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.

Two-year-old track record

A fresh track record for a two-year-old was established by the Sweet Lou colt Sugar Apple of 1:55.5 – bettering his own record of 1:55.6 set 12 days earlier by one-tenth of a second – when he won the Group 3 Breeders Plate at Leeton.

Sugar Apple, who has now won at his only four appearances on Australian soil – he also scored at Cambridge, NZ – is a member of the same family as All U Need Is Faith.

Sugar Apple ranks as a brother to the Gloucester Park winner Sweet Maddison (1:57) and a half-brother to the Queensland Derby and NZ Sires Stakes 2YO Championship winner American Dealer 1:53.3 ($328,061), being by Sweet Lou from the Bettor’s Delight mare Maddison’s Delight, whose dam Pacing Grace 1:57.7 (8 wins) was by In The Pocket from Jessie Grace, by Vance Hanover from Ollie’s Chance, by Colonel Kenton (a grandson of Light Brigade).

Maddison’s Delight was a sister to Pacing Delight, dam of the Group winners Aladdin 1:57.5 ($193,931) and Virgil 1:52.3 ($182,934) and the Menangle victor Mason’s Delight (1:51.9) and a half-sister to a top NZ juvenile in Pacing Major 1:52 ($669,596), the NZ Junior Free-for-all winner All U Need Is Faith 1:49.8 ($480,847) and Our Amazing Art 1:57.4 ($165,363).

Another half-sister was Grace Way (1:56.8), a Dream Away mare who became the dam of the Group winner Three Ways 1:53.8 ($257,614), Make Way 1:51.7 ($152,295), Forgotten Highway 1:55.6 ($150,540) and the exported Shanway 1:53.8 ($133,102).

This family was founded by the Vancleve mare Verity, who left a smart racemare in Pearlchild, winner of the NZ National Cup Handicap, Aranui (dam of NZ Sires Produce winner Quickfire) and Fancy Girl, who founded the branch to which Sugar Apple belongs.

Siring feat to Somebeachsomewhere

Rather a notable siring feat was credited to the Mach Three horse Somebeachsomewhere at Melton on Vicbred Super Series semi-finals night, when he sired five winners on the program.

His haul included the quinella pair, Rogue Wave and Beach Music, in the three-year-old fillies’ section. Other Somebeachsomewhere winners on the night were Repelling (2YO colt), Bondi Lockdown (3YO colt), Honolua Bay (4YO gelding) and Maajida (4YO mare).

In all, Somebeachsomewhere will be represented by 11 runners in Friday night’s Vicbred Finals.

Fiamma from top family

Fiamma, who won a semi-final of the Vicbred Super Series, after racing wide throughout, has now won four races and is rated one of the best of her age and sex. She ranks as a two-year-old sister by Bettor’s Delight to the SA Pacing Cup winner and dual Inter Dominion Final placegetter Flaming Flutter 1:49.2 ($876,899), now racing successfully in North America.

Twice As Hot (1:59.6), the dam of Fiamma and Flaming Flutter, was an In The Pocket mare from Twice As Good (1:56.5), by Butler B G from Princess Nandina, has proved a most successful broodmare. Others of her progeny have been the Listed winner Two Times Bettor 1:52 ($222,555), Mister Whittaker (1:54.9) and When You’re Hot, dam of the Group 3 winner Cyclone Banner 1:54.4 ($144,735), Zahven Banner 1:50.3 ($138,027), Typhon Banner (1:56.2) and exciting two-year-old Blazing Banner (1:51.2).

Twice As Hot was only a moderate herself but she was a half-sister to the dual Gawler Cup winner Mark Dennis 1:51.4 ($340,269), Waitfornoone 1:55.7 ($201,804), a winner of 11 races including the NZ Queen of Hearts, a cup class pacer in St Barts 1:57 ($162,506), the Listed winner Fight Fire With Fire 1:56 ($151,657) and the Artiscape mare Twice As Great, dam of the Group winner Duplicated 1:49.4 ($326,974), the Menangle victor Strawberry Courage 1:54.1 ($121,668) and the Derby placegetter Awayandrideyourself (1:56.5).

This has been one of the most successful branches of the Lady Ajax family, Twice As Good being a half-sister to the USA 3YO Filly of the Year and Breeders Crown champion Pacific 1:53 ($871,550) and to Princess Pacific, the dam of sub 1:52 winners.

Fiamma was bred and is raced by the Johnson family from The Rock (NSW).

Vicbred winner from good broodmare

Repelling, a Somebeachsomewhere two-year-old and a longshot winner of a Vicbred Super Series semi-final at Melton, is out of Repelem, a Group winning racemare with a record of 1:52.9 and a stake tally of $266,346 who is proving a successful broodmare.

Repelem is also the dam of Joanna 1:53.8 ($298,203), a Bathurst Gold Tiara winner and who finished second on the same night at Repelling won, and the ill-fated Revolt (1:55.6), who won eight.

Repelem was a Dream Away mare from Lombo Limelight, by Classic Garry from Lombo Boucheron, by Windshield Wiper from the smart Toliver Hanover mare Trunkey Gold. She was a half-sister to the Globe Derby Park winner Enlight.

