In March 2016, a strapping bay colt by Mach Three from Real Desire mare, Beachy Girl, was foaled at Century Farms in the south-west Ontario (Canada).

Farm owners Sanford and Jan Zimmerman name all their foals with the Century moniker with a second name set each season – in 2016, it was the letter ‘F’.

The previous year, the thoroughbred world in North America was exhilarated and stunned with the performances of colt American Pharoah, who won not only the Triple Crown for three-year-olds but also the Breeders Crown. He became the first horse in North American thoroughbred racing to take the Grand Slam for three-year-olds.

The Zimmermans were inspired by the champion galloper when it came time to name their own impressive colt, but to incorporate the letter ‘F’, used the spelling ‘Farroh’.

The colt was offered at the 2017 Forest City Yearling Sale and purchased by Dave Ratchford from Nova Scotia on the far East Coast of Canada.

Dr Ian Moore, one of the leading trainers in Canada (his stable included Shadow Play among many other stars) grew up and graduated from veterinary school on Prince Edward Island, a Province adjoining Nova Scotia and part of what’s known as the Maritimes. When Ratchford had broken in and prepared Century Farroh to race, it was his old east-coast associate, Dr Moore, whom he asked to take on training duties.

Century Farroh was a big, growthy colt as a two-year-old and so Doc Moore gave him some easy racing in his debut season, where he dominated the grassroots racing of the Ontario Sires Stakes series.

At three, Farroh was ready for the big time. He did most of his racing in the very competitive Ontario Sires Stakes programme, which he pretty much dominated. He also won his division of the Somebeachsomewhere Stakes and the Simcoe Stakes at Mohawk, defeating the 2018 USTA 2YO of the Year, Captain Crunch.

His career blossomed even further as a four-year-old, taking on the best aged pacers in North America. Victories came in both the Dan Patch Stakes and Breeders Crown Final (watch below), defeating $2 million earners Bettor’s Wish (1:47.6) and This Is The Plan (1:47.6) respectively.

Century Farroh’s race resume is an impressive read: 59 starts for 22 wins and 21 placings, with prizemoney of  $1,557,016, and he was both the 2019 Canadian 3YO Pacer of the Year and 2020 Canadian Aged Pacer and Horse of the Year.

He took winning records of 1:49.1 as a three-year-old, 1:49 as a four-year-old and through his age four and five seasons was race timed in better than 1:50 on 20 occasions.

"Century Farroh is a horse who loves to work, loves his business and is a very, very determined animal on the racetrack ,” said his trainer Doc Moore recently.

Bred with the Rasmussen Factor in his pedigree, Century Farroh has superb breeding to back up his highly successful racing career.

His sire, Mach Three, needs very little introduction as his ability and influence as a sire has been profound.

He sired the winners of more than $140 million in North America, including the immortal Somebeachsomewhere. It is this sire line that is now changing the face of harness racing around the world.

Mach Three has enjoyed amazing success as a sire in Australia and New Zealand, siring multiple millionaires, five Australian 2YOs of the Year, and now one of the greatest females to grace our racetracks in the last three decades, Ladies In Red.

In fact, in comparing the statistics of the leading five stallions to have bred mares in Australia this century, on average earnings per starter, Mach Three is at the top of that list which includes American Ideal, Art Major, Bettors Delight and Somebeachsomewhere.

The female line of Century Farroh is chock-full of speed and winners. His dam Beachy Girl (1:51), by the $3 million earner Real Desire, has produced seven winners – all in 1:55 – that have collectively won more than $2.45 million.

Beachy Girl herself won $384,486 in a two-season career, while her dam, Color Me Beachy (2,1:53.6), won $225,880 and then produced eight in 1:55. This is where the similarity of Farroh’s breeding to the great Somebeachsomewhere comes in. Color Me Beachy is by Jenna’s Beach Boy, who was a son of Beach Towel, while Somebeachsomewhere’s dam is also by Beach Towel.

To further enhance the pedigree of Century Farroh, he is in fact a Rasmussen-bred horse. This occurs when there is a duplication of the blood of an influential mare and in this case the mare is Darling Wave.  She is the dam of two mares, one of whom was the third dam of Century Farroh while the other is the third dam of Mach Three.

Many purists of breeding in both codes of equines believe this Rasmussen Factor can lead to ‘Champion’ status, and it has worked in the case of Century Farroh. Can it influence his ability as a sire? Time will answer that question.

Century Farroh is in quarantine in Kentucky (USA) and will arrive at Llowalong Farms around August 15. He will be available to breeders in both Australia and New Zealand at a service fee of AU$5,500 (inc GST).

Come and see this exciting new sire in the flesh at the Llowalong Stallion Parade on Sunday September 4 – more details including how to RSVP will be available soon.

Bookings and enquiries to Llowalong Farms (03) 5852 2845, Dr Kath McIntosh on 0427 497 429 or John Coffey on 0429 278 279.