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.

Encipher top two-year-old filly

When she won the $50,000 Southern Cross Series at Globe Derby Park, Encipher scored her third Group success, and she entitled to be rated the season’s top two-year-old filly.

Earlier in the season she won the $300,000 Breeders Crown at Melton and the $100,000 The Allwood at Globe Derby. From eight starts she has won five times and been twice placed for $252,758 in stakes.

Bred and raced by Tyson Linke, Encipher is a filly by the Somebeachsomewhere horse Captaintreacherous, who also sired the winner of the Southern Cross three-year-old fillies’ division, Treachery.

She is out of a capable racemare in Our Cavort (1:57.9), a Falcon Sister half-sister to the NSW Pink Bonnet winner Eliza Dushku 1:51.2 ($204,320), now racing successfully in America, the Menangle winner My Mei (1:53.6), Comeon Howzat (1:57.8) and Bizzie Lou (1:59.9).

Their dam, Bizzie Girl (by In The Pocket), was a half-sister to cup class pacers in Im Percy The Punter 1:56.4 ($332,067) and All The Way 1:57.9 ($118,675) and to Tiz A Cullen, a Christian Cullen mare who left the Menangle winners Look And Listen (1:52.7) and Real Intentions (1:55.1).

Another half-sister in Run To Vegas is the dam of Shanlou (1:50.7), who finished third in the Group 3 Teeny Teeny at Menangle on the same night as Encipher won, and the recent Menangle victor Viva Las Vegas (1:52.4).

Bundoran is Grand Circuit material

Bundoran, a heat winner at the Inter Dominion at Newcastle and earlier a Group winner at Menangle, is one of the best four-year-olds in NSW at present.

He has won $151,468 in stakes, the result of 11 wins and seven placings in 35 starts. By the Mach Three horse Lincoln Royal (whose first NZ crops have been most impressive and have run up a tidy record), he is out of Mullaghmore (TT1:58.7), by a champion NZ pacer in Christian Cullen from Gowanlea, by Vance Hanover from the Group 1 winner Classiebawn.

Bundoran is the best winner from this family in recent years, but in an earlier decade it produced a champion juvenile in Stroma, who won 21 races including three NSW two-year-old classics.

Breeding of Southern Cross winner

The Always B Miki gelding Ever Hoping, the season’s latest two-year-old classic winner, in beating a useful field in the $50,000 Southern Cross, has a good deal in his favour on the score of blood.

Apart from being by Always B Miki, and one of his first crop, Ever Hoping is out of the Bettor’s Delight mare Bettor Believe It 1:53.8 ($139,632), a half-sister to the top Tasmanian pacer and dual Easter Cup winner Fleet 1:58 ($347,233), being out of New York Maid, by New York Motoring from the Lordship mare Romano, who founded a very successful branch of the Dolly (by Young Irvington) family.

It includes Derby winners in Roman Gladiator and Im Mark Antony, Roman Conqueror (1:50.8), Mapua Legend (NZ Sapling), Assassinator (WA Easter Cup), Smart Major (NZ Winter Cup), Iamajoyride and others.

Ever Hoping is the first produce of Bettor Believe It to race. He was bred by Ray, Anne and Neil Grubb, who knocked him down for $32,500 at the APG Sydney sale in 2020.

Breeders Challenge winning line

Saint Veran, the winner of the NSW Breeders Challenge Western Regional Final for two-year-old colts and geldings at Bathurst, is a Betting Line half-brother to Art Series, who won the regional final at 2 and 3.

The gelding is out of Group 1 winning Art Major mare Sheezallattitude 1:55.1 ($252,834), a sister to the NSW Breeders Challenge winner Bamako Mali 1:55.6 ($259,309) and a half-sister to the smart performers Redbank Blaze 1:51.2 ($362,652) and Prophesy 1:53 ($152,796).

Their dam, African Dancer (1:57), won 21 races and left nine winners. She was out of the Moonee Valley winner Queen Of Peace, by Adios Vic from Paula Morley, a Group 2 winner from the Sheffield Globe mare Sheffield Morley, a SA Oaks winner.

There are some notable winners in almost every remove of this family. Low Score, the dam of Sheffield Morley, was a half-sister to the Kilmore Cup and SA Derby winner Globe Score and a smart juvenile in Sheffield Score.

Jay Ok in 1:49.7

Jay Ok has joined the growing list of Australian bred horses to enter the 1:50 list. He recorded 1:49.7 when he was successful at Menangle last Saturday.

By the Rocknroll Hanover horse A Rocknroll Dance – a top pacer himself – Jay Ok is from Naevia, by Sportswriter from a fine racemare in Morgan Abby (1:55.7), by Aces N Sevens from the noted producer Boldandbeautiful, by Albert Albert.

Morgan Abby, who won 10 races, has left five winners including the Melton winners Morgan Art (1:56.5) and Exciter (1:56.5).

