The old adage that it takes a few decades to become an overnight success was confirmed by Undera grazier and hobby breeder Ray Sellwood, whose stellar season was made even better when exciting two-year-old harness racing filly Arrhythmia defeated a star-studded field in the $100,000 Breeders Crown Final at Melton on Saturday evening.
This made the little Vincent filly the 27th winner bred and partly owned by Sellwood this season.
“I’ve been in the sport for about 40 years and I can’t believe we’ve produced so many off-farm winners in one season,” Sellwood said.
“Last year we bred 18 winners, but before that it was probably only one every two years. It has turned around quite quickly.”
Sellwood’s rise to glory and fame is thanks to Arrhythmia and her close relative, four-year-old Miki To Success.
“We have won the Vicbred Super Series two years in a row, as well as the Bonanza, Discovery and SA Pacing Cup with ‘Miki’, and the Breeders Crown and Vicbred with Arrhythmia,” said Ray.
ARYHTHMIE DEC 13 REPETITION
Sellwood’s success stems mainly from the Elsu mare Jo Louleonie, which he bought for $14,000 at the 2008 Victorian Yearling Sales.
“She won six races but had a breathing problem,” he said.
Jo Louleonie produced Jo An Leonie (by Somebeachsomewhere) as her first foal.
“We offered her at the yearling sale and she was purchased by Danny Zavitsanos for $27,000,” Ray said. “I hadn’t met or heard of Danny at the time.”
“When she finished racing, Danny offered me a half share if I was willing to take her back for breeding.
“After a while I told Danny I was going to take a third part. The best decision I ever made was to take a third, and the worst decision I ever made was not to take a half part!”
Jo An Leonie, herself a Group 2 winner, has left behind four winners from four racing-age foals, including listed winner Jo An Jo and Arrhythmia.
Sellwood currently breeds from just two mares, Jo An Jo and Jo Louleonie, dam of seven winners including Miki To Success.
“We lost Jo An Leonie about 15 months ago due to colic. We have just bred Jo An Jo to be King Of Swing,” said Sellwood.
“I have a number of starters in Miki To Success and it is a real pleasure to see the excitement they get out of it. They are now absolute addicts.”
Ray followed his late father Jim Sellwood into the sport.
“Dad won with horses trained by Alf Simons, Jack Mark, Peter Ward, Geoff Hill, Ian Chambers, Barry Key and himself. His best horses were Mandinka Man, who won ten races at Moonee Valley, and Twin Track, a good winner at the Melbourne Showgrounds,” he said.
- Captain Perfect, winner of the Breeders Crown Final for the three-year-old boys, became the third winner of his father’s classic Captaintreacherous in the past four years, joining Perfect Class (2023) and Captain Ravishing (2022).
- Adelaide Red, who won the Breeders Crown for two-year-old trotting mares, was bred by David and Ann Jack and is a member of the same family as 2013 Crown champion Im Stately
- Siblings Ultimaction (Mother of Pearl) and Miki Sing, who both won on the same card in Launceston on Sunday, were bred by Victorians Geoff Dodd and Marc Panton and are out of the good pedigree mare Powerful Princess
Through Peter Wharton for Harness Racing Victoria
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