Heart Throb traces to Lucky Tryax mare

By Peter Wharton

The four-race winning skein put up by the South Island bred four-year-old Heart Throb at Menangle over the autumn has rekindled fond memories for prominent Woodend Beach horsewoman Catherine Butt.

Heart Throb wins in 1:51.2 at Menangle – Club Menangle photo

The Sweet Lou gelding, who has hoisted miles in 1:51.2, 1:52.1, 1:52.2 and 1:53.4 at the Sydney headquarters’ track, traces back to the Lucky Tryax mare Lucky Carlton, who was bred from extensively by Butt’s father the late John Thompson.

“The first one dad had from that family was born the same year as me – 1967. It was Lucky Carlton,” Catherine said. “She never raced but dad kept breeding through the generations and when he died we took over that line.

“It was my dad’s original breed and it’s the reason that I first got into the horses.”

A member of the same tribe as the Oaks and Jewels winner Lizzie Maguire, Lucky Carlton produced 12 foals, eight of whom raced and five were successful.

The first of her produce was the Armbro Del mare Armbro Tryax, who won five races.

“She was a handy racemare who won the 1977 Nelson Cup at big odds with dad driving,” Catherine said.

Catherine Butt (r) with Habibti

At the stud Armbro Tryax left 11 foals for six winners including the good Moonee Valley winners Richill and Silk Jacket and really established the line for the Butt family to some purpose. One of Armbro Tryax’s daughters, Mundane, an unraced Lopez Hanover mare, left two winners including Periscope (by Midshipman), the great grand-dam of Heart Throb.

Heart Throb’s first two dams, Justalittlebettor (by Bettor’s Delight) and Wipe The Floor (by Windshield Wiper), were both trained by the Butt’s and were both capable racemares.

Justalittlebettor won six races and $63,131 in stakes and took a record of 1:58.1.

“She was a really nice mare but she had soreness issues which held her back a little bit,” Catherine said.

Her dam, Wipe The Floor, won five and was ‘a tough old thing’, according to Catherine, who trades as Birchbrook Breeding.

Wipe The Floor became the dam of three winners – all inside 2:00 – namely Internationalplayboy, a winner of 13 races and $132,779 in stakes and a placegetter at Group level at Menangle, Internationaltuffguy, who won seven at Menangle, Kleen Sweep, the dam of the NSW Listed winner Kleened Out 1:53.6 ($146,503), and Justalittlebettor, the mother of Heart Throb.

Besides Heart Throb, who has won four of his five starts to date, Justalittlebettor is also the dam of Just As Well (1:52.1), a winner of 11 races including four at Menangle and one at Melton and $107,444.

Since producing Heart Throb in 2019, she has left Apparent (by Sweet Lou), who died last year, the two-year-old filly Precise (by Captain Crunch), who qualified at Rangiora in March and has been turned out, and a weanling filly by Downbytheseaside and she is back in foal to him.

“Justalittbettor is the last mare from this family,” Catherine said.