Son of Father Patrick takes out Vicbred Final
The Jayne Davies trained Commodus was a stylish winner of the Group 1 Vicbred Super Series 2YO Trotting Colts and Geldings Final at Melton on Saturday night.
Asked to sprint at both ends of the race, Commodus blazed off the gate from the outside of the front row to take the lead before handing up to the race favourite Vytis.
He was off again as soon as the passing lane presented itself, sprinting home strongly to best Vytis by a little over a length at the line, with fellow son of Father Patrick, Zarski taking out third place.
His winning mile rate was a smart 1:59.5 for the 2240m trip.
Already forging a much more illustrious career than his Roman Emperor namesake, Commodus has now won two of his four race-day starts (having finished second in the other two) and banked $58,250 in stakes.
Bred by Pat Driscollʻs Yabby Dam Farms, he is out of the unraced Muscle Hill mare American Jewel.
Commodus is Father Patrickʻs eighth Australasian Group 1 winner and sees him maintain his impressive strike rate of 10.5% stakes winners to starters in the Southern Hemisphere.
Father Patrick is currently a close third on the Australian 2YO Trotting Sires Premiership, while in New Zealand he is in the top three on the All Age (3rd), 2YO (2nd), 3YO (1st) and 4YO (3rd) Trotting Sires Tables.
In North America, his outstanding son Highland Kismet was sublime in winning his Canadian Trotting Classic elimination in a new stakes and Canadian record of 1:51.2 for a 3-year-old trotting gelding at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Saturday.
The Hambletonian runner-up has now won seven races and just over $600,000 in stakes.
Like Commodus, he is out of a Muscle Hill mare.
Finishing second to Highland Kismet, and also advancing to this weekendʻs Canadian Trotting Classic Final, was the Father Patrick colt Security Protected, who is also the winner of over $600,000 in stakes to date.