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.

Longfellow is well bred

One of the most capable young pacers racing in Australia at present is Longfellow, who has quickly won his way to the top flight. He posted his eighth success from his last 14 starts when he accounted for a top field in the $100,000 Easter Cup at Launceston last weekend.

Longfellow has a background of blood to back up his claims to further promotion, being by Bettor’s Delight from Artifice, by Art Major from Reign Again Franco, a Harold Park winner by Caprock from the Holmes Hanover mare Reigning Franco, and thus a member of the prized Purple Patch family.

Artifice, who won seven races including the Tasmanian Belmont, produced earlier winners in Fioki 1:54.1 ($219,339), a winner at Menangle at Albion Park, Juniper 1:57.6 (11 wins and $104,851) and Guesswhat.

Artifice was a half-sister to the Menangle victor Sovereign Flight (1:53.9) and the Harold Park winner Reign In Spain (1:58.9). Their dam, the NZ bred Reign Again Franco, was a half-sister to the exported Rondel Franco 1:51.6 ($684,003) and the prolific Perth winner Franco Renegade 1:55.5 ($222,218) and to the dams of the NSW Pink Bonnet winner Courageousnquick 1:56.1 ($236,427) and the Menangle and Albion Park winner Franco Revel 1:54.5 ($150,982).

Longfellow was bred by northern Tasmanian identities Barrie and Denise Rattray. 

Ideal Dan in top form

Ideal Dan, winner of the $100,000 Riverina Championship Final and recently a winner of the Young Cup, is one of the best four-year-olds in NSW at present.

Bred and owned by Victorian enthusiast Danny Zavitsanos, Ideal Dan is undefeated in four starts this season and has won 10 races and $167,689 in stakes during his career.

By the Western Ideal horse American Ideal, he is out of a capable racemare in Jodila (1:57.5), by Jereme’s Jet from the Listed winner Trudee 1:58 ($167,757), a half-sister by Albert Albert to the grand producer Intrude. She was the dam of eight individual winners including the glamour racemare Make Mine Cullen 1:53 ($874,178), the Victoria Sapling winner Bella Joy, Roger’s Passion (1:56.6) and Billy Badlands (1:55.7).

Intrude was the grand-dam of the NZ 2YO Filly of the Year Supersonic Miss, the NSW Breeders Challenge winners Goodtime Heaven and Obahma Joy, the SA Pacing Cup winner Sicario, Make Mine Heaven, Make Mine Memphis, College Chapel (Bathurst Gold Crown), Jukebox Music and Kingofthestars.

Renshaw Cup to Stingray Tara

The $50,000 Renshaw Cup, for open class pacers, the most important race on the Penrith calendar, was won by the Bettor’s Delight gelding Stingray Tara, who led throughout from the pole.

It was his third winning run in as many starts in NSW, having earlier won a heat and final of the Group 3 Autumn Gift at Menangle.

A younger brother to the Inter Dominion champion Tiger Tara 1:49.8 ($2.3 million), now at the stud in NSW, Stingray Tara is out of the unraced Tara Gold, a Dream Away mare who traces back to the Whipster mare Petronella, who established a great winning line for the the late Ray Anicich.

Other topliners from this family have been the Fremantle Cup winner Power Of Tara, the NZ Easter Cup winners A G’s White Socks and Matthew Lee, the Breeders Crown champion Tango Tara, Sammy Maguire, Vita Man, Delightful Tara and Class Of Tara.

Wagga track record

A fresh track record mile rate for 1740 metres at Wagga was established by the Mach Three gelding Mach Shard of 1:49.7 – bettering the previous record of 1:50.3 held by Star Major by 3/5^th second – when he won the Group 3 Wagga Pacers Cup.

Mach Shard, who has now won 11 races – including the NZ Cardigan Bay Stakes and Spring Cup – and almost $470,000 in stakes, is a member of the same family as Sly Flyin.

Mach Shard ranks as a half-brother to the millionaire pacer Smiling Shard and a fine racemare in Pemberton Shard 1:55.2 ($229,411), being by Mach Three from the Panorama mare Sly Shard (2:00.3) whose dam Sly Soky (1:59.4) was by Soky’s Atom, a successful siring son of Albatross from Sly Tabella, by Saigon from Sly Kiwi, by Sly Yankee.

Sly Shard was a half-sister to former NZ 2YO of the Year and NZ Free-for-all winner Sly Flyin 1:53.6 ($903,705) and the Listed winner Shez Spicey 1:57.9 ($179,984) and to the dams of the exported Drumfire 1:49 ($635,209), Nicol Shard (1:50.2) and Our Regal Ideal (1:50.8) and a capable trotter in Picasso Star ($123,847).

Their dam, Sly Soky, a winner of three races, left six winners. She was a sister to the Moonee Valley winner Cunning Atom, dam of a brilliant sprinter in Mister Grizzly (1:55.3), and a half-sister to the NZ Sapling Stakes winner Knight Fox.

WA Easter Cup winner

Winner of the $50,000 Garrard’s Horse & Hound WA Easter Cup was the American Ideal entire Ideal Agent, who is expected to make WA Pacing Cup class.

Only a five-year-old, he showed up last season as a four-year-old above average when he won three of his five starts at Gloucester Park. In the Easter Cup, he was never really extended in running out the 2902 metres in a 2:00.1 rate, the last 800 in 56.6 and the final 400 in 27.9, figures which he could have sharply improved.

