A dream 20 years in the making was fulfilled last Saturday by Ballarat breeders Bruce and Vicki Edward, who brought out Bettor Beach to win the Group 1 $150,000 Pryde’s Easifeed Victoria Oaks at Melton Entertainment Park.
The couple established Durham Park Standardbreds at Durham Lead, near Ballarat, in 2006 and, while they have captured the majority of the state’s age classics, several more than once, a win in the Victoria Oaks had always eluded them.
“As a breeder, the Oaks has a special appeal. I actually owned Sweet Bella, who won the Oaks in 2023, but this is the first Oaks winner that we’ve bred,” Edward said.
“We’re basically breeders. We don’t race a lot of horses. The ones that we race are generally the ones that are passed in at the sales.”
Bettor Beach, who failed to reach her reserve at the Nutrien Equine Melbourne Yearling Sale in 2024, has now won $200,520 from seven wins in 10 starts, including two Group 1s.
By the supersire Bettor’s Delight, and the fifth Victoria Oaks winner by the Woodlands Stud flagship, Bettor Beach is the second foal and winner out of the multiple Group placegetter Beach Garden, whose dam, Garden Gate Tina, was imported from North America by the Edwards in 2011.
Victorian-bred performers won four of the six Group events contested on the night.
Let Her Roll, the last-stride winner of the Group 3 $50,000 Ladyship Cup, was bred by and is part-owned by Maryborough club president Craig Cameron and his brother Bruce.
Now the winner of five Group/Listed races, the Sweet Lou mare is out of dual Group 1 winner Rocknroll Magic and belongs to the same maternal family as previous Ladyship Cup winners Jazzam (2009) and Golden Flyin (2005).
Ijustcantseeit, who came from near last to score a thrilling win in the Group 1 $60,000 Mimosa Homes Victoria Trotters Oaks, was bred by and is part-owned by Longlea participants Bec and Paul Morrissey, with Bec also training the mare.
The first foal of an unraced Majestic Son mare, she belongs to the same family as the ‘black type’ square-gaiters Sundon’s Courage, Wish Upona Dream, Lacey Truscott and Truscott Dawn.
I Am Wilma, the record-breaking winner of the Group 1 $60,000 Aldebaran Park Bill Collins Trotters Sprint, was bred by and is part-owned by Jeparit enthusiast Wayne Schulze, whose horses carry the ‘Aleppo’ moniker.
The four-year-old Father Patrick mare is a daughter of dual Group winner Aleppo Jewel, an Angus Hall half-sister to the Group or Listed winners Aleppo Sunrise and Aleppo Midas.
- The siblings Cazadero and Calexico won on the same card at the Swan Hill day meeting. Both were bred and are raced by Ballarat enthusiast Verna El-Khishin.
- The first Australian foals by Swedish champions Maharajah and Calgary Games have arrived at Aldebaran Park. Maharajah has a colt out of Aldebaran Misty and a filly out of Aldebaran Deebee, while Calgary Games has a filly out of Aldebaran Tess.
- River Storm, who won the Vicbred Voucher race at Cranbourne, is a son of Group 3 winner Bettor Downunder, the dam of four sub-2:00 winners from four foals.