Their dam, Lombo Limelight, was lightly raced, but she left three winners. She was a half-sister to a top Tasmanian pacer in Northern Ruler and to Jolli Jeorja Lombo, dam of the Vicbred Final placegetter Show Girl Lombo and the second dam of the prolific Albion Park winner Well To Do Lombo (1:55) and Teen Queen Lombo (1:57.1), who, in turn, left the Westbred 3YO Classic winner Allamerican Queen 1:58.3 ($120,969) and Valhalla Miss 1:57.4 (WA Sales Classic 2YO).

Other members of this family, which was founded in Australia by Green’s Thoroughbred Mare, were the dual Vicbred champion Mazzini Magic (TT1:56), the Australian Pacing Gold winners Smooth Sensation and Lethal Lombo, Luminous Lombo (Village Kid Sprint), Linda’s Gold (WA Triple Crown) and the Melton winner Bryce Cooper.

Repelling was bred and is part-owned by former South Australian harness racing boss Mark Carey.

Shirley Turnbull Memorial winner

Bathurst’s top open age race, the $51,500 Shirley Turnbull Memorial, at the Boxing Day meeting was won by the Rock N Roll Heaven gelding Fouroeight, who had contested the classic twice previously.

Fouroeight was back in his field in the early running but raced to the front half-way down the straight and finally won decisively from Bundoran, Mach Dan and Aphorism.

Bred by Pacebred International and raced by Ben Hagney, Fouroeight is an eight-year-old gelding by Rock N Roll Heaven, a Rocknroll Hanover horse who is one of Australia’s top sires, from Platinum Sign (2:00), by Life Sign from Kay Dee Hanover (1:58.5), by Seahawk Hanover from Precocious Hanover, by Vance Hanover – a pedigree with some real background with a strong staying influence behind it.

Fouroeight is one of seven winners produced by Platinum Sign, whose family includes such winners as Celtic Crusader 1:58.1 ($146,056), Deemajor Hangover (1:55.3), the NSW Tatlow winner Montecino and Izzy Watt 1:53.5 ($118,284).

Beat City in top form

Beat City, who has won his way back to a NR100 mark and is regarded as Cups material, is a four-year gelding by A Rocknroll Dance from TP’s Girl, an unraced NZ bred mare.

He is a member of an old-time NZ family, which was represented by Sarge, a half-brother to Beat City, who won at Newcastle on the same night.

TP’s Girl was a Bettor’s Delight mare from Tuapeka Poet, by In The Pocket from Seamoon, by Smooth Fella from Maureen’s Dream, a mare by Lordship. Maureen’s Dream was the dam of a useful pacer in Lavros Lord 1:52.6 ($104,666) and also of Reality Check 1:59.9 ($139,495), who produced the grand stayer and Inter Dominion champion in Ultimate Sniper and the four-time Group 1 winner Ultimate Machete, both now at the stud.

Tuapeka Melinque, a Soky’s Atom mare from Maureen’s Dream, left Our Ladylight (by Elsu) and Seetuit (by Christian Cullen), both of whom founded good winning families. Our Ladylight became the dam of the smart Riverina pacer Our Sam’s Home (1:56.6).

Seamoon, a Smooth Fella mare from Maureen’s Dream, was responsible for a most successful branch of this family including the top WA pacer Machtu (1:50.8), Eloquent Mach (WA Western Gateway), the Tasmanian Derby winner Mister Lennox, Ocean Diva (1:51.1), Bonnie Joan (NZ Southland Oaks), Tuapeka Kahu, The Neptunes Lady (NSW Robin Dundee Stakes) and so on.

Devonport winners from same family

The promising pacers Lesya and Kikkimi, who both won at the Devonport Club’s Boxing Day meeting, belong to the same family.

Both bred and raced by Barrie Rattray are out of daughters of the Ticket To Heaven mare Gorse Bush, the dam of 10 winners including the dual Inter Dominion champion and Miracle Mile hero Beautide.

Lesya, a three-year-old filly by Heston Blue Chip, is out of the dual Tasmanian Sires Stakes winner Ashkalini 2:00.2 ($124,338), an Art Major mare who produced a top pacer in Ignatius 1:49.4 ($595,223), Goggo Gee Gee 1:58.2 ($137,610) and the Blue Bonnet winner Harshali.

Kikkimi, who notched her third success, is a four-year-old Roll With Joe mare from the Jereme’s Jet mare Delmi, dam also of the Tasmanian Sires Produce winner Lancelot (1:58.7).

Daughter of Baby Bling

A two-year-old to make an impact over the holiday racing was Bella Bling, who is part-owned and trained by Belinda and Luke McCarthy.

A filly by Bettor’s Delight, she is out of a champion racemare in Baby Bling 1:50.5 ($854,490) and the second of her produce to win. She won at her second start at Newcastle and looks a two-year-old with the potential one would expect of her breeding.

Prominent breeder selling up

John O’Brien, of Ardmona, who for many years conducted the Steeple Park stud, has decided to retire and sell all his horses.

The draft includes Lunars Last, a daughter of the Victoria Trotters Derby and Oaks winner Lunar Lass; the Sundon mare Sun Legend (dam of Zooma’s Legend 1:59 – $70,852) and several mares by former trotting sensation Noopy Kiosk. All are in good order and priced to clear.

O’Brien has been associated with trotting for more than 40 years, and in that time he stood the Miracle Mile winners Mount Eden, Preux Chevalier and Royal Force, Noopy Kiosk and the American imports Maverick Almahurst, Doc’s Happy and Rock Butler.

For further information email whartonp@bigpond.net.au

By Peter Wharton for Harnesslink