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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. 
Breeding of Miracle Mile runners
The eight contestants in the $1 million Garrard’s Miracle Mile are by eight different sires.
Three of the runners in Bondi Lockdown, Mach Dan and Bundoran belong to the Direct Scooter sire line, King Of Swing and Expensive Ego are both from the Western Hanover line, Spirit Of St Louis and Majestic Cruiser hail from the Abercrombie line and Better Eclipse is from the Cam Fella line.
Art Major features in the pedigrees of Majestic Cruiser, Spirit Of St Louis and Bondi Lockdown.
King Of Swing, Spirit Of St Louis and Bundoran were all bred in New Zealand, Mach Dan and Better Eclipse (Victoria), Bondi Lockdown (NSW), Expensive Ego (Queensland) and Majestic Cruiser (SA).
King Of Swing and Better Eclipse are the first foals of their dams, Spirit Of St Louis and Mach Dan (2nd), Bundoran (3rd), Bondi Lockdown (4th), Expensive Ego (5th) and Majestic Cruiser (9th).
Only the Jessie Pepper family is dually represented – King Of Swing and Mach Dan.
Sales Classic to Cabsav
Cabsav is proving herself a smart two-year-old – she has won two of her three starts to date including the $100,000 WA Sales Classic – and could develop into one of the best her age this season.
A filly by American Ideal (son of Western Ideal), she is out of the unraced Lughnasadh, who ranked as a half-sister to the Inter Dominion and Hunter Cup winner Elsu, the NZ 2YO Championship winner Revonez, Falcor (1:53) and to Les Payzen Star, dam of the NZ and Victoria Oaks winner Copper Beach.
Lughnasadh, the dam of Cabsav and Beltane (1:51.4), a winner in America recently, was by Artsplace out of Interchange, by New York Motoring from Zenover, by Bachelor Hanover from the U Scott mare Zenith.
This has been one of New Zealand’s most successful families over a long period. Zenover, who was only lightly raced, left a top colt pacer in Motoring Magic 1:57.5 ($366,395), the Group 2 winner Harvey’s Sister and a smart juvenile trotter in Zebec.
Other members of the family have been Tintin In America (NZ 4YO of the Year and sire of Shartin 1:46.8), Albert Jaccka ($00,792), Lord Zin Zan (1:49.6), Jack Farthing (1:50.6), Zenable and many others.
Notable siring feat
When Bettors Delight mare Stylish Memphis took out the $200,000 Queen Elizabeth II Mile (formerly Ladyship Mile) she became the sixth winner of the Group 1 from his last eight renewals.
Stylish Memphis was also successful in 2021, Bettor’s Heart (2020), Dream About Me (2019), A Piccadilly Princess (2017) and Adore Me (2015).
A star from Queen Of Pop
A star three-year-old in Australia so far this season is Just Hope, who was bred in Victoria by Bill and Anne Anderson, of Lauriston Bloodstock.
A filly by Bettor’s Delight, she is out of a smart racemare in Queen Of Pop 1:55.6 ($204,527) and the first of her produce to race. She won the $200,000 NSW Oaks at Menangle and the Albury Derby and looks a three-year-old with the potential one would expect of his breeding.
Queen Of Pop, who won nine races including the Australian Pacing Gold, is a half-sister to the Breeders Crown winner and Vicbred champion Speak No Evil 1:50.9 ($354,300), the APG winner Musical Delight 1:53.1 ($248,910) and That’s How Weroll 1:52.9 ($127,895) and a sister to the Albion Park winner Countdown 1:53.1 ($135,410).
Their dam, Top Tempo (1:56.5), a Group 2 winner, was by In The Pocket from a fine racemare in Kliklite (1:56.7), by Holmes Hanover from the El Patron mare Jessica MacFaber. Besides Top Tempo, Kliklite left the Reefton Cup and Albion Park winner McKay 1:55.7 ($236,445) and Better Klik (1:57.9).
Well related two-year-old
Promiseland, who won the $50,000 Pink Bonnet at Menangle when having only her second start, was bred and is raced by the Xerri family and trained by Michael Doltoff.
She is a member of one of NSW’s most successful families, being a two-year-old Bettor’s Delight filly from a handy racemare in Miss Ami Sloy (1:56.2), an Art Major mare who won seven races.
Miss Ami Sloy was out of My Ami Lee, a noted producer by Safely Kept from Cosmophylla, by Thor Hanover from the Entrepreneur mare Calophylla and tracing eventually to Flora (by Berlin),
My Ami Lee produced three high class pacers in Louvre 1:54.5 ($402,665), a winner of 16 races including the NSW Breeders Challenge at two and three, Miss Hazel 1:57 ($310,063), a winner of 15 races including the Victoria Oaks and Ladyship Cup, and the SA Derby and NSW Sires Stakes winner Renaissance Man 1:53.1 (297,904), a successful sire in NSW.
