The Rise And Rise Of Worm Burner At Stud

YVONNE Butcher says sometimes she can mistake the brindle dog in the kennel for the brindle bitch right next door.

“They are the spitting image of each other,” said Yvonne of exciting young stud dog Worm Burner and his daughter Coorong Lucy winner last week of a feature race at Angle Park and now nine from 14 starts.

She is one of the flag bearers for the early stock of Worm Burner (Oaks Road-Little Looper) who is proving himself at stud with fast race dogs, Group finalists, all from progeny that are oldest at two years and five months.

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“We have been very lucky with Worm Burner,” said Yvonne whose husband Cameron trained the dog to win the Group 1 National Sprint and set himself on to a career at stud.

“At last count, he has served about 90 bitches. Initially it was a lot of South Australian bitches which was to be expected because that is where he raced most.

“But after the first few litters started racing, he really has been popular among interstate broodbitch owners, right up to Queensland.

“One of his latest bitches to whelp was Bells Are Ringin the Sandown Cup winner and a litter sister to Ring The Bell and Blazin' Bomber. We are so pleased to get bitches like Bells Are Ringin recently.”

Yvonne says the overwhelming aspect of the progeny of Worm Burner she is hearing from breeders is that they are very much like him.

“We get a lot of people sending us photos of their pups because they love the look of them so much and they rave about their wonderful nature,” she said.

The Butchers cannot believe just how fertile Worm Burner is.

“It is a six-hour round trip for us to John Katakasi's clinic so we have got to the stage where we drive Worm Burner and On Fire down to John's and leave then there for a week to collect semen,” said Yvonne.

“In three collections during that week, Worm Burner is so fertile we can split them into 12 vials.”

While Worm Burner is yet to land his first Group winner, he has had a number of his youngest progeny into Group races including littermates Mister Harlewood (finalist G1 Vic Peters, G3 Cranbourne Classic) and Miss Bellawood (finalist G3 SA Oaks), and littermates Shorino (finalist G3 Speed Star 595, G3 Vince Curry Maiden, G3 Ipswich Gold Cup) and Kisses For Cloda a narrowly beaten 2nd in the G3 SA Oaks and finalist in the G3 Gawler Gold Cup.

Worm Burner is bred along similar lines to champion sire Fernando Bale carrying much of the same ancestors including Primo Uno and the Wheeler damline.

His daughter Coorong Lucy is in-bred 1×2 to Worm Burner and his half sister Hope's Up.

“Cameron said to me at the time we did the mating it was very close, but he wanted to give it a try,” said Yvonne.

“Coorong Lucy is a very good race bitch and the replica of her sire.”

That in itself is a pretty good recommendation especially considering Worm Burner started 83 times for an amazing 48 wins and 20 placings earning $380,000. As well as his National Sprint title he also won the G3 Brian Johnstone and Sth Aust Sprint Cship.

He was 2nd in the G1 Adelaide Cup, 3rd in the G1 Melbourne Cup and another Sth Aust Sprint Cship and a finalist in the G1 Topgun, G1 Temlee, G1 Adelaide Cup, G2 Shootout and G3 Gawler Gold Cup.