Aussie stable snippets

HIGHLY respected Melbourne breeder-owner Dr Martin Hartnett could be excused for having a big smile after the latest Bendigo harness racing meeting.

Apart from his young team of Greg Sugars and Jess Tubbs providing him with a winning double, the “Doc” also landed a special race trifecta during the night.

The winner and both placegetters in the $7000 Race Services Pace were all bred by Hartnett – Illawong Class (Modern Art-Classy Shiela); Daddywho (Illawong Precocity-Kaysu); and Poppys Princess (Elsu-Illawong Shirley).

While Illawong Class (a half-brother to the brilliant Barimah) is raced by Hartnett and his wife Kay, Daddywho is now owned by Greg and Steve Leight, J Mitchell and E Scobie while Poppys Princess is in the ownership of Wayne, B.W and A.D Gretgrix.

The other Hartnett winner at Bendigo was Illawong Mustang (Mach Three-Light In Every Day). The gelding is showing he is a more than handy three year old and his win brought up a training treble for Tubbs (she also won with the Domenic Martello-owned I Choose (Bacardi Lindy-Joyces Choice).

Sugars also chipped in on a good night’s work, with three wins in the sulky.

The Larajay Farms couple have started the new season in fine form.  Tubbs has “all guns ablazin’” and a neat strike rate, with 16 wins and 12 placings from just 38 starts. The ever-reliable Sugars is again in fine touch with 29 wins and 46 placings, putting him just off the pace from, needless-to-say, the marvel Chris Alford (33wins and 48 placings).

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IT didn’t take long for Anthony Butt and his partner Sonya Smith to hit the scoreboard in Sydney after taking up a new role.

The couple are now private trainers at Menangle for the powerful Emilio and Mary Rosati stable, who operate under the ownership of E & M Stride.

Four-year-old gelding Always A Stride (Art Major-Labretta Falcon (Falcon Seelster) scored a nice win recently at his home track at 10/1. Reined by Anthony, the duo took out the $9000 Woodstock Bourbon Pace In 1.55.

Butt bobbed up at Melton on Saturday night with former USA mare Lily Stride (Muscle Hill-Sterling Volvo) in the Group One $50,000 Bill Collins Trotters Sprint. The pacer, sent out a 12/1 chance, worked home strongly over the concluding stages to grab third spot, only metres from the winner McLovin.

Meanwhile, the champion trainer Noel Daley (who relinquished the number one post with the Rosati couple two weeks ago to return to the States) has made his presence known at the Lexington Selected Yearling sales in Kentucky.

He was the successful bidder on a number of well-bred youngsters.

Anthony Butt

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WHILE he was described as being “like one of the family” by connections, the loss of potential star stallion Hurrikane KingCole is sure to leave a gaping hole in the breeding industry as well.

His first season at stud in Australia produced winners such as Youaremy Sunshine, Frost En Ice, Sugar Cane, and the list goes on.

In the breeding barn before he left the United States, the Son of Cams Card Shark sired impressive talent in the form of Hurrikane Express (1.52 $219,902) and Hurrikane Emperor (1.49-3 $369,476).

Hurrikane KingCole, who was standing at Queensland’s Egmont Park Stud, the farm of Kevin and Kay Seymour, was found dead in his paddock recently.

He had been well patronized in Australia with breeding buffs having very high expectations for his progeny.

Kevin Seymour described it as one of the most disappointing losses in 50 years of breeding in harness racing.

The late Hurrikane KingCole (Courtesy Egmont Park)

Seymour had envisaged the horse as a great replacement for the ill-fated Fake Left and would be amongst the top leading sires in our country.