The brilliant finishing flourish of the three-year-old trotting filly Sky Flair at Melton last Friday night firmly placed two of the quiet achievers of the Victorian standardbred breeding industry under the spotlight.

Dean and Blanche Poole, who conduct Rhiannon Park, a 105-acres equine agistment and reproduction property at Congupna, bred the filly from their broodmare hen Gypsy Flair and sold her at the Nutrien Equine sale in 2023.

Sky Flair is one of a host of winners bred and raised at Rhiannon Park over the past 20 years.

“The best horse we’ve bred is definitely Jilliby Kung Fu,” Blanche said.

Jilliby Kung Fu won 19 of his 47 starts including the Chariots of Fire, Vicbred 3YO Final and the Victorian 4YO Bonanza for $579,088 in stakes.

Banglez and Just A Bit Touchy, both older siblings of Sky Flair, tasted Group 1 success and were awarded Australian 2YO Trotting Filly of the Year in 2020 and 2021 respectively. Their dam, Gypsy Flair, was accorded the honour of Victorian Trotting Broodmare of the Year in 2021.

Among others bred by the Pooles have been the Tasmanian Derby winner Alby Two Chains, The Sportz Star, the 1:52 Menangle winner Go Without and the recent Gloucester Park victor Codename Marcus.

The Group 1 trotting winner Valerie Lane, the WA Derby and Inter Dominion heat winner Crombie, the Vicbred champion Charlie Machsheen, Dancing Finn, winner of the SA Golden Nursery and Sapling Stakes, and the metropolitan winners Arggghh, Sheer Strength, My Ultimate Kevvie and Vera Lane were all bred by clients of Rhiannon Park.

Blanche and Dean both grew up in the horse business.

Blanche’s father Robert Hamilton trained the cups-winning trotter Stirling Kiwi, while her mother Marion worked as a foaling attendant and yearling preparer at Alabar Bloodstock.

Blanche joined the staff at Alabar as a teenager before doing stints at Graham and Helen Head’s Grenada Park, Karamea Farm, Goldwood Park and Mick Lombardo’s Concorde Park.

Dean is a son of the successful breeder-owner Mac Poole, who bred the Group-winning squaregaiter Jackson Square.

“We are now breeding from his half-sister Majestic Grace, the dam of last year’s Breeders Crown winner Prohibited Grace,” Blanche said.

While the Pooles remain committed to the breeding business, they have cut back their numbers in recent times.

“We foaled down 50 mares last season. A few years ago we foaled down 90 mares in a season and rebred over 100,” Blanche said.

“We are a boutique operation with a small band of valued clients, some of which have been with us right from the start. We certainly don’t want to compete with the bigger-run establishments, that’s not what we are about.

“We like that we are small enough to remain hands-on ourselves. We pride ourselves in this aspect of our farm, we just want to give good service with good results for all our clients.”

Our Luciano, a gelding bred and owned by Rochester stalwarts Dennis Pangrazio and Keith Cotchin, took out the featured Kevin Thomas 4YO at Albion Park last Saturday.

Mitzi Said, the winner of the Vicbred Platinum Mares Sprint Championship Final at Melton, was bred by former Victorian Breeder of the Year Helen Head out of the American mare Mitzi M Hanover.

Generally Speaking, the first foal of former trotting queen Maori Time, posted a new lifetime mark of 1:54 winning at Hoosier Park, Indiana last Thursday.

The four-year-old was bred and is part-owned by Aldebaran Park principal Duncan McPherson.