To the naked eye Ilikemebettor took out the third race at Saturday night’s Ballarat Cup meeting but the photo-finish showed that the son of Bettors Delight had been joined by Spring In His Step on the line for a dead-heat result.
The win was Ilikemebettor’s 7th and took his earnings to $108,938 to go with the 1:50 mark he took with a win at Menangle in December.
Lot 128A in the Nutrien Melboune Yearling Sale is an American Ideal half-sister to Ilikemebettor with her dam Arty Chick being a half-sister to another sub 1:50 performer in Cash N Flow p,1:49.0 $598,801.
Arty Chick is also a half-sister to former Australian 2yo Filly of the Year in Katy Perry p,1:51.1 $550,093 and to Pitch Perfect p,1:49.8 $136,979 which finished third in the Tamworth City Cup last Friday night.
Few yearlings being offered in Australia or New Zealand this year are able to boast three sub 1:50 performers in the first two dams and Lot 128A is clearly from a high speed family.
This filly is being prepared by Mark Commandeur from Benstud Victoria for vendor Brett Chapman and Mark can be contacted on 0429 950 055 to arrange for a pre-sale inspection.
Also winning at Ballarat on Saturday night was the Majestic Son trotter Norquay which recorded his tenth victory when taking out the second event on the programme.
Norquay has a record of tr,1:56.9 and earnings of $118,760.
Norquay is one of two winners produced by the American bred mare Access To Success whose dam Nimble Nan is a half-sister to Nans Catch tr,1:54.8 $766,074 and who will be forever famous as the dam of USA Hall of Fame Immortal Moni Maker tr,1:52.2 $5,589,256.
Yabby Dam Farms will offer a half-sister to Norquay as Lot 117 in Nutrien’s Melbourne Sale and this filly combines the very best of European and American trotting blood being a daughter of the remarkable Love You.
Love You is the sire of more than 2100 winners across Europe, North America, New Zealand and Australia including the outstanding mare Belina Josselyn tr,1:53.0 $4,257,415 which won five races at Group One Level in France between 2018 and 2020.
Lot 117 is being prepared by the team at Yabby Dam Farms and early inspection can be arranged by a call to 0428 792 834.
Career win number 11 came up for the Rock N Roll Heaven gelding Misterriodejaneiro at Redcliffe on Monday evening for trainer Tayla Gillespie and driver Matt Elkins.
Misterriodejaneiro is one of the eight winners produced by the broodmare gem Miss Brazilian which has made a smooth start to her broodmare career with her first eight foals all being winners and her ninth foal is named Tap Out and is expected to commence racing as a 2yo in 2022.
Those eight winners include Mister Brazil p,1:51.2 $243,069, Benicio p,1:50.6 $221,686, Lets Go To Brazil p,1:51.1 $147,882, Handsome Major p,3,1:55.5 $112,332 and last season’s three-time 2yo winner Tony Sloy p,2,1:57.7.
Both Handsome Major and Tony Sloy are sons of Art Major as is Lot 83 in the Nutrien Sydney Yearling Sale next month which is being offered by Sloys Company Pty Ltd.
Art Major has clicked well with the immediate maternal family of Lot 83 as, in addition to the winners from Miss Brazilian, 2yo NSW Breeders Challenge winners Louvre p,3,1:54.5 $402,665 and Renaissance Man p,1:53.1 $297,904 are half relations to Miss Brazilian by Art Major.
Treuer Memorial winner My General Lee p,1:52.2 $261,897 is another half-relation to Miss Brazilian by Art Major as is the Tasmanian Oaks placegetter Priceless Gem p,1:55.5 $80,861.
Lot 83 is being prepared by Craig Judd from Benstud New South Wales and Craig can be contacted on 0458 658 273 to arrange a pre-sale inspection.
Illawong Bardot, dam of Lot 39 in the Nutrien Sydney Yearling Sale, became a winner producer when her 3yo daughter Illawong Larajay, by Swedish stallion Sebastian K, won a maiden at Bendigo last Thursday for trainer Jess Tubbs and driver Greg Sugars.
Murray River Cattle Company will offer a full-sister to Illawong Larajay next month.
Illawong Bardot is a half-sister to 2021 2yo winner Confiscated which is also a daughter of Sebastian K.
Sebastian K set the harness racing world alight in 2014 when he became the first trotter to better the 1:50 mark when he trotted a mile in 1:49.0 at the Pocono Downs track in North America.
Sebastian K won 34 races and $2,973,252 including five at Group One level in Europe and in 2014 he was voted the USTA’s 4yo Horse and Gelding Trotter of the Year.
He has sired winners in Europe, North America and Australia including the slick On Advice tr,3,1:54.5 which won both a heat and the final of the 3yo NSW Trotters Foundation in 2021.