Lather Up Colt Lucky to be Alive

The Lather Up colt, listed as Lot 339 at the Australian Pacing Gold Sydney Sale at Warwick Farm on Sunday, February 25, had a rather unusual start to his life.

“We call him ‘Flash’ for two reasons,” breeder and part-owner Jason Gaffney said. “He was a beautiful colt when he was born and secondly, two weeks after he was born we got the flash flooding in Forbes.

“He spent a week in the grandstand at the Forbes racecourse because it was the highest bit of ground we had near the house at the time!”

Over the ensuing 15 months the colt has developed into a strapping youngster.

“He’s a double rig though just like My Field Marshal, one of the fastest horses that we’ve ever had in Australasia,” Gaffney said.

The only progeny of the world champion Lather Up (1:46) at the Sydney sale, the colt is the first foal out of Jilliby Lollie, a Christian Cullen half-sister to Jilliby Bartel ($89,919), the Listed winner Jilliby Ablett and to the dam of the Tontine winner Jilliby Sellwood.

The colt is being prepared for the sale by Gaffney’s wife Melissa, who part-owns him.

Jason’s sister Emma is the secretary of the Forbes Harness Racing Club.

“The whole family’s been involved in the sport for as many years as I can remember,” Jason said.

Besides his breeding and training activities, Jason has a full-time job as a field officer with National Parks and Wildlife in Forbes.

“I’m hoping that with a few yearlings in each sale and breeding a few more foals I can get into breeding full-time one day,” he said.

“I’ve got nine foals due in the coming season.”

Uptown Beachgirl, a winner of 13 races including three Group 3’s and $176,382 in stakes, is the best horse Gaffney has been involved with.

“She’s only just been retired. She raced in the Inter Dominion heats at Albion Park and broke down after that,” he stated.

The promising New Zealand-bred mare Chynchilla, a finalist in last year’s Victoria Oaks and Breeders Crown, is another pacer owned by the Gaffney family.

“I sold Spencer through the APG Sydney sale in 2018. He was one of the last horses trained by Gavin Lang.

“He looked like being a good horse but he had a few injuries along the way.  His dam Seville Lady has left four to race for three winners and the fourth foal has run fourth and third at her last two starts,” Jason stated.

For full details of lot 339 and all catalogued yearlings in the 2024 Australian Pacing Gold Yearling Sales please visit our Online Sales Catalogue or Register as a Buyer now