Father Patrick filly takes out Breeders Crown Final

Successful young North American trotting sire Father Patrick notched up his first Southern Hemisphere Group 1 winner in the Breeders Crown Final for 2YO Trotting Fillies at Tabcorp Park Melton on Saturday evening, with the Maree Caldow trained Sangreal charging home late to edge out fellow Father Patrick filly Evas Image in an exciting finish.

Four back on the markers for much of the running, and pushed even further back at the 500m mark, Sangreal and driver Daryl Douglas managed to weave a path through a wall of horses in the straight to storm home up the inside and score by a neck from a strongly finishing Evas Image.

The win was Sangreal’s second and took her earnings to $59,290, making her the richest 2-year-old trotter in Australia in 2020.

Sangreal is out of the winning Sundon mare Solar Flash, the dam also of last season’s 2YO Trotting Colts and Geldings Breeders Crown Final runner-up Andover Sun.

Like Sangreal, Evas Image, whom is also the winner of two races this season, is bred on a Father Patrick – Sundon broodmare sire line cross, with her dam the multiple Group 1 winner Shes An Image being by Last Sunset, a son of Sundon.

Australia’s leading first crop trotting sire, Father Patrick is also currently a close second on the overall Australian 2YO Trotting Sires Premiership with less than half the number of starters of the leading sire.

Father Patrick’s outstanding debut crop also features the Group 1 runner-up Keayang Xena and the New Zealand based NZB Standardbred Harness Millions place-getter Son Of Patrick, as well as the promising Breeders Crown Finalist Have No Fear.