Others from My Ami Lee were a multiple Group winner in My General Lee 1:52.2 ($261,897), Priceless Gem (1:55.5), Rocknroll Tony (1:56.4) and so on.
But the second generation of My Ami Lee’s family has bred on with the same distinction as she did. She figures as the grand-dam of a cup class pacer in Benicio 1:50.6 ($222,887), the NSW Breeders Challenge Blue winner Let’s Go To Brazil (1:51.1), Mister Brazil 1:51.2 ($243,069), the Listed winner Christian Sloy (1:53.8) and recent Menangle three-year-old winner Duggee Sloy.
Derby heat winner
Leap To Fame, who won the fastest heat of the NSW Derby at Menangle, showed ability as a two-year-old last season when he finished second to Class To The Max in the APG Gold Bullion.
He has opened his three-year-old season on a winning note and will be one of the leading fancies for the $200,000 Derby on Saturday night.
He is a colt by the Cam’s Card Shark horse Bettor’s Delight from Lettucereason (1:55.9), the best of whose several progeny has been the Group 2 winner Maximus Red 1:51.6 ($218,502), now racing in America.
Lettucereason ranks as a sister to a grand pacer and Victoria Cup and dual Derby winner in For A Reason, being by Art Major from the noted producer Left For Me, by Fake Left from Our Lady Delwin, by Lordship.
Wonderful To Fly top WA filly
There was never much doubt that Wonderful To Fly was the season’s top rating three-year-old filly in WA as she was the previous season at two years, and she duly confirmed her class by winning the $50,000 APG Sales Classic at Gloucester Park.
Actually she was a class above her rivals, and was not seriously tested in running out the 2130 metres at a 1:55.7 rating.
Her sire, Fly Like An Eagle, a former NZ 2YO Colt of the Year, also left last season’s two-year-old Sales Classic winner Valhalla Miss.
Wonderful To Fly is out of Not Now Delilah, by Allamerican Ingot from Queen Delilah, by Orange Sovereign (son of Abercrombie) from Dainty Delilah, by Rock Butler from Dainty’s Last, by the WA Pacing Cup winner Frosty Nelson. This is the family which produced such winners as Jumbo Operator (WA Navy Cup), the WA Sales Classic and Sires Stakes winner Getaway Plan, Tubbs Farquhar and others.
Wonderful To Fly was bred by Kevin and Annette Charles, who also bred the 2YO Sales Classic winner Valedictorian.
Victory for Valedictorian
The $100,000 WA Sales Classic, the first classic race for two-year-olds, and run at Gloucester Park, was won easily by Valedictorian, a gelding by Art Major from the handy racemare Courage On Fire, who took a record of 1:56.2 and earned $102,378 in stakes.
Bought at the APG sale in Perth in 2021, Valedictorian ranks as half-brother to Peligroso (1:57.8), the winner of three races to date.
Their dam, Courage On Fire, was a Courage Under Fire mare from Winsome Rock, by Caprock from Some Patron, by El Patron from the noted producer Winsome Tricks, by Overtrick. It is an interesting fact that there is a double strain of Albatross blood in Courage On Fire, through both Vance Hanover (damsire of Courage Under Fire) and Ballycullin (dam of Winsome Rock’s sire Caprock). It was the Albatross line that gave Australia one of its greatest ever sires in Torado Hanover.
Courage On Fire was a half-sister to the Albion Park winner Winsome Caesar (1:55.8) and a sister to Winsome Courage (1:58.4), dam of the good Globe Derby Park winner Official Art (1:55.6).
A top flight filly in Coma Berenices belongs to this family. She won seven races including the NZ Caduceus Club Classic and Thames Nursery.
Tenth winner from broodmare
When the Hes Watching four-year-old Ash Bee won on debut at Wagga recently,she credited her dam Indigenous with her tenth individual winner.
Ash Bee, one of the second crop of Hes Watching, had showed good trials form in the Riverina area. Others from Indigenous to win have been the Queen of the Pacific winner Life Inthefastlane (1:54.7), Nostra Ideal (1:52.2), Lanista (1:54.4), Reclusive (1:56.7), Awaitinginstructions (1:57.8), Koori Art (1:58.2),Native Charm (1:59.4), The Dreamtime (1:59.8), Botany Bay Warrior (1:59.9) and now Ash Bee.
Indigenous, who is now in her 24th year, has since produced a two-year-old filly by American Ideal and a filly foal by Sweet Lou.
A Tasmanian Oaks winner, Indigenous was an Armbro Operative mare from Black Debate, by Lordship from Debatable. Indigenous is a half-sister to the exported Satan’s Dispute (1:55.6), the Moonee Valley winner Mabo (1:57.5), Jillette and Sinba, grand-dam of the Victoria Derby winner Tanabi Bromac and the VHRSC 3YO Cup winner Singasongasixpence.
