Poultry farmer produces eggcellent pacer!

Semi-retired Burnham chicken farmer and long-time hobby breeder Ben Smith has unearthed a potential good money-spinner in the three-year-old Captains Creek. The black gelding has recently strung together two victories at Gloucester Park in the space of four days for premier Perth training duo Greg and Skye Bond, including a career-best 1:53.7 effort last Saturday night.

The Captain Crunch gelding has now won five races with six placings from 20 starts for $36,005 in stakes.

Captains Creek is the tenth foal and seventh winner out of the Christian Cullen mare Christian Creek, who was originally bred from by Ben’s father, Kaikoura enthusiast Peter Smith – the man who brought out the superstar trotter Lyell Creek.

“When dad sold the farm I took over the breeding of Christian Creek,” Smith said.

“I sold Captains Creek as a weanling for $10,000 through Peter Lagan to Melbourne owner Harvey Kaplan.”

The gelding was later knocked down to the Bonds for a hefty $85,000 at the NZB National Yearling Sale in Christchurch in 2023.

Smith said he later sold Christian Creek in foal to Always B Miki to Matt Williamson. She produced a filly foal, but the mare was subsequently lost.

The best of Christian Creek’s progeny was the outstanding Bettor’s Delight mare Wainui Creek, a Group-winning performer on both sides of the Tasman. She won 17 races, earned $395,169, and took a sparkling 1:50.5 mile at Menangle.

“She was a phenomenal mare,” Smith said.

Other winners from the mare include Cheddar Valley ($154,584), Long Forest Creek (1:58.6), Kawatiri Creek (1:58.6), Blazin Creek and Millies Creek.
In a timely update, Millies Creek produced Tuesday’s impressive 1:56.4 Goulburn winner Millie Francis.

Smith continues to breed from two of Christian Creek’s daughters: the unraced Hakuwai Creek (by Art Major) and the Ashburton winner Kawatiri Creek (by Bettor’s Delight).
Hakuwai Creek is already the dam of the talented youngster Mystery Creek, who ran a creditable fourth in the NZ Sires’ Stakes Final at Addington, while Kawatiri Creek recently produced a filly foal by Captain Crunch.

Smith, who has been breeding for almost 30 years, said the Great Northern Trotting Derby and Victoria Oaks winner Kahdon — a close relative of Captains Creek — remains the best horse he has ever bred.

“She was the 3YO Trotter of the Year and Trotter of the Year,” he said.

He also bred and part-owns the Tactical Landing filly Rangitata, a winner at Winton and a placegetter in this year’s Group 2 NZ Sires’ Stakes 3YO Classique. She is the 18th foal and tenth winner from the blue-hen Lough Neagh — a Sundon half-sister to Christian Creek.

In total, Ben Smith has bred the winners of 62 races to date — a remarkable return for a man who still describes himself as a hobbyist.