Jay Ok was bred by Benstud Standardbreds, who have nominated a Sweet Lou half-brother for the inaugural Nutrien Equine Sydney Standardbred Yearling Sale in February.

Star three-year-old by Lincoln Royal

Tuppence, who won the $50,000 Southern Cross Final at Globe Derby Park – Sanur Beach and Artillery filled the placings behind him – is a three-year-old expected to go on and develop top ranking form.

Tuppence, who has now won seven races, is a gelding by the Mach Three horse Lincoln Royal, who stood his early seasons at the stud in NZ and has been located in Tasmania while at the stud in Australia.

Lincoln Royal has enjoyed a fair measure of success in both NZ and Australia. His stock include the classy NSW pacer Bundoran, a heat winner at the Inter Dominion and a strong local hope in the $500,000 Final at Menangle.

Tuppence is out of Star Crossed (1:56.2), by Art Major from a dual Southern Cross winner in Endeared 1:56.7 ($244,650), by Albert Albert from Tuapeka Reign, by Vance Hanover and tracing to the imported mare Estella Amos, founded of one of Australasia’s greatest classic winning families.

Endeared was the dam of a useful pacer in The Dapper Don 1:55.5 ($101,779), a Group 1 winning trotter in Enrolled 1:59 ($119,829) and the two-year-old filly Flirting, who finished third in the Southern Cross. Holla (1:59.1), a half-sister to Endeared and a dual Southern Cross finalist, is the dam of promising youngster Our Holla Star.

Encipher, winner of the Southern Cross fillies’ final, traces back to Estella Amos.

Tuppence completed rather a notable double for Adelaide breeders David and Glenda Battye, as the breeder-owners of Tuppence and the Southern Cross two-year-old trotting winner Mercenary.

Majorca is well bred

One of the most capable mares racing in Queensland at present is the five-year-old Majorca, who is making rapid progress through the classes. She has won eight of her 10 starts at Albion Park to date.

Majorca has a background of blood to back up her claims to further promotion, being by Art Major from Cloudy Beach, by Tinted Cloud from the Beach Towel mare Beach Guest, a half-sister to the dam of the NZ Great Northern Derby and Jewels winner Fiery Falcon 1:54.6 ($588,106), the prolific Albion Park winner Donegal Under Fire 1:53 ($203,779) and the Nelson Cup winner Donegal’s Guest (1:57.4).

Cloudy Beach, who won three races, was a half-sister to Ona Rocky Beach 1:55.8 ($112,046), a winner of 25 races in NZ, Victoria and SA, Extreme Guest (1:59.1) and Coral Beach (2:00).

This is the family which produced the Derby winners Hilarious Guest, Speedy Guest and Krug   and a string of top ranking pacers tracing back to the imported mare Estella Amos.

Youthful Stakes winner

Patsy Valentine, who won her third race in the Victorian Youthful Stakes, for two-year-old fillies at Melton, is by the Western Ideal horse American Ideal, sire of the top pacer Bling It On.

Patsy Valentine is out of Brighty Valentine (1:54.8), a Melton winner by Sportswriter from Jazzee Valentine (1:59.5), by Village Jasper from Southern Franco, by Nero’s B B, a daughter of Our Southern Magic, the dam of the good Harold Park winner Franco Otis 1:57.2 ($134,447).

Our Southern Magic was out of Rope Trick, a half-sister to a champion juvenile in Nicotine Prince, who held the Australian two-year-old mile record at 2:00.4 for more than a decade.

Blue blooded filly

Nonparreil, a very impressive winner on debut at Geelong, is a two-year-old filly who can claim some worthwhile blood.

By Always B Miki (1:46), by Always A Virgin from Artstopper, by Artsplace, she is out of the Elsu mare Arms Of An Angel (1:49.5), a half-sister to the Albion Park winners Trev’s No Angel (1:52.7) and Imasportsstar (1:53.8).

Arms Of Angel, who began her career as a three-year-old in NZ, won 10 of her 14 starts in Australia – including three at Group level – and finished up with a stake tally of $221,866.

Nonparreil is her first foal.

First winner by Amore Stride

The Love You horse Amore Stride, a Group 1 winner in NSW, was represented by his first winner when Tiara Stride was successful recently at Kilmore.

Tiara Stride had been placed in three of her previous four starts.

Bred by Emilio and Mary Rosati, who also raced her sire, Tiara Stride is out of the Cantab Hall mare Nitengale Stride, an American-bred mare who also produced Monarch Stride, a week at Melton a day before Tiara Stride won, and the Breeders Crown placegetter Courage Stride.

Nitengale Stride’s grand-dam, Lunar Dream OM, ranks as a sister-in-blood to the Hambletonian winner Victory Dream, the sire of the Hambo winner Self Possessed and Raffaello Ambrosio, a successful sire in NZ.