Passionate Melbourne hobby breeder Shayne Last has enjoyed a productive fortnight with a small, select band of broodmares.
Last, who along with business partner Chris Belden conducts S C Bloodstock, brought out five winners and a placegetter from four runners.
Gifted trotting mare Perfidious Sue started the ball rolling with a smart front-end performance at Maryborough on November 20. She backed up to win again at Melton last Saturday night.
Handy mare Major Drama (pictured) notched back-to-back successes at Terang and Charlton, while the two-year-old The Villain won for the second time after leading at Kilmore. Bettor Man, a two-year-old trotter, finished a close second on the same card as his half-sister Perfidious Sue prevailed at Maryborough.
Perfidious Sue and Bettor Man are both out of the Elsu mare Valiant Sue, who was Last and Belden’s first foray into the breeding industry.
“We bought Valiant Sue through Peter and Craig Judd of Benstud Standardbreds,” Shayne said. “They suggested that Dean Braun was looking to sell a mare that had been racing and was in foal to Mach Three.”
Valiant Sue, who earned $100,177 and took a record of 1:54.2, left three winners from six foals, including the Melton winners Valiant Charger (10 wins) and Perfidious Sue (8 wins) and Majestic Sue (9 wins).
“Unfortunately, we lost Valiant Sue and her Majestic Son foal this season. It was heart wrenching,” Shayne said.
“Majestic Sue, Valiant Sue’s oldest daughter, is in foal to Captain Crunch.”
Majestic Sue is one of three broodmares currently being bred from by the partners. The others are the Moonee Valley winner Golden Showgirl, the dam of six winners including the Group 1 victor Smooth Showgirl, and the Rocknroll Hanover mare Rocknroll Rama, dam of Major Drama.
The trio are based at Shane Murphy’s Mountain View Stud, near Ballarat.
Other winners bred by S C Bloodstock include the Menangle and Albion Park winner Sweet Agenda and Always The Showman.
“We don’t keep the colts that we breed. We lease out the fillies and sell the colts. That’s our business model,” Shayne stated.
Victorian breeders fared strongly north of the border last weekend. Isthisjustfantasy, bred and owned by David and Terry Lewis, took out the Teeny Teeny Stakes at Menangle, while The Locomotive, bred by Pat Driscoll, won the opening heat of the Inter Dominion Trotting Championship at Newcastle.
Ballarat breeders Bruce and Vicki Edward, of Durham Park Standardbreds, led in three winners at the Melton double header with star three-year-olds Stormryder, Sir Jimmy and Uniquely Ideal.
Poster Boy continues to lead the first crop sires in every category. The Llowalong Farms’ stallion has sired 22 individual winners and they have won 36 races and $588,277.