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.

Petracca is some youngster

Ballarat trainer Emma Stewart, who has a grand record in producing star juvenile pacers and trotters, produced a grand two-year-old pacer at Melton last Saturday in Petracca.

On a cold night and required to race several sulkies wide in the early part, the colt soundly trounced his rivals in the Shakamaker Classic, rating a slick 1:54.1 for 1720 metres. He was timed to run his last half in 55.7 seconds and the quarter in 27.1, figures which he could have sharply improved.

By Captaintreacherous, and one of the third crop of the Somebeachsomewhere horse, he is out of Lovelist 1:53.2 ($222,889), a Breeders Crown champion by Always A Virgin from Lifeline, by Classic Gary from Larrakeyah Lady and thus a member of the Hot Foot family which has produced the Hunter Cup winner Safe And Sound, Ride High, etc. and has been one of the most successful winning lines in Australia today.

Petracca was bred by Bruce and Craig Cameron.

Won WA Empress Stakes

Bettor Get It On, winner of the $50,000 Empress Stakes at Gloucester Park, continues to prove herself in the top bracket among the WA mares.

She is a member of one of NZ’s most successful families, being a five-year-old Bettor’s Delight mare from Its All On, a winning Art Major mare who also produced the NZ and WA winner Mr Fantastic (1:56.3), a brother to Bettor Get It On.

Its All On was out of Rare Class, a good producer by In The Pocket from Rare Gift, by Lordship from the Mark Lobell mare Halter Prize and tracing eventually to the taproot Goosey.

Rare Class produced two cup class pacers in Presido (1:56), a winner of 12 races and $153,575 in stakes, and My Sound Of Thunder (1:57.4), a winner of 11 races and $134,841. Others from Rare Class were the good Gloucester Park winner Jambo Emali (1:57.4) and the NZ winners Ushuaia, Beguiling, Local Yokel and Stanley Bay.

Rare Class was a half-sister to the WA Derby winner Ace Of Spades 1:56.5 ($135,620), the Moonee Valley winner Mighty Rare, the Perth victor Truly Rare (1:59) and to Rare And Smooth, dam of the Listed NZ winner Flask 1:53.4 ($133,873).

This is the family of the NZ Cup winner Homin Hosed, the Bunbury Cup winner Mystery Cargo, Sir Roman (NZ Franklin Cup) and an outstanding trotter in On Thunder Road.

Sweet Louise is well bred

Sweet Louise, who downed a smart field at Melton, after appearing to be hopelessly out of it at one stage, has now won six races and is rated one of the brightest prospects in her class. She ranks as a five-year-old half-sister by Sweet Lou to the Melton winner Plain Baby and the handy Riverina pacer Black Derby (1:55.9).

Artistic Dancer, the dam of Sweet Louise and co, was a Modern Art mare from Whola Dancer (2:00.9), by Holmes Hanover from the Australian Pacing Gold winner Donna Who 1:57.1 ($244,668).

Whola Dancer, a Globe Derby Park winner, was a half-sister to Who’s The Bird, dam of the exported High Courage 1:53.4 ($143,950), the NZ Southland Oaks winner Smokin Byrd (1:55.1), the Menangle winner Who’s Escaped 1:52.7 ($127,377), Cullen Who (1:55) and the WA Oaks heat winner Slick Bird (1:55.7) and the grand-dam of the Group and Listed WA winners Slick Artist 1:52.2 ($256,184) and While They Pray 1:54.7 ($120,088).

This has been one of the most successful branches of the Rita’s Pride family, Donna Who being a sister to the Moonee Valley victor Son Of Greek and a half-sister to No Share Girl, who produced a good family of winners in Queensland including Gunrneedabigrboat (1:50.6) and Betterthanajeep (1:52.7).

Poster Boy’s three-quarter brother

Zoliver, a six-year-old brother-in-blood to the champion pacer Poster Boy, continues his march through the grades at Menangle. The entire led throughout to down a handy field last Saturday and lifted his stake tally to just shy of $100,000.

Bred by Bill and Anne Anderson, Zoliver has an all-American breeding background and one which has been most successful. By Mach Three, he is out of the Artsplace mare Aston Villa, who was imported to Australia as a two-year-old.

Aston Villa, who took a record of 1:58.1, won four races in Victoria and at the stud left six winners – all inside 2:00 – from seven foals of racing age. Besides Zoliver and Poster Boy, she is also the dam of the Cups winner Yankee Rockstar 1:52.2 ($329,048), Breeders Crown champion Born To Rocknroll 1:52.5 ($300,684), Yankee Showgirl (1:56.5) and the Victoria Sapling Stakes winner Beach Villa (1:55.1).

