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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. 
Triple Vicbred champion
The Somebeachsomewhere mare Maajida wrote herself into the history books when she became the first female pacer ever to win Vicbred Super Series titles at two, three and four years when she took out the Group 1 $130,000 Final at Melton.
Maajida, who has won 22 of her 37 starts and $628,980 in stakes and holds a mile mark of 1:50.3, is a member of the same family as the top SA pacer Scruffy Murphy.
Maajida ranks as a sister to the Bathurst Gold Chalice winner Lifeonthebeach 1:50.2 ($222,308) and a half-sister to the Menangle winner We Salute You 1:51.3 ($130,505), being by Somebeachsomewhere from the Art Major mare Arterial Way (1:55.8), whose dam Better Motoring (1:58) was by New York Motoring, a leading siring son of Most Happy Fella from Better Yet, by Nat Lobell from Bright Highland, by U Scott.
Arterial Way was a half-sister to the NSW Breeders Challenge winner New York Fashion 1:56.1 ($173,861), the prolific Menangle winner Virage 1:53.7 ($158,079), the Harold Park victor Motor Holmes 1:56.9 ($108,160) and to Bella Fortuna, dam of last year’s NSW True Blue winner Saint Crusader (1:53.8).
Their dam, Better Motoring, won 13 races and left nine winners including seven in 2:00.
Maajida was bred and is raced by the Johnson family from the NSW Riverina district.
Top two-year-old filly by Art Major
The Art Major filly Amore Vita clinched her claim as one of the most exciting two-year-olds in commission when she won the $130,000 Vicbred Super Series Final at Melton.
Amore Vita is raced and was originally trained by Steve Dolan, who bred her with the Estate of the late Grant Adamson.
Amore Vita is by the Artsplace horse Art Major (sire of For A Reason, etc.) from Castellina Lover, who took a record of 1:55.3 and won seven races. She produced earlier winners in Recco Lover (1:52.2), who won three at Menangle, and Firenze Amore, a NZ three-year-old winner.
Castellina Lover was by the American-bred sire McArdle from Delizioso (TT1:56.6), by In The Pocket from Vain Franco, the dam of the champion racemare Under Cover Lover, the exported CC’s Lover (1:51.2), the Listed winner Rumadrum and the grand-dam of the millionairess Bettor Cover Lover.
This is a long-established NZ family and an earlier top two-year-old belonging to it was Bubbles And Bling, who won the WA Western Crown.
Bondi Lockdown is star three-year-old
Bondi Lockdown, a three-year-old by Somebeachsomewhere from Without Guile, by Art Major from the top racemare Innocent Eyes 1:57.6 ($421,875), by Safely Kept, won only one race as a two-year-old last season.
But the Somebeachsomewhere colt has proved himself to some purpose in his three-year-old racing, and he won the $130,000 Vicbred Super Series Final at Melton in a career-best mile rate of 1:53.4 for 2240 metres.
It was Bondi Lockdown’s 11th success for the season and his 1:53.4 mark was put up when he had nothing in his favour, drawing the wide No. 5 gate and being several lengths from the leaders at one stage. He is a very good youngster.
Bought for $20,000 at the 2019 APG Melbourne sale, Bondi Lockdown has banked $230,020 from 12 wins and eight placings in 26 starts.
Bondi Lockdown was one of three Vicbred champions sired by the deceased Somebeachsomewhere, the others being Maajida and Honolua Bay, an impressive winner and a stayer of some real potential.
Hez A Son Of Agun is well bred
Heza Son Of Agun, who won the $130,000 Vicbred Super Series Final Final for two-year-old colts and geldings, gives the impression that he could develop into one of next season’s top three-year-olds.
Bred and raced by Melbourne enthusiasts Tony and Pam Coniglio, Hezs Son Of Agun is a well developed colt by Art Major from a fine racemare and triple Oaks winner in Itz Nosurprisesthere 1:58 ($216,900), the dam of the Breeders Crown 3YO Silver winner Itzamajor Surprise 1:56.1 ($112,985) and the Group placegetter Itz Longtall Sally (1:57.5).
Their dam, Itz Nosurprisesthere, was a McArdle mare from Itz Queen Of Newyork, by New York Motoring from Itz Regal, by Clever Innocence. It is an interesting fact that there is a double strain of Meadow Skipper blood in Itz Queen Of Newyork (grand-dam of Heza Son Of Agun), through both New York Motoring and Clever Innocence. It was the Meadow Skipper line that gave Australia and NZ one of its greatest sires in recent years in Bettor’s Delight.
Itz Nosurprisesthere was a half-sister to a top racemare in Itz Cherry Ripe, who took a record of 1:51.4 in America and won $573,127.
Close relatives win Vicbred Finals
Two of Victoria’s star trotters at present, and both winners of Group 1 $100,000 Vicbred Super Series Finals who promise to be a force in the open age racing in the future, are Plymouth Chubb (by Majestic Son) and Fancy (by Quaker Jet).
