Trotting phenomenon Volstead reached an important milestone when his three-year-old progeny broke through the $1 million barrier at the Redwood carnival at Maryborough.

Melbourne breeder and financial advisor Harvey Kaplan has been at the forefront of the standardbred breeding industry, both in his home state and New Zealand for more than 20 years.

Among the top flight performers he has brought out are Bling It On, Baby Bling, Mach Doro, Fly Like An Eagle, Flaming Flutter and Arctic Fire, just to name a few.

Victoria’s reputation as the hub of the Australian standardbred breeding industry was further amplified with the results of the huge Victoria Cup meeting at Melton Entertainment Park.

Three of the six Group 1 winners were bred in Victoria….Best Deal, winner of the $200,000 Woodlands Stud Victoria Derby, Just Believe, who took out the $75,000 Aldebaran Park Bill Collins Trotters Sprint, and Keayang Zahara, the runaway winner of the $75,000 Catanach’s Jewellers Victoria Trotters Oaks.

The steady flow of Australian and New Zealand horses to North America continues unabated, and the class of horse being sold ranges from Cup class pacers down to virtually maiden class horses.

Australian Pacing Gold have added a new yearling sale to their roster this year in South Australia, bringing their nationwide total to five States.

A carefully planned, well managed breeding program is starting to reap rewards for enthusiastic Goulburn Valley breeder-owner and businessman Frank Jessup.

The profound influence exerted by the immortal Western Hanover on the pacing breed and Muscles Yankee on the trotting side was emphasized with the results of the $1.5 million Vicbred Super Series meeting at Melton.

The American horse Volstead and Ballarat breeder Pat Driscoll were the dominant forces from a breeding standpoint in the heats of the Haras Des Trotteurs sponsored Vicbred Super Series for trotters at Geelong.

Many of Victoria’s leading standardbred breeders were to the forefront in the heats of the Alabar Bloodstock sponsored Vicbred Super Series for two, three and four-year-old pacers conducted at Bendigo, Kilmore and Melton last week.

A feature of the first crop sires’ statistics to date this season is the strong showing by colonial bred sires in the two-year-old racing.

Finley breeder-owner Ashley Haynes and Group winning trotters are synonymous in Victorian harness racing circles.

Popular Maryborough breeder-owners and harness racing benefactors Len and Irene Parker are in high spirits after winning races with three of their team this season.

The trio are boom pacer Major Moth, talented three-year-old Meteor Moth and promising youngster Ideal Moth. Another of their team, Archie Moth, has finished second on three occasions.

An empty broodmare who changed hands for a modest $500 more than 30 years ago has established one of Victoria’s most successful families of trotters that was underscored by the runaway success of Dichotomy at Melton last Saturday night.

When brothers Terry and David Lewis bought the broodmare Brilliant Disguise in 2002, it was to be the start of a breeding dynasty spanning three generations that has produced one of ‘finds’ of the Victorian season, Isthisjustfantasy.

Burrumbeet trainer Michael Stanley took a chance when sending his mare Our Chelsea Girl to the rookie stallion Soho Lanikai a few years ago, and his gamble paid off at Kilmore last Thursday.

The two-year-old colt Captain Moore was the resulting progeny of that mating and he has shown plenty of ability so far in his career, placing on debut at Cranbourne last month before breaking through for his maiden triumph in the Broadstead Kilmore Pace.

A breeding and racing partnership formed 52 years ago between Peter Watkinson and Bruce Paul was thrust into prominence when Sahara Tiger outsprinted a smart field in a career-best 1:51 at Melton last Saturday night.

“We first met at the City of Nunawading offices back in 1972. I was a planning cadet and Bruce was one of the building surveyors,” Watkinson said.

“We’re extremely pleased with his 1:54 effort on a cold night at Melton.  He’s not fully wound up yet.”

The speaker is Aldebaran Park principal Duncan McPherson OAM after watching his homebred star Aldebaran Zeus outsprint a smart field in the Aldebaran Park Trotters Free-for-all last Saturday night.

Promising four-year-old You Beauty and jovial Horsham owner-trainer-driver Aaron Dunn achieved an important milestone in their careers when they combined for a last-to-first success in the Beraldo Coffee Mares’ Final at Melton last Saturday.

The Sportswriter mare is a fourth generation winner for the Dunn family from a line tracing back to the Keystone Scotch mare Koomberkine.