Cantabrian Breeder Lands Unique Double

Prominent Canterbury Plains breeder-owner Don Bates enjoyed a red-letter day last Friday, producing winners on both sides of the Tasman within the space of just a few hours.

The first success came at Addington, where the talented four-year-old Ukraine stormed home from last to score a narrow but convincing victory at the midsummer meeting, backing up after winning at Oamaru nine days earlier.

The Captain Crunch gelding recorded a new lifetime mark of 1:56.8 over the 1980-metre journey, highlighted by a slick 54-second middle half raced three wide without cover. The win took his career record to three victories and four placings from nine starts, with stakes earnings of $40,870.

Just three hours later at Melton, Bates’ homebred Clymenus produced a brilliant late-finishing burst to win in intermediate company, rating 1:56 for the 1720 metres.

A seven-year-old gelding by A Rocknroll Dance from the Christian Cullen mare Joy’s Underworld, Clymenus has now won 16 races across New Zealand and Australia, including six victories at Melton.

“He has done a great job in Australia. He’s won around $130,000 over there,” said Bates, a partner in Norwegian Wood Breeding Limited.
“Norwegian Wood is the name of the first horse I had. Ukraine is from a granddaughter of Norwegian Wood named Back In The USSR.”

The Leeston-based septuagenarian was a fervent Beatles fan in his youth and famously named his horses after hit songs by the iconic British band.

“A few years ago I decided to change my style a wee bit and named this one Ukraine,” Bates explained.
“The war is going on in Ukraine and I thought it was appropriate to draw attention to what’s happening over there.”

Ukraine is the seventh foal of Back In The USSR, a winning Presidential Ball mare.

“Her first six foals were all fillies. I didn’t think I would ever get a colt. Ukraine is the first colt she produced,” Bates said.

Back In The USSR has left six winners, all inside two minutes, including Harness Jewels, NZ Yearling Sales Series and Menangle winner Dizzy Miss Lizzy, Melton victor Lady Madonna and Perth winner Good Day Sunshine.

A younger brother to Ukraine named Peace is set to head to the two-year-old trials next month and looks poised to further enhance his dam’s breeding record.

“Back In The USSR is in foal to Captain Crunch again,” Bates said.

“The other mare I own is A Taste Of Honey, who is in foal to Pebble Beach. She had a yearling filly which I sold to Donna Williamson.”

A former accountant and business owner, Bates founded Norwegian Wood Breeding with fellow Cantabrians Stephen and Alana Hammar in the 1990s.

“The best horse we bred was Lennon. He won $500,000 and was a top pacer in Australia and New Zealand,” he said.

Other successful graduates bred by the partners included Pulp Fiction, a half-brother to Clymenus, along with Penny Lane, Blackbird Fly and Strawberry Fields.

“I used to have a dozen or so mares, but I sold most of them off and have just kept a couple,” Bates added.