Father Patrickʻs progeny impress
There were a number of smart winners for Father Patrick over the weekend, with him siring all three trot winners at Addington on Friday night, and another at Ashburton on Sunday afternoon – all of them scoring in impressive fashion.
At Addington, the Greg and Nina Hope trained Habibti Pat made it two wins from two starts in the 2YO Trot, comfortably reeling in the Father Patick debutant Paddy McDaddy in the straight to score by half a length.
Bred by Julie Maghzal, the regally bred filly is out of the Group 1 winning Love You mare Habibti Ivy, a sister to the multiple Group 1 winners Habibti and Habibti Inta.
In the Garrards Trot, the Hayden Cullen trained 3-year-old Major Cyclone made light work of winning despite racing out of his grade, with the maiden trotter sweeping to the lead with 800m to go and proving too good for his older rivals, crossing the line a length a three-quarters clear of the field.
Bred by Alabar NZ, Major Cyclone is out of the two-win Majestic Son mare Cyclone Emily, making him closely related to the Great Southern Star winner Glenferrie Typhoon.
In the final trot race of the night, last seasonʻs Sires Stakes Championship winner Confessional made a statement in his first start as a 4-year-old, coming from last to win going away by two and a quarter lengths.
A Group 1 winner at two, the Paul Nairn trained trotter has now won five races and $121,516 in stakes earnings.
Effectively a blood brother to earlier winner Habibti Pat, Confessional is out of the five-time Group 1 winning Love You mare Habibti.
At the Ashburton meeting on Sunday afternoon it was the turn of the Bob Butt trained Cyclone Zion W, who blitzed his rivals by almost seven lengths.
The 3-year-old son of Father Patrick hails from the same family as the Friday night winner Major Cyclone, being out of the Safely Kept mare Cyclone Vance, the dam of the multiple Group 1 winner and $500,000 plus earner Glenferrie Typhoon.
Father Patrick currently leads both the NZ 2YO and 3YO Trotting Sires Tables and is third on the All-Age Trotting Sires Premiership.
In North America, Father Patrickʻs best 3-year-old son, the Hambletonian runner-up Highland Kismet, was sublime in the $164,000 Simcoe Stakes at Woodbine Mohawk Park, winning by three and three-quarter lengths under a hold and in a new stakes record of 1:51.6.
Unraced at two, it was Highland Kismetʻs sixth win and took his earnings for the year to $583,085.
He is the first foal of the eight-win Muscle Hill mare Highland Top Hill.