Both are out of daughters of a smart racemare in Kim’s Fantasy (20 wins), by the Smooth Fella horse Smooth Falcon (winner of Victoria Pacers Derby).
Plymouth Chubb, a two-year-old gelding, is from the winning In The Pocket mare Pocket Fantasy, who produced others in My Skypocket 1:59.4 $132,768), Edge Hill 1:55.6 ($110,161), the Tatlow winner Dublin Chubb (1:59.8), Garston Girl (1:57.3) and Zephiane (1:57.1).
Fancy, a three-year-old filly, is from Speedy Naomi, by Safely Kept from Kim’s Fantasy. Speedy Naomi, who won 15 races, left earlier winners in Greg The Great 1:55.1 ($133,959), Hammer’s Law (1:57.3) and Avimore.
Kim’s Fantasy was a half-sister to the Moonee Valley winner Court Running, being out of Vila Court, by Gaviland from Park Court, by Stormyway. Other members of this family have been Running Pinevale (Vic. Trotters Oaks), the Grand Prix winner Big Jack Hammer 1:54.7 ($406,373), Outofthefire (1:57.7) and the Vicbred 2YO Final winner Trottn On The Ritz.
The Coulson winner
Bettor Get It On, who has five races in quick time this season including the Group 3 The Coulson, and has graduated to a NR77 mark, is regarded as one of the best young mares in WA.
She is a four-year-old sired by the Cam’s Card Shark horse Bettor’s Delight, Australasia’s leading sire. She is out of a handy racemare in It’s All On, an Art Major mare from the same family as the WA Derby winner Ace Of Spades.
It’s All On, who won twice, is also the dam of the promising three-year-old Mr Fantastic (1:56.3), a winner of seven races in NZ and WA so far. She is a half-sister to the Gloucester Park winners My Sound Of Thunder 1:57.4 ($134,841) and Jambo Emali (1:57.4) and a free-for-all class pacer in Presido 1:56 ($153,575), being out of Rare Class, by In The Pocket from Rare Gift, by Lordship from the Mark Lobell mare Halter Prize.
This is the family which produced the NZ Cup winner Homin Hosed, Kiwi Ideal (1:50), Walks On Water (1:51.8), Flask (NZ Yearling Sales Series 2YO), Ace Of Spades (1:56.5) and the outstanding trotter On Thunder Road.
Star trotter by Muscle Hill
Rules Dont Apply, who won $100,000 Vicbred Super Series Final for four-year-old male trotters at the New Year’s Eve meeting at Melton, is a Muscle Hill gelding from the same family as that which produced a champion trotting filly in Zesta.
Rules Dont Apply, who was a Vicbred finalist at three, has only been lightly raced due to immaturity and a few niggling injuries, but he has shown up as a very useful trotter, and it was a strong field he beat at Melton.
Abandoned Annie, the dam of Rules Dont Apply and a handy trotter in Bro Creed (4 wins to date), was out of Ginger Gem, by Keystone Salute from Styx, by R C’s Dee Jay from Dhah, by Adios Junior (a son of Golden Adios).
Ginger Gem, who was only lightly raced, left a fine racemare in I Am Pegasus (1:55.8), who won 10 including the Vicbred 3YO Final and Lyn McPherson Memorial for $127,200 in stakes.
Styx, the dam of Ginger Gem, also left the Victoria Derby and Oaks winner Zesta ($143,460), who became of the dam of Oceania (13 wins) and Alex The Great (4 wins), the Trotters Oaks victor Adhesive the Group 2 Vicbred Platinum winner Nica Macdonon 1:58.9 ($131,861), a cup class trotter in River Red (28 wins and $167,538) and the unraced Zooma, a sire of Group winners.
Another daughter of Styx was Senita, who figures as the dam of the Derby heat winner Senita’s Strength and the prolific Albion Park winner Senita’s Success 1:56.5 ($118,042).
14th foal a winner
The Life Sign two-year-old Big Bad Ossie, a runaway winner on debut at Shepparton recently, is the 14th foal and the 10th winner of the American-bred mare Trulyawork Of Art.
Big Bad Ossie, one of the second last frozen crop by Life Sign, had shown good form at the trials. Others from Trulyawork Of Art to win include the Little Brown Jug winner and millionaire Big Bad John (1:49), Tiz A Masterpiece (1:49), a successful sire in Victoria, Western Artwork (1:51), I’m Not Gonna Lie (1:52.2), Vanity Fairest (1:53.4), the Menangle winner Authentic Stride (1:53.6), the Vicbred 2YO Final placegetter Big Bad Bruce (1:55.9) and now Big Bad Ossie.
Trulyawork Of Art, who is now in her 23rd year, has since produced a two-year-old colt by Bettor’s Delight and a yearling filly by Life Sign.
Trulyawork Of Art was an Artsplace mare from the noted producer Town Sweetheart (1:57.6), by Big Towner from Savilla Lobell, a half-sister to Sometime Lobell, sire of the NSW Sires Stakes champion Loves A Dare.
Big Bad Ossie was bred and is raced by well known Goulburn Valley identity Ross Gange.