Ideal Agent is by the highly successful American Ideal from the unraced Bettor’s Delight mare Lady Smack, a half-sister to an outstanding racemare in The Orange Agent (1:51.1), the winner of six Group 1’s and $725,542 in stakes, and the Perth winner Robb Stark (1:57.6) and a sister-in-blood to the Australasian three-year-old fillies’ mile record holder Cheesy Fingers (1:50.3).

Their dam, the Artiscape mare Lady Fingers, was only lightly raced but she left four winners. She was a half-sister to the Ballarat Cup and Inter Dominion heat winner Cincinnati Kid 1:55 ($499,495), being out of Matter Of Fact (2:00.3), by Soky’s Atom from Smooth Paula (1:59.4), by Smooth Fella from the Gentry mare Paulreta, dam of the Franklin Cup winner Paul Command, Hurricane Paul and That Fella (Cambridge 4YO Classic).

Lady Fingers was also a half-sister to the dams of the exported Vettel 1:48.6 ($346,264) and a cup class pacer in Hot And Treacherous 1:55.7 ($180,440).

Championship winner by Village Jolt

Yarraman Bella, who won the $100,000 Riverina Championship Mares’ Final – Winona Writer, Iamajoyride and Aunty Bella filled the placings behind her – has made smart progress through the classes.

She is a grand stayer and one of the best racemares left by the Cam’s Card Shark horse Village Jolt, who sired pacers the calibre of Imprincessgemma, Christmas Jolt, Keayang Ebonyrose and others.

Yarraman Bella is a five-year-old mare from Bella Jam Jam, by Artesian (son of Artiscape) from Wicker Bella (2:00.8), by Silent Spring from Eastern Command, by Eastern Skipper.

This family has produced some useful pacers over the years. Bella Jam Jam left earlier winners in Bella Ball Terror 1:52.4 (a winner of 16 races and $107,547) and Rockowsroad (three wins).

From Bonilene family

Cherokee Joe, who came from last to take out the Group 3 Country Clubs Championship Final at Melton, is a four-year-old gelding by For A Reason from Regaltive, a useful racemare who took a record of 1:56.4.

He is a member of an old time NZ family, which was also represented by the recent Bendigo and Horsham winner Jilliby Dynamite (1:55).

Regaltive was a Stonebridge Regal mare from Nickative, by Armbro Operative from Nickel Castle, by Butler B G from the NSW Oaks winner Nickel Gold, by Toliver Hanover from Adelisa and tracing to the imported mare Bonilene, whose family today is one of the best in the stud book.

From the Adelisa branch of it and to which Cherokee Joe belongs, the Australian Pacing Gold winners Keppel Bay, Blatant Lie, Mr Nickel and Jilliby Jitterbug, a top free-for-aller Cold Major, Jilliby Bandit (Sokyola Sprint) and Ashton Lass (Queensland Oaks) are also members.

Cherokee Joe ranks as a half-brother to the smart Riverina pacer Forged In Fire (1:57.4).

First two-year-old trot

The $20,000 Aldebaran Trot at Maryborough, the first race for two-year-old trotters for the season, was won by Uptown Lad, a strongly fancied gelding by the Swedish bred Sebastian K from Downtown Miss.

Sebastian K (1:49), a multiple world record holder, sired such winners as On Advice, who set an Australasian mile record for three-year-old trotters at 1:54.5, Paris Kay (1:58.9) and Defensive Guy from comparatively low numbers in Australia, while in America he left the 37 in 2:00 including the Breeders Crown champion Next Level Stuff (1:51.6).

Downtown Miss (1:59.6), the dam of Uptown Lad, was by Majestic Son, the leading sire of trotters in Australasia for the past decade, from False Gem, a multiple Group winner who also left the good Menangle winner Shetland (1:57).

This has been a most successful family, as Jewel Of The Night, a half-sister to False Gem, was the dam of the Melton victor Basil Knight. Furthermore, Ornamental Gem and Trinket, the third and fourth dams respectively of Uptown Lad, were both Group winners.

The first two-year-old trotting winner, Uptown Lad, has certainly a wealth of successful trotting blood on both sides of his pedigree.

A star from La Machane

A star four-year-old in Victoria so far this season is La Captain, who was bred by the late Jack Munnerley and trained by Jess Tubbs.

A gelding by Captaintreacherous, he is out of a top racemare in La Machane (1:54.6) and the second of her produce to race. He won a heat and the final of the E. K. Bray Country Clubs Pace at Melton and looks a four-year-old with the potential one would expect of his breeding.

La Machane, a former Vicbred champion, left three winners over the Easter holiday period in La Puddie (Bathurst), Machane Said (Warragul) and La Captain.

Blue blooded filly

Perfect In Pink, an impressive winner on debut at Geelong recently, is a two-year-old filly who can claim some worthwhile blood.

By American Ideal, a champion son of Western Ideal, she is out of the Western Terror mare Kabbalah Karen B (1:52.8), an American-bred mare who ranks as the dam of the glamour racemare and dual Breeders Crown champion Ladies In Red 1:51.9 ($569,500), the Victoria Derby winner Our Little General 1:49.8 ($765,566) and Kasbah Kid 1:53.1 ($185,520).

Kabbalah Karen B was a half-sister to the top American pacer Cammibest (1:50), a leading sire in Queensland for many years.

Perfect In Pink was bred and is raced by Bill and Anne Anderson, of Lauriston Bloodstock.

By Peter Wharton for Harnesslink