Several of the largest players in Victorian standardbred breeding shone brightly on the big stage at the $1.5 million Vicbred Super Series finals at Melton on Saturday night.

Ballarat district breeders Pat Driscoll and Bruce Edward bred no less than five of the 12 winners between them.

Driscoll’s Yabby Dam Farms produced three of the six divisional winners in the trotting section – Valtino, The Locomotive and Gardena Ronda – while Edward, proprietor of Durham Park Standardbreds, landed a double with the two-year-old pacing final winners Stormryder and Draw A Dream.

Driscoll’s tally of Vicbred champions stands at 11 and Edward has now bred six final winners.

The convincing win of Petracca in the three-year-old colts and geldings’ finale provided brothers Bruce and Craig Cameron with their fourth Vicbred championship. They bred Major Secret, Rocknroll Magic and Safe And Sound in partnership with Maryborough breeder Peter Gleeson.

Breeding partners Ashley Haynes, Chris Shaw and Ted and Brian Payne were represented by their third Vicbred final winner in Arcee Phoenix.

The two-year-old champions Eljaykay Phoenix (2014) and Princess Phoenix (2015) were also bred by the group.

Other Victorian breeders to taste success on Vicbred finals night were Peter Watkinson and Bruce Paul (Sahara Breeze), the late Lindsay Griffey (Solesseo Matuca) and Bruce Phillips and Kerrie Lee (Violet Stanford).

Triple Vicbred champion Amore Vita was bred and is raced by New Zealanders Steve Dolan and the late Grant Adamson, while Queenslander Bruce Wyborn figures as the breeder-owner of Susan Is Her Name.

Leading American sire Captaintreacherous took the siring honours on the night with a winning treble – Stormryder, Petracca and Sahara Breeze. The Empire Stallions’ sire has sired nine individual Vicbred champions.

The Locomotive, the winner of the three-year-old trotting males’ division, was the solitary winner on the night out of a former Vicbred champion. His dam, La Coocaracha, took out the four-year-old series in 2001.

Of the 12 new Vicbred champions, only five were offered at the yearling sales. Petracca and The Locomotive sold for $80,000 and $60,000 respectively at the inaugural Nutrien Equine Melbourne Sale in 2021, Stormryder realised $57,000 at the 2022 Melbourne APG sale, Valtino made $20,000 at the Nutrien Equine Melbourne sale in 2022 and Draw A Dream failed to reach the reserve at the same auction.

Siblings Twixten (by Trixton) and Pesco Pollo (by Love You) quinellaed the trotters’ race at Cobram on Monday. Both are out of the cups-winning mare Cold Sister USA

The unbeaten juvenile Goodtime Sammy, who stood at Ian Slater’s Goodtime Lodge, near Colac, has been relocated and will stand this season at Spurrs Stud, Wagin (WA).

Emmy Mazzetti, president of the Victorian Harness Racing Club, cheered home a winner at Kilmore recently in Lollipop, who he bred and owns.

Have Victorian breeding news for The Forum? Email whartonp@bigpond.net.au

The opinions expressed in The Forum are those of the author and may not be attributed to or represent policies of Harness Racing Victoria, which is the state authority and owner of thetrots.com.au.