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.

Up and coming NSW stars

Two smart young pacers to win at Menangle last Saturday were Kingman, bred and raced by Sydneysider Mick Harvey, and the New Zealand bred Miraculous, who was brought out by Breckon Farms.

Kingman, who spreadeagled his rivals at a 1:52.1 rating over 2300 metres, is a four-year-old entire by Always B Miki, and one of his third crop.

Kingman looks certain to take a tight mark and as a stayer he has a bright future. He is the first foal out of the Melton winner Gotta Go Dali Queen (1:52.8), a mare by the speedster Dali (grandson of Artsplace) from the NZ Jewels winner Gotta Go Harmony (1:55.5), by Christian Cullen from the champion racemare Elect To Live.

This family has consistently produced a number of good winners over the years. They include the NSW Breeders Challenge winner Captn Me, Bittersweet (Bathurst Gold Tiara), Gotta Go Cullect (successful sire), Gotta Elect Bill (Wellington Cup), Chynchilla, I Am Serengeti and My Harmony Blue.

Miraculous, who has won three of his four starts on Australian soil, is raced by big spending NSW owner Mick Boots, who won with the promising Donegal Luther on the same card.

Miraculous looks to have terrific potential. He is a four-year-old gelding by Bettor’s Delight from Kelly Maguire, dam of a top pacer of a few years back in Burnaholeinmypocket (1:52.1) and the exported Positano (1:50.4). Kelly Maguire was a Christian Cullen mare from the Group 2 winner Flash Atom (1:55), a Soky’s Atom mare from the noted Norice family.

Sweet Ideal is top mare

One of the most capable young mares racing in Victoria at present is the Sweet Lou mare Sweet Ideal, who has quickly won her way to the top flight.

The four-year-old has a wealth of blood to back up her claims to further promotion, being by Sweet Lou from Lagertha (1:56.5), by American Ideal from Total Credits, by Courage Under Fire and tracing back to Heytesbury Eve, who established a good winning line for the Lawlor family in Victoria’s western district.

Heytesbury Eve left the Victoria Youthful Stakes and 4YO Classic winner Speedy Heytesbury and Louise Mitch, dam of the prolific Globe Derby Park winner Flying Relay and the Hilarious Way Louise Butler, the great grand-dam of Sweet Ideal. 

Sweet Ideal is the best winner from this family in recent years but in an earlier decade it produced a smart pacer in Bad Billy, a winner of 18 races including the Hamilton Cup.

Milli Me is well bred

Milli M, who notched her fourth success from six starts at Menangle and is regarded as classics material of the highest order, is a three-year-old filly by Betting Line from the unraced mare Armillean.

She is a member of an old-time Tasmanian family, which was represented by a winner at Wagga in Nugget Rogers one day earlier than Milli Me won.

Armillean was a Rock N Roll Heaven mare from Manellira (1:56.9), by Art Major from the grand Fake Left mare Amarillen, the 2017 Broodmare of the Year and dam of nine individual winners including the Group 1 winners Villagem, Nostra Beach and Miss Graceland.

Amarillen, who was only lightly raced, ranked as a sister to the Tasmanian Oaks winner Tenirama and a half-sister to the Group 1 winner Terryrama 1:54.2 ($272,283) and the Tasmanian Dandy Patch victor Cody Maverick (1:58.9).

NSW Winter Gift winner

The most important race at Menangle last weekend, the $30,600 Winter Gift, was won by the Jilliby Kung Fu gelding Jilliby Fabio, who downed the hot favourite Alta William. Both had won their qualifying heats.

Jilliby Fabio, who was bred and originally trained by the Craven family in Victoria, has been an honest, consistent campaigner throughout his career, finishing in the money in 27 of his 48 starts. He has a stake tally of $110,054.

A four-year-old gelding, Jilliby Fabio was sired by the Chariots of Fire winner Jilliby Kung Fu, and is one of the second crop of the deceased Four Starzzz Shark horse.

He is out of Jilliby Jazzy, an unraced mare by the great Western Ideal from Jilliby Spice (1:57.9), by Albert Albert from Boorcan Queen, by What’s Next from the Gay Reveler mare Mozambique, who left six winners and belonged to the prized Miss Tommy tribe.

APG Melbourne Sales Graduate winner by Helpisontheway

Harperseven, the last stride winner of the $50,000 Australian Pacing Gold Melbourne Sales Graduate for two-year-old trotting fillies, run at Melton, is a daughter of the Chapter Seven horse Helpisontheway, whose frozen semen will be available this season from Geoff and Lorraine Barnes, of Balmain Lodge, Tatura (Vic.).

She had been placed at her previous two starts.

A $15,000 purchase at the 2024 sale, Harperseven is out of the American-bred mare Aldebaran Turnpike (1:59.6), by Cantab Hall from Benedicta Jet (1:59), by Donerail from Sandy’s Sister, by the Hambletonian winner and champion sire Super Bowl.

Aldebaran Turnpike, who was imported to Victoria by Duncan McPherson, the principal of Aldebaran Park, won five races including two at Melton and has left four winners.

Helpisontheway has sired three winners from three starters from only six foals of racing age in this country. In America, he has sired the winners of almost $7 million with 21 in the 1:55 list and three $500,000 earners.

Brothers win at Launceston

It was no mean feat for the full brothers Octagonise and Gordon’s Bay to win at the Launceston twilight meeting on Sunday.

Both are by the Somebeachsomewhere horse Captaintreacherous, one of Australia’s leading sires.

Corzan Effect, the dam of the siblings, was got by Jereme’s Jet out of the successful racemare Corzanello, who won twice in NZ. Besides Corzan Effect, she was also the dam of Im Corzin Terror (1:52.2), who won a string of country cups in Victoria and $513,219 in stakes, and the multiple Gloucester Park winner Corza Commotion (1:56.3).

Corzanello’s dam, Rear Window, was a half-sister to the NZ Great Northern Derby winners Hitchcock 1:56.4 ($423,395) and Sogo 1:52.8 ($424,718).

Octagonise and Gordon’s Bay were bred by Doug and Janet Moore’s Brooklyn Lodge stud, Bathurst.

Promising two-year-old trotter

Jays All That, who is proving himself a star juvenile trotter, has won two of his four starts highlighted by the $50,000 Australian Pacing Gold Melbourne Sales Graduate Series at Melton.

He is a two-year-old gelding by the Muscle Hill horse Elite Stride, sire of the top filly trotter Gladiatrix, and out of the unraced Peggyhall, a half-sister by Angus Hall to the SA Listed winner Solar Spirit. The family then descends through mares by the leading sires Maori’s Idol, Speed Supreme and Mt Everest to Robyn Raider, dam of a smart trotter in the Melbourne Showgrounds era, Lovely Way.

Jays All That ranks as a half-brother to the Breeders Crown and Vicbred finalist She’s Sky High.

by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink