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.

Torrid Saint star sprinter

Torrid Saint, who won the Melton City Council Sprint, has now won 13 races and is regarded as Grand Circuit material of the highest order. He ranks as a five-year-old half-brother by Shadow Play to a cup class pacer in Saint Flash 1:52.3 ($285,368).

Torridon, the dam of Torrid Saint and Saint Flash, was a Safely Kept mare from Lauder Lass, by Armbro Aussie from My Double Burdie, and has proved a most successful broodmare. She is also the dam of the Melton and Albion Park winner Courageous Saint 1:52.1 ($172,769), Saint Stormy (1:57.2), Four Star Saint (1:58.6) and Saint Tommy (1:59.4).

Torridon, who won seven races, was a half-sister to Phoebe Mae, dam of the Melton winners Barnbougle Jack (1:56) and First And Erst (1:57.1).

This has been one of the most successful branches of the Harold’s Rest family, Lauder Lass being a half-sister to a Group winner in Two Under 1:53.2 ($221,695) and to Boom Boom Birdie, a Harold Park winner who became the dam of the SA Kindergarten winner Hugo Jack (1:57.2), the Melton winner Indigo Bay (1:55.1) and Boom Boom Hall (1:54.2).

Torrid Saint was bred and is owned by Swan Hill enthusiast Noel Watson.

Interest Free IS good

A two-year-old to make a good impression in Victoria this season is Interest Free, a gelding by Art Major bred and raced by Eric and Heather Anderson.

He has won five races and been four times placed from 11 starts for $40,670. He won a semi-final of the Breeders Crown last Saturday in the smart time of 1:55 and before that was placed in the Tatlow Stakes and a Crown heat.

Interest Free is out of the Christian Cullen mare Picobello (1:52.3) and the first of her produce to race. Picobello, a winner at Melton and Menangle, was out of a useful racemare in Lynne Falcon (1:59.4), by Falcon Seelster from the Group 1 placegetter Electrofying Franco (1:59.8), by Holmes Hanover and tracing back to the noted foundation mare Rawene.

Picobello was a sister to the good Melton winner Millwood Nebraska (1:56.6) and a half-sister to the Menangle victor My Patronus (1:54.1) and the thrice NZ winner Tombelina.

Dainty’s Daughter Classic winner

Born To Boogie, winner of the Group 2 $50,000 Norm’s Daughter Classic at Gloucester Park, continues to prove herself in the top bracket among the WA mares.

She is a member of one of New Zealand’s most successful families, being a six-year-old Rock N Roll Heaven mare from the unraced Niftey Franco, a Badlands Hanover mare who has produced others in the Melton, Menangle, Gloucester Park and Albion Park winner Glenferrie Hood 1:51.9 ($538,110) and Whitney H (1:58.3).

Niftey Franco was out of Never Before Franco, a noted producer by Holmes Hanover from Nevermore, by Nero’s B B from the El Patron mare No Regrets and tracing eventually to the celebrated foundation mare Trilby.

Never Before Franco produced three ‘black type’ pacers in Franco Nile (1:58.9), winner of 15 races including the Group 3 NSW Schweppes Cup, Ee And Em Stride (1:53.2) and the exported Nevermind Franco 1:51.4 ($146,981).

But the second generation of Never Before Franco’s family has bred on with the same distinction as she did. She figures as the grand-dam of the Kilmore Cup and Melton Plate winner Chancellor Cullen 1:52.8 ($411,821), Major Stare 1:55.9 ($110,947), the Melton winner Bollinger Baby (1:56), Lord Stark (1:57.8) and the good Menangle winner Franco Novak (1:53.2).

Never Before Franco also figures as the third dam of the Vicbred 2YO Silver winner Platinum Sparkle (1:54.7) and Bossanova Bay (1:57.8).

Crown semi winner from good broodmare

Sounds Perfect, a two-year-old Somebeachsomewhere filly and a Breeders Crown semi-final winner at Melton when having only her second start, is out of Perfect Life, a capable racemare with a record of 1:58 who is proving a successful broodmare.

Perfect Life is also the dam of Perfect Major 1:53.4 ($266,943), a cups winner in Perth and his full brother That’s Perfect 1:52.1 ($167,078) on the verge of Cup class, the Southern Cross winner Perfect Look (1:53) and Rogue Wave (1:53.9).

Perfect Life was a Live Or Die mare from Secret Life (1:58.6), by Safely Kept from Lifeline, by Classic Garry from the Windshield Wiper mare Larrakeyah Lady. Perfect Life was a half-sister to the NSW Derby winner Major Secret 1:55.1 ($464,872), the Victoria Oaks and Breeders Crown champion Beauty Secret 1:52.4 ($425,921), the Listed winner Somewhere Secret 1:53.8 ($162,347).

Their dam, Secret Life, won 11 races and produced seven winners. She was a half-sister to the Breeders Crown winner Lovelist 1:53.2 ($222,889), Punch Line 1:54.2 (Southern Cross) and to Modern Life, dam of Ample Power 1:53.6 ($145,147), a winner at Crnabourne on Sunday night.

Other members of this family, which was founded in North America by the imported mare Trix Pointer, were Ride High (1:49), the Hunter Cup winner Safe And Sound, Rocknroll Magic and Out To Play.

Sounds Perfect was bred and is owned by Bruce and Craig Cameron.

Two-year-old feature winner

Leap To Fame, who is proving himself a star two-year-old in Queensland, has won seven of his 10 starts – five of his last six including the Burwood Stud Feature at Albion Park last weekend.

Leap To Fame was an Australian Pacing Gold purchase in 2020 at Sydney, and is a colt by the Cam’s Card Shark horse Bettor’s Delight from a fine racemare in Lettucereason 1:55.9 ($180,073), by Art Major from the Fake Left mare Left For Me, dam of the grand stayer and Victoria Cup winner For A Reason (1:49.4), now a multiple Group winning sire.

Lettucereason, a dual placegetter in the NSW Breeders Challenge, produced others in Maximus Red 1:55 ($218,502), the winner of 23 races including the APG Consolation, and Swayzee (1:53.3).

Leap To Fame was bred by Paul Kahlefeldt, of Redbank Lodge Standardbreds, Wagga.

Well related three-year-old

Montana Flash, who won the Group 3 Garrard’s Horse & Hound 3YO Classic at Albion Park, showed ability as a two-year-old last season when he won twice including one at headquarters.

He has won a further six races as a three-year-old including three of his last four starts and is regarded as one of the best young pacers in Queensland.

He is a gelding by the Artsplace horse Art Major from the Group 1 placegetter Classic Malibu (1:59.4), the best of whose several progeny have been the SA Golden Nursery winner Malibu Grin and the Albion Park victor Roy George (1:53.3).

Classic Malibu ranks as a half-sister to the Moonee Valley and Gloucester Park winner Motoring Aldebaran 1:59.5 ($151,155), being by Classic Garry from Malibu Lace, by Windshield Wiper from Instantaneous, by Dale’s Gift. Classic Malibu was 20 when she left Montana Flash.

Blue blooded filly

Petillante, who won a semi-final of the Breeders Crown at Melton, is a two-year-old filly who can claim some worthwhile blood.

By Somebeachsomewhere, by Mach Three from Where’s The Beach, by Beach Towel, she is out of the Art Major mare Art De Triomphe (1:58.8), whose dam, Smyrna Duruisseau (1:56), left a top flight juvenile in Follow The Stars 1:53.8 ($707,237), now siring winners in WA, and Stefsbest (1:54.7), runner-up in the APG Final.

Somebeachsomewhere, the sire of Petillante, produced four Breeders Crown semi-final winners on the night in Act Now, Beach Music, Sounds Perfect and Petillante.

Trotters Sprint to Sir Fahrenheit

The Group 2 Trotters Sprint, one of the features of the Summer carnival at Albion Park, was won by Sir Fahrenheit, a well performed gelding by Pegasus Spur from Scuffle.

Pegasus Spur, a son of S J’s Photo, was one of the top sires of trotters in both NZ and Australia for many years. He has sired such winners as Speeding Spur (1:52.8), a winner of nine Group 1 races and $1.2 million, Australasia’s fastest ever trotting mare Maori Time (1:51.5), Paramount Geegee (Breeders Crown 2YO and 3YO), Flying Isa (1:53.2), Wilma’s Mate, Monty Python, Desert Flyer and other top trotters.

Scuffle, the dam of Sir Fahrenheit, was by Sundon, the leading sire of trotters for more than a decade, from Tussle, a champion trotting mare whose 38 successes included the Inter Dominion Grand Final, Rowe Cup and Dominion Handicap. At the stud Tussle left Bristle (9 wins) and the unraced Wrestle, the sire of the Group winner Tough Tussle, who, in turn, is the dam of the top flight NSW trotter Tough Monarch 1:53.3 ($517,194) and promising two-year-old Tough Love (1:57.6), a finalist in tonight’s Breeders Crown at Melton.

Sir Fahrenheit ranks as a half-brother to six winners including the dual Menangle winner Aorangi (1:58.1).

This has been a most successful family, as Sure Thing, a half-sister to Tussle, was the dam of the Victoria Derby and Oaks winner Galleon’s Paradise.

The latest Queensland Trotters Sprint winner, Sir Fahrenheit, has certainly a wealth of successful trotting blood on both sides of his pedigree.

Walner heads Black Book sale averages

Siring sensation Walner, whose first crop as two-year-olds has taken North American trotting by storm, was the leading sire at the recent Black Book Sale at Harrisburg. He achieved an average of $172,737 for 19 lots sold.

Muscle Hill, the premier trotting sire for the last five years, had 20 head sell at an average of $165,300, while Chapter Seven, the sire of Walner and this year’s leading American sire, had 23 lots sell for an average of $154,522.

Resolve, a son of Muscle Hill, grossed $270,000 for two head – an average price of $135,000.

Captaintreacherous was clearly the leading pacing sire with his 39 lots averaging out at $113,590.

Next on the list was Sweet Lou ($78,900 – 30 lots), Huntsville ($68,630 – 27 lots), Bettor’s Delight ($66,794 – 34 lots), Always B Miki ($61,095 – 42 lots), American Ideal ($53,576 – 33 lots) and Downbytheseaside ($49,000 – 4 lots).

The first crop by the NZ champion Lazarus averaged out at $40,129 for 31 head sold.

By Peter Wharton for Harnesslink