An unwavering faith in European bloodlines has reaped rewards for prominent Ballarat breeder-studmaster Pat Driscoll in the case of Callmethebreeze, the track record-equalling winner of the $300,000 Yabby Dam Farms Great Southern Star at Melton.
Trained by globetrotting horseman Anton Golino and expertly driven by Nathan Jack, the handsome Trixton entire has pocketed $195,600 from three starts since being imported from France by Driscoll last year.
“I purchased his half-sister Onestar LB a number of years ago as a broodmare prospect via the French agent Christian Le Barby,” Driscoll said. “She has been a frustrating breeder, but we have liked what she has produced.
“Anton mentioned to me that Philippe Allaire had a very good horse called Callmethebreeze, a half-brother to Onestar LB that was racing very well in Europe.
He won Group 1 races as a two, three and four-year-old in Italy and amassed more than $1.3million in stakemoney.
“Callmethebreeze ran second in his heat of the Swedish Cup at the Elitlopp meeting at Solvalla last year. He then ran second in the final beaten a head in 1:51.3.
“I thought he was a very, very, nice horse,” Pat said.
“Volstead, a stallion we stood for his first two years, competed in the 2017 Swedish Cup as a five-year-old (the same age as Callmethebreeze). Volstead won the Cup by a head in a similar time.
“Both horses being very well bred, have speed and are strong.”
A few weeks after watching Callmethebreeze’s Swedish Cup assault, Driscoll visited the Haras De Bouttemont stud, of Philippe and Gitte Allaire, Normandy where Ready Cash heads a select sire list.
“We had a look at their latest stallions and also had a look at Callmethebreeze during that visit. I indicated to Gitte that if he was ever for sale I would be interested, not thinking that he would ever be, and if he was that he would be at a price I couldn’t afford,” Pat stated.
“In July last year I got a call from Christian Le Barby saying that he believed that Philippe may sell Callmethebreeze. I made an offer and as they say the rest is history.
“So, a very big thank you to Christian, Gitte and Philippe.”
As the winner of $1.5million and being by a Hambletonian winner out of a dual Group 1 winning Italian bred mare and a member of one of America’s most successful trotting families, Callmethebreeze boasts stud credentials second-to-none when his racing days are ended.
The Sweet Lou filly The Answer scored her most important win to date in the Garrard’s Horse & Hound Gold Chalice at Melton. The filly was bred and is part-owned by Jennifer Curran
Champion sire Captaintreacherous had four runners in the 10-horse field for the $75,000 4YO Bonanza in Frankie Ferocious, Perfect Class, Captains Knock and Captain Hammerhead and they ran first, second, third and fourth respectively
The Portland-based Bourke family landed a ‘double’ last Friday with Yappas Courage (Hamilton) and the three-year-old colt Alot Like Louie (Bendigo)
