Weekly Spotlight on Breeding

Breeding authority Peter Wharton presents all the harness racing news on breeding from Australia, New Zealand and North America every Friday brought to you by Garrard’s Horse & Hound.

Mach Da Vinci star sprinter

Mach Da Vinci advanced strong claims to being the best sprint pacer in Queensland today when he unleashed a paralysing late rally to win the $30,000 Garrard’s Be Good Johnny Sprint at Albion Park.

It was his third successive win over the mile in the last two months. Two starts earlier he disposed of Tommy Lincoln, Rocknroll Icon and others in 1:54.8, and before that he clocked a career-best 1:51.1.

Mach Da Vinci has now won 15 races and been 15 times placed from 54 starts for $205,238 in stakes.

Bred by Terry McDonald, he is a four-year-old entire by Art Major from the Mach Three mare Mach’s Love (1:58), a half-sister to a grand pacer and thrice NZ Cup winner in Terror To Love 1:51 ($2.3 million), now siring winners in NZ.

Their dam, Love To Live, was unraced but she left six winners, all inside 2:00. She was by the champion sire Live Or Die from Michael’s Magic, by Michael Jonathan (brother to Holmes Hanover) from Dream Star, by Tarport Coulter from the broodmare gem Roydon Dream, dam of the cup class pacers Roydon Glen and Roydon Scott.

Mach Da Vinci is a half-brother to the dual Menangle winner Stun Gun (1:50.9).

Breeders Crown hopeful

Rock N Roll Doo, who won the opening heat of the Breeders Crown at Bendigo, showed ability as a two-year-old last season when he finished third to Beyond Delight in a heat of the Crown.

He has opened his three-year-old season in impressive style winning four of his six starts and will be well in line for the Breeders Crown Final later in the month.

Rock N Roll Doo is a gelding by the Rocknroll Hanover horse Rock N Roll Heaven from Long Live Lana, who produced earlier winners in Iolanta 1:53.1 ($167,455), winner of the Tatlow Memorial, and Delightful Lana 1:54.5 ($148,269).

Long Live Lana ranks as a half-sister to the metropolitan winners Nonno Stride 1:54.3 ($138,554) and Ruato Bay 1:53.8 ($128,688), being by In The Pocket from Infante Elana, by Soky’s Atom from Entrancing, by Mark Lobell.

Breeding feat to Yirribee Stud

Rather a notable breeding feat was credited to Wagga-based stud farm, Yirribee Pacing Stud, at Menangle, when they bred the winners of both divisions of the Group 2 $50,000 NSW Breeders Challenge True Blue 2YO Series, Saint Crusader and Ideal In Dreams.

Saint Crusader, a Courage Under Fire colt and one of the last crops of the In The Pocket horse, hoisted a fresh mile record of 1:53.8, beating the Bling It On pair Im Vexatious and Noble Trick.

Bella Fortuna, the dam of Saint Crusader, was a Sportswriter mare from the Group 3 winner Better Motoring (1:58), by New York Motoring from Better Yet, has left two winners from three foals of racing age.

Bella Fortuna was not of much account herself but she was a half-sister to the NSW Breeders Challenge winner New York Fashion 1:56.1 ($173,861), the Menangle winner Virage 1:53.7 ($158,079), the Harold Park victors Motor Holmes 1:56.9 ($108,160) and Points North (1:56.9) and Arterial Way (1:55.8), who won six races and became the dam of the Breeders Crown and dual Vicbred champion Maajida 1:50.3 ($518,780), the Bathurst Gold Chalice winner Lifeonthebeach 1:50.2 ($222,308) and We Salute You 1:51.3 ($123,993).

Ideal In Dreams was an Australian Pacing Gold purchase in 2020 in Sydney, and is a filly by the E Dee’s Cam horse Warrawee Needy from Milia’s Ideal (1:57.1), by American Ideal from Classic Counsel, by In The Pocket from T K Swift, a half-sister to the prolific cups winner Slybye, who won 31 races.

Milia’s Ideal, a NSW Breeders Challenge heat winner, was a half-sister to the Menangle and Albion Park winner Floyd Mayweather 1:53 ($326,492) and the Breeders Challenge semi-final winner Summit Special 1:50.7 ($102,790).

Warrawee Needy’s oldest stock are three-year-olds, and they include Uncle Shank (one of the star pacers of the Brisbane Summer carnival), Warrawee Drinking (NSW Breeders Challenge True Blue 2YO), The Grogfather (1:53.9), The Mountain (1:54) and Rockindownunder (1:55.7).

Peak of the Creek winner

Uncle Shank, who won the inaugural $50,000 Peak of the Creek, main event on the opening night of the Summer carnival at Albion Park, is a Warrawee Needy three-year-old colt from the same family as that which produced a top juvenile in Black Line.

Uncle Shank, who earlier in the season won the Group 3 The J C McMullen, has only been sparingly raced, but he has shown up as a very useful pacer, and it was a strong field he beat at Albion Park.

Uncle Shank ranks as a half-brother to Hedges Avenue 1:51.2 ($158,805), a Menangle and Albion Park winner who later competed with real distinction in North America, and the Melton winner Blue Suede Shoes (1:56.4).

