Double delight for Southland breeders Taffy Limited

The 2025 New Zealand Breeders of the Year Todd and Fleur Anderson had a night to remember at Albion Park last Saturday when they bred the winners of two of the plums on the stakes-laden card in the $1 million Inter Dominion Pacing Championship Grand Final with Captain's Mistress and the $150,000 Queensland Derby with Palladium.

"It was a great night. It was all pretty exciting," the Winton-based Todd said.

Captain's Mistress etched her name into the annals of trotting history when she became only the sixth mare and the first mare for 37 years to win harness racing's 'holy grail'. She joins Jodie's Babe (1989), Stella Frost (1971), Richmond Lass (1969), Robin Dundee (1965) and Bandbox (1947) as female Inter Dominion pacing champions.

A four-year-old, Captain's Mistress is the product of the champion American colt pacer and sire Captaintreacherous and the unraced Bettor's Delight mare Imaginary Bet.

"We bought Imaginary Bet off the late Ian Dobson and she's done a phenomenal job," Todd said.

The 2024 New Zealand Pacing Broodmare of the Year, Imaginary Bet has left six foals from six starters and they have won 65 races and a whopping $3,789,623 in stakes between them.

Besides Captain's Mistress, the winner of seven Group 1s and $1,656,276, Imaginary Bet is also the dam of the three-time Group 1 winner and New Zealand 3YO and 4YO of the Year Merlin ($1,844,185), Durrant ($129,905), Magician ($76,700), the Listed placegetter Gemma Mac ($75,757) and Cullen's Bet.

Since producing Captain's Mistress in 2021, Imaginary Bet has left a two-year-old colt and a yearling colt, both by Captaintreacherous, and she's back in foal to him.

"The two-year-old Faith Not Fear is with Hayden and Amanda Cullen and they are happy with how he is progressing," Todd stated.

"The yearling Captain Of Chaos was bought at this year's sales by Mick Boots who owns Captain's Mistress. He's now with Nathan Williamson, who trained Captain's Mistress in the early part of her career. He's coming through his preps nicely at this stage."

Palladium, a three-year-old gelding by Bettor's Delight, was bred by the Andersons with close friends Andrew Patterson and Maria Murrell from Southland and Timaru couple Bruce and Karen Tapper.

The gelding is out of Platinum, an Art Major daughter of the dual Oaks winner and 3YO Filly and 4YO Mare of the Year De Lovely.

"Tony Herlihy bought Platinum from us at the yearling sales, with ourselves and friends taking a share in her," Todd said.

In a brief career Platinum won three races including a heat of the New Zealand 2YO Sires' Stakes with three placings from 17 starts.

"Palladium was the first foal out of her and we sold him to Mick Boots at the yearling sales for $200,000," Todd said.

"Her yearling colt by Bettor's Delight was bought by Hayden and Amanda Cullen at this year's sales.

"The weanling colt by Bettor's Delight will go to next year's sale at Christchurch."

Todd said the couple have 14 yearlings entered for next year's yearling sale.

"We've got a lovely Captaintreacherous colt out of The Orange Agent, a Captaintreacherous colt out of Five Bangles, a Bettor's Delight daughter of Beaudiene Bad Babe and in conjunction with Laura Smith and Dave MacDonald, a Captaintreacherous first foal out of Smarty Party who is a sister to Republican Party, and a nice Muscle Hill trotting colt out of Paramount Faith, making it a full brother to Muscle Mountain," he said.

The Andersons, who own and operate a farming business in Central Southland, have achieved spectacular success in harness racing in slightly more than a decade.

The couple's list of breeding achievements reads like a classics date book. They include an Inter Dominion champion, two Derby winners, a New Zealand Sires' Stakes champion and the winners of a New Zealand Free-for-All, Harness Million, Chariots of Fire, Queen Elizabeth II Mile, Queen of the Pacific and Kaikoura Cup.