The French bred trotting stallion Classic Connection, who stood his first four harness racing seasons at the stud in NSW and Queensland, is a young sire – he was foaled in 2014 – already well on his way to proving a success with his first small crops racing. He is now standing in Victoria at Goulburn Valley Equine near Shepparton under the banner of Haras Des Trotteurs.
Classic Connection
Actually, Classic Connection has made a spectacular start as a sire. In his first season he left 26 foals, and of these he has four to the races two-thirds through their two-year-old season, and all four were winners.
From his first crop he has sired two Listed winning fillies in Afternoon Breeze, who is unbeaten in three appearances including the Bob Conroy 2YO Classic and a heat of the Nutrien Equine Classic, and Cee Cee In Paris, the winner of the NSW Foundation Trot Series.
Hammer, a winner at Ballarat and runner-up in a heat of the Nutrien Classic, and Franco Americano have been other winners by Classic Connection from his initial crop.
A top flight juvenile, Classic Connection won the Group 1 German Breeders Crown as a three-year-old and two Group 2’s and five Group 3’s including the German Derby later in his career.
In all, he won 11 races and $614,631 in stakes and took a mile record of 1:54.1.
Classic Connection’s pedigree combines the strength and stamina of the European bloodlines with the speed and brilliance of North American breeding. His sire Love You was twice the leading stakemoney sire in France, in Sweden four times, and has been the European champion sire four times. He has also topped the New Zealand all aged and two and three-year-old sire lists. His progeny have earned in excess of $185 million.
A champion trotter himself, with a record of 1:53, Love You won 18 Group races and he ran up a stake tally of $2.2 million.
Love You has matched his greatness as a racehorse in the siring field, and now his sons and grandsons are achieving distinctions of the same order including Quaker Jet, Royal Dream, Booster Winner, Village Mystic and International Moni.
Crys Dream (1:54), the dam of Classic Connection, was the USA and Canadian 2YO Trotting Filly of the Year and was regarded as one of the best fillies of her era. She won 12 of her 21 starts and $1.2 million in stakes including the Grade 1 Peaceful Way, Goldsmith Maid and Elegantimage and at the stud left two foals – both by Love You – in City Guide 1:55.4 ($408,676), a Group 2 winner in Holland, and Classic Connection.
This is the family of trotters the calibre of the USA Breeders Crown champion and Canadian Aged Trotting Mare of the Year Brigham Dream ($639,280), the Swedish Breeders Crown winner Tae Kwon Deo (1:52) and the USA International Stallion Stakes victor Excalibur Bi (1:53).
Classic Connection should prove an ideal outcross to mares boasting Majestic Son, Muscles Yankee, Sundon, Angus Hall and Balanced Image blood.