Aston Villa was out of the trotting mare Villa Storm (1:53.2), a Storm Damage half-sister to the top Canadian pacer Art’s Secret 1:51.4 ($795,888) and to the star racemare and 1:50 producer Cam’s Secretary (1:52.6).

Victorian trotter has strong bloodlines

One of the most promising trotters racing in Victoria and the winner of the VSTA Trotters Cup hat Melton is Copacabana, bred by square-gaiting enthusiasts Nick Hooper and Paul Graydon. A four-year-old, Copacabana is in her third season of racing and from 20 starts she has won five and has been five times placed.

Copacabana has a background of trotting blood second to one. Her sire Andover Hall has left the multiple Group 1 winner Is That A Bid and other smart trotters in Jaxnme, He’s A Hammer, Andover Sun and Naked Ambition.

Her dam Broadacrossthebeam is by Keystone Salute, a leading sire of trotters in Victoria for many years. Copacabana ranks as a half-sister to the Echuca Trotters Cup winner Zarem 2:00.1 ($120,930).

Broadacrossthebeam, a useful trotter herself, was a half-sister to a fine trotter in Gluteus Maximus 1:59.6 ($104,855), dam of the Breeders Crown Silver winner Utopia (1:58.6) and the brilliant but ill-fated Derrie Aire (1:58.1). Broadacrossthebeam was out of Thunder Thighs, a Group 3 winner by Chiola Hanover from the Tuft mare Hayley Patricia and tracing to the taproot Mavis Wood.

Other trotters further back in this pedigree have been Ima Gold Digger, Posimistic, Exhuberant, Father Christmas, Monty Python and Keayang Livana.

First winner by Lennytheshark

The Four Starzzz Shark horse Lennytheshark, an Inter Dominion and Miracle Mile winner and now at the stud in NSW, was represented by his first winner when Heathbern Bruce was successful recently at Bendigo.

Heathbern Bruce had showed good trials form in the area prior to his debut.

Bred by Lori Morley, Heathbern Bruce is out of the Metropolitan mare Lorimerjane, whose dam, Imbula (1:59.1) was by Walton Hanover from Zanzibar, by Armbro Aussie from the Gay Reveler mare Mozambique, who left several useful winners and was the grand-dam of Group 1 winners in Newbold Penny, Sure To Impress and Jilliby Melody.

Red letter night for SA breeding

April 5, 2022 was a red-letter for South Australian breeding with seven winners across two States.

At Globe Derby Park, Lildabldooya (Hes Watching-Swingsnroundabouts), bred, owned and trained by Toby Ryan, won the first two-year-old race of the season in SA, while the SA Yearling Sale graduates Rocknroll Tallara (A Rocknroll Dance-Proud Trick) and Bella Sofia (Island Tiger-Jill’s Pride) both saluted on the same card.

Rocknroll Tallara, a three-year-old filly, was bred by NSW breeder Michael Taylor and reared at Allenby Lodge stud, while Bella Sofia was bred by Lynette Brown. A fourth SA bred winner at Globe Derby was Tuscan Star (Four Starzzz Shark-Tuscan Sue), bred and owned by Lou Antolini.

Across the border at Mildura, another SA sales graduate in Monsieur Steel (Smiling Shard– French Fashion), bred by Peter Breadmore, started the ball rolling for SA breds. Other SA winners were Rojenbye (Shadow Play-Imachicitoo), bred by the Cormack family, Flossytom (Artesian-Flossy Gem), bred by R. B. and R. J. Spehr, and Rocking Wroxton (A Rocknroll Dance-Party Time Girl), who was bred by the late Alison Stevens.

Death of prominent NSW breeder

One of NSW’s best known Standardbred breeders, Dr Fran Hausfeld, of Sydney, died recently aged 91.

Hausfeld established a great winning line with the Armbro Whiz mare Willing Whiz, a Group 1 winner herself and who was responsible for countless ‘black type’ performers over three generations.

The Victoria Cup and Chariots of Fire winner Caribbean Blaster, now a successful sire, and others in Aphorism, Kanena Provlima, Rohan Home, Protikori, Charlaval, Zaneden, Katasopos, Arivee and Sanctum were bred by Hausfeld.

By Peter Wharton for Harnesslink