Group 1 double and an Inter Dominion heat winner for Father Patrick

It was a mammoth weekend of results for trotting sire Father Patrick, with the stallion siring a Group 1 double at Addington on Grand Prix Day and a Group 3 Inter Dominion Heat winner at Geelong.

At Addington on Sunday, the Paul Nairn trained and driven Confessional smashed the national 2-year-old trotting record for 1980m when taking out the $100,000 Group 1 Ace Of Clubs for 2YO Trotting Colts and Geldings, whilst the unbeaten filly High Energy put in a scarcely believable performance to come from last to win the Group 1 Ace Of Hearts for 2YO Trotting Fillies – breaking her own New Zealand record in the process.

Starting off the unruly spot in the Ace Of Clubs, Confessional travelled three-wide with cover before being unleashed by Nairn with a lap to go.

Once in front Confessional poured the speed on down the back with the lead pair gapping the field turning for home.

Confessional shook off the challenge from the race favourite Gold Bullion, who galloped under pressure in the straight, crossing the line three and three-quarter lengths ahead of his nearest rival Southern Diamond (by Creatine) who ran home strongly for second.

Confessional’s winning time of 2:25.5 (mile rate 1:58.2) bettered Ultimate Stride’s previous national record by 2.2 seconds.

It was his third race win to date and took his earnings to $72,289.

Bred and raced by Birchbrook Breeding and Rob and Lynne Paterson, Confessional is out of the former NZ 2YO and 3YO Trotting Filly of the Year/Australian 3YO Trotting Filly of the Year, Habibti, a five time Group 1 winning daughter of Love You who won three Oaks and two Derbies.

The Mark Purdon and Hayden Cullen trained High Energy overcame a torrid run in the $100,000 Ace Of Hearts to maintain her unbeaten status.

Last with less than a lap to go, and stuck on the back of a horse unable to improve, High Energy was forced to make her run four wide before finding brief respite on the back of The Ivy League.

Approaching the home turn and still six lengths off the lead, Purdon set her alight, with the filly showing a devastating turn of foot to reel in the leaders in the blink of an eye and win going away by two and a half lengths.

It was a Father Patrick sired quinella, with The Ivy League finishing second, while the sole Creatine filly in the field, Walkinonsunshine, ran home well for fourth.

High Energy’s time of 2:26 lowered  her own 2-year-old trotting fillies New Zealand record that she had set the previous weekend by almost 2 seconds.

She has now won all five of her race day starts for earnings of $107,400.

Like Confessional, High Energy is bred in the purple, being out of another NZ 2YO and 3YO Trotting Filly of the Year in High Gait, a four-time Group 1 winning daughter of Muscles Yankee.

She was bred by Breckon Farms and is raced by their Breckon Farms Super Six Syndicate.

With seven Group 1 winners to date, Father Patrick has produced an incredible 10.45% Group 1 winners to starters down-under, and 21% Group 1 performers to starters.

With an unassailable lead now, Father Patrick is guaranteed to take out the 2022 New Zealand 2YO Trotting Sires Premiership, with fellow Nevele R stallion Creatine looking a lock to take the second spot.

Across the Tasman, Mufasa Metro, continued his terrific run of form in the Inter Dominion Trotting Championship, with a tenacious win on Saturday following two second placings in the first two rounds of heats.

The John Justice trained 4-year-old son of Father Patrick speared to the lead and refused to let the joint favourite Queen Elida get past him in straight, winning by a head.

A recent winner of the Breeders Crown Championship for the 4YO male trotters, Mufasa Metro is the winner of 10 races and $160,875 in stakes.  

He is out of the Group 1 NZ National Trot winning Safely Kept mare Paris Metro.

Frozen semen is available for Father Patrick in both New Zealand and Australia for a fee of NZ$6,000 + GST and AU$6,600 including GST.