Uncle Shank’s dam, Presidential Night (2:00.7), belongs to a noted family. She was by Presidential Ball from Nightline, by Classic Garry from Malleable, by Golden Money Maker from Malleable from the Good Chase mare Kalitara, a daughter of the celebrated matron Hindu Star.

Hindu Star established one of the most successful branches of the Norice tribe. It included such winners as Iraklis and Monkey King, both NZ Cup winners, Tuapeka Star (NSW Ladyship Mile), the dual Derby winner Brad Adios, champion NSW pacer Karloo Mick ($1.4 million), Lavros Star (1:50) and many others.

Uncle Shank is the third Group winner credited to the Yirribee Pacing Stud sire Warrawee Needy (1:46.8), a former world mile record holder and the first son of the Cam Fella horse E Dee’s Cam to come to Australia.

By Shoobee’s Place

The Artsplace horse Shoobee’s Place, who was first at the stud in NSW and is now standing at Spurr’s Stud in WA, is leaving smart two and three-year-olds from his first crops.

Merrywood Lynn, who won the $50,000 NSW Breeders Challenge True Blue Series at Menangle, is a three-year-old filly by Shoobee’s Place from the Art Major mare Just Lola, a daughter of the smart racemare Jade’s Dream (1:59.9).

Just Lola, who was unraced, ranked as a sister to the Albion Park winner Warner 1:55.7 (18 wins and $114,591).

May’s Place, winner of this year’s Tasmanian Sweepstakes and runner-up in the Evicus, is a two-year-old filly by Shoobee’s Place.

Shoobee’s Place, a son of Artsplace, established himself as an early speed sire when two of his first crop in Shoobee Doo, winner of the Rod Fitzpatrick Memorial in 1:54.9, and Tsunami Charlie were among the top bracket of two-year-olds in their year.

The colt is the third Group winner credited to the Yirribee Pacing Stud sire Warrawee Needy (1:46.8), a former world mile record holder and the first son of the Cam Fella horse E Dee’s Cam to come to Australia.

Noted family of trotters

The Muscle Hill mare Aldebaran Tess, who completed a country cups double at the St Arnaud meeting at Melton and won her way back to a NR90 mark, is raced by her breeder, Duncan McPherson, of Aldebaran Park and is a member of one of NZ’s most successful families of trotters.

Aldebaran Tess has not done a great deal of racing, having averaged nine starts a season. In two seasons of racing Aldebaran Tess has won nine races and has been three times placed for $62,065.

Solar Powered, the Sundon dam of Aldebaran Tess and a Group 3 winner in Aldebaran Willo, is out of Tijuana Glass, by Chiola Hanover from a fine racemare in Kathy Glass, by the Fallacy horse Individual.

Tijuana Glass, who was unraced, left the Breeders Crown champion Tuhimata Glass 1:57.8 ($274,080), the NSW Trotters Derby and Victoria Prince of Speed winner Aldebaran Shades 1:59.5 ($192,610) and the country cups winner Mass Destruction 1:59.4 ($100,575).

Another good racemare from Tijuana Glass was Susan, the winner of eight races in NZ, and she in turn left a smart trotter in Majestic One (14 wins and $115,893) and Tuhimata Lass, who won twice at Menangle. Susan is the second dam of recent Melton winner Captain McCraw.

Others from Tijuana Glass were the Menangle winners Kyvalley Alley (1:58.8, who won nine races) and Titian Sun (10 wins).

Kathy Glass, the dam of Tijuana Glass, also left a capable trotter in Czech Me Out (1:58.2), the Green Lane Cup victor Darz Dream (1:58.8) and Gypsy Class, the dam of multiple Albion Park winner Reine Des Gitans (1:59.6).

Youre So Fine IS good

A WA two-year-old to make a good impression is Youre So Fine, one of the first crop sired by the world champion Always B Miki, who is standing at Alabar Bloodstock’s Victorian nursery.

The colt has won twice and been twice from five starts for $53,381. A Group 2 winner at Invercargill, he won by open lengths at his second start on Australian soil at Gloucester Park in a smart mile rate of 1:54.9 for 1730 metres and appears very bit as good as the Perth trotsgoers rate him.

He ranks as a half-brother to Im Meticulous 1:55.6 ($109,067) and Skreemr (1:56.1), being out of Syriana, a Falcon Seelster mare from the Vance Hanover mare Corbie (2:02.6), a winning daughter of the prized matron Black Watch.

Syriana, who was unraced, was a sister to the NZ Wellington Cup winner Agios Nikalaos (1:52.2) and a half-sister to Vingt Coeur 1:59.6 (17 wins) and Zingara 1:57.6 (dam of the Melton winner Laredo Torpedo 1:52.6 – $152,070).

This is the family which produced such winners as the NZ Cup and A. G. Hunter Cup victor Arden Rooney, Alta Christiano, Rocknroll Lincoln (WA Pacing Cup), Megaera, The Unicorn, Sovereign Hill, Cash N Flow, Katy Perry, Pacific Flight and Keayang Cullen, all Group 1 winners.

By Peter Wharton for Harnesslink