kerry Clarke winner at Gloucester Park, Acharne Girl, is a sister by Alta Christiano to While They Pray, who won the classic in 2020.

Acharne Girl’s win was her 11th success and lifted her stake tally to beyond $200,000 and she entitled to be ranked in the top bracket among the female brigade in WA.

Acharne Girl is out of a useful racemare in Slick Bird (1:55.7), a Bettor’s Delight mare who has produced others in the Group 2 winner Slick Artist 1:52 ($404,531) and the Listed winner Faster Than Dad 1:55.5 ($126,775).

Slick Bird was out of Who’s The Bird, a noted producer by Falcon Seelster from the Australian Pacing Gold winner Donna Who 1:57.1 ($244,668), by the free-legged stallion Golden Greek from the Queensland Oaks winner Girl Called Destiny.

Others from this fine family have been Ideal Escape (1:51.4), Smokin Bird (NZ Southland Oaks), the NZ Listed winner Who’s Delight (1:53.8), As It Is In Heaven (Vic. Premiere) and Son Of Greek.

Matriarch Trot winner

Virginia Clowers (Creatine), the end-to-end winner of the $25,000 Matriarch Trot at Melton, is a four-year-old trotter of some potential. Now in her second season racing, she has won nine and been three times placed from 28 starts for just shy of $100,000.

Virginia Clowers has a background of trotting blood second to none. Her sire, Creatine, has left the Victoria Oaks winner She’s Ruby Roo and other smart trotters in Lady Adelia, Hot To Trot and More Wanted. 

Her dam, Gina, is by Sundon, the leading sire of trotters for many years.

Virginia Clowers ranks as a half-sister to the smart NZ trotters Clifden Clowers ($114,093) and Time In A Bottle ($101,554).

Gina, who was only lightly raced, was out of Miss Theegee, by Gee Whizz II from Culpepper, by Game Pride from Royal Bond, by the dual gaited Gerry Mir and tracing to the U Scott mare Scott Esprit.

Other top trotters further back in this pedigree have been the Vicbred champions Is That A Bid and Locksley Lover, Melpark Magic, The Redwood winners Elusive Charm and Cognati, Mexican Invasion and the Victoria Derby winner Bonny Regina.

by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink