Weekly spotlight on breeding

Breeding authority Peter Wharton presents all the harness racing news on breeding from Australia, New Zealand and North America every week brought to you by Garrard’s Horse & Hound.

Ripp is top NSW three-year-old

When he won the $125,000 APG Gold Bullion Series Final at Menangle, Ripp scored his sixth success, and he entitled to be rated as NSW’s top three-year-old pacer.

Earlier in the season he won the $100,000 Bathurst Gold Chalice and from seven starts he has won six and been once placed for $138,478 in stakes.

Ripp ranks as a sister to a smart racemare in Beach Music 1:54.5 ($153,120) and a half-sister to Young Rooster 1:58 ($143,109), being a gelding by the Mach Three horse Somebeachsomewhere from Musical Delight 1:53.1 ($248,910), by Bettor’s Delight from the crack racemare and producer Top Tempo 1:56.5 ($225,513), by In The Pocket from Kliklite 1:56.7 ($156,213).

Musical Delight, a multiple Group winner, was a half-sister to the Australian Pacing Gold winner Queen Of Pop 1:55.6 ($204,527), dam of the recent NSW Oaks winner Just Hope 1:52.5 ($243,637).

Another half-sister was the Breeders Crown and Vicbred champion Speak No Evil (1:50.9), a winner of 16 races and $354,300.

The first three dams of Ripp were all Group/feature winners and Group winner-producers.

Steno is well bred

Steno, a Sweet Lou three-year-old filly and the winner of the $125,000 APG Gold Bullion Series Final at Menangle, is out of Lady Waratah, a dual Breeders Crown champion with a bankroll of $564,770 who is proving a successful broodmare.

Lady Waratah is also the dam of the Albury Cup winner The Baggy Green 1:57 ($108,700), the exported Some Waratah 1:50.3 ($144,855), Cherishthememories (1:52.2), Geraldton Wax (1:55.2) and State Emblem (1:57.9) and the grand-dam of the Menangle winners Commander Kirk (1:49.7) and Santa Lucia (1:53.6).

Lady Waratah was a Walton Hanover mare from Waratah Way, by Tompkins Hanover from Yankee Leanne, by Select Yankee from the Gay Reveler mare Bernie’s Sister. Since producing Steno in 2018, Lady Waratah has a two-year-old gelding by Sweet Lou and a weanling filly by Tintin In America.

Lady Waratah was a half-sister to the Edgar Tatlow winner Master Waratah 1:58.6 ($158,620) and The Waratah (1:57.9), dam of the Group 2 winner Mirragon 1:54.9 ($222,934).

Other members of this family, which was founded in NSW by the Tommy II mare Miss Tommy, were the Inter Dominion champion Lennytheshark, the millionairess Frith, the Derby winners Greg Kelly and Albert Kelly, Provocative and the leading colonial sire Classic Garry.

Steno was bred and is raced by Wagga couple Bernie and Dianne Kelly.

Siring feat to Captaintreacherous

Rather a notable siring feat was credited to the Somebeachsomewhere horse Captaintreacherous at Menangle last Saturday, when he left the winners of both Group 1 $150,000 APG Gold Bullion Series Finals in Captain Ritchie and Jewel Melody.

Captain Ritchie, a good type of youngster, prevailed in a photo finish from Sweetheart Bart (by Sweet Lou) and Captain’s Knock (by Captaintreacherous), while Jewel Melody led throughout to win by open lengths.

Captaintreacherous’s oldest stock are four-year-olds, and they include Tough Tilly (one of the top fillies of her year), Treachery, Platinum Stride, Sahara Storm and Lochinvar Chief, etc.

Captaintreacherous was the first son of Somebeachsomewhere to become available to ‘down under’ breeders, and his first crops have been most impressive. A second son of Somebeachsomewhere in Huntsville has made rather a sensational start as a sire in recent weeks, having been represented by 14 individual winners from his first crop.

Captaintreacherous, whose frozen semen can be accessed via Empire Stallions, is closely related to Rock N Roll World, now standing at Cobbitty Equine Farm (NSW).

Gold Bullion winner

My Ultimate Jacko, who won the $52,000 APG Gold Bullion Final for two-year-old colts and geldings at Albion Park, is an Art Major gelding from the same family as that which produced a champion pacer in Blacks A Fake.

A graduate of the APG Brisbane sale in 2019, My Ultimate Jacko has now won twice and has been twice placed for $45,054 in stakes.

By the Artsplace horse Art Major, he is out of Colada Belle, a Presidential Ball half-sister to Australasia’s richest ever standardbred and four-time Inter Dominion champion Blacks A Fake.

My Ultimate Jacko ranks as a brother to the Albion Park juvenile winner My Ultimate Clippa (1:55.2).

Group winner by Betting Line

The Betting Line filly Aurora Joy, firmly established herself as the top Queensland two-year-old filly of the season when she won the Group 2 APG Gold Bullion Final at Albion Park.

Bred by Burwood Stud, the home of former champion NZ colt pacer and now leading sire Changeover, Aurora Joy was knocked down to prominent Sydney owner Daniel Cordina for $32,000 at the APG Brisbane sale in 2021.

Aurora Joy is by the Bettor’s Delight horse Betting Line (sire of My Ultimate Levi, etc), from Walking On Air, who took a record of 1:59.3. She produced earlier winners in Mummy’s Boy (1:53.1), a winner at Albion Park recently, and Elevate.

Walking On Air was by champion sire Art Major from Runaway Holme, by Holmes Hanover from the noted producer Shoutaloud (1:58.9), by Armbro Operative from the outstanding racemare In A Whisper (TT1:56.4), who won four Group races and $218,055 in stakes.

Runaway Holme, who was unraced left three winners including the multiple Group placegetter Missed By Red (1:56.3). She was a half-sister to the top NSW performers Atomic Red 1:50.3 ($406,396), Runaway Red 1:53.5 ($332,892), Power Of Red 1:50.4 ($288,425) and Smooth Baht 1:49.5 ($145,689), all pacers of some worth.

This is a long established NSW family and an earlier top youngster belonging to it was Albert Aralar, who won 15 races including the Redcliffe Derby.

Leading sire’s absence a loss

The convincing win of Cat King Cole in the $52,000 APG Gold Bullion Series Final for three-year-old fillies further demonstrated the loss of Hurrikane Kingcole to breeders.

With only three crops racing, he has sired 64 winners for progeny earnings totalling $2 million. Youaremysunshine, winner of the Victoria Youthful Stakes, Talent To Spare (QBred Triad 3YO), Our Balou, Venus Dujon and Frost En Ice have been other winners from Hurrikane Kingcole’s first two crops.

Cat King Cole, who also won the Gold Bullion as a two-year-old, is out of the P B Bullville mare Catwalk Beauty 1:58.2 ($156,566), who produced earlier winners in Werelivingthedream (1:54.3), Matron Jujon (1:55.4) and King Of Cool.

Catwalk Beauty, who won three Group races, was a half-sister to the QBred 2YO Triad winner Attack Life 1:57.7 ($132,832), being out of Down The Catwalk, by Vanston Hanover from the noted producer Sweet Mover, by Rip Van Winkle, a champion colt pacer in the 1970’s.

Inter Dominion trotting prospect

One of the stronger Inter Dominion trotting candidates, particularly among the youthful brigade will be Mufasa Metro, who has proved himself in the top flight and has won his way back to the verge of cup class with two recent Melton successes.

His latest winning run over 1720 metres from behind the mobile barrier was a brilliant performance. He led throughout from the pole and won decisively at a 1:56 mile rate.

A tough customer, Mufasa Metro is a four-year-old gelding by the Cantab Hall horse Father Patrick, and one of his first Australasian crop, from a fine racemare in Paris Metro, dam also of the Group 1 winner Massive Metro 1:59.8 ($232,826), the exported Commander Paris 1:54.4 ($104,607) and the Menangle winner The Pearl Of Paris.

Paris Metro, a Group 1 winner of $120,606, was sired by Safely Kept (a son of Jate Lobell and who sired several top trotters including La Coocaracha) from Transport Jo, a pacing bred mare by Transport Chip from the Sir Dalrae mare Dalrae Jo and tracing to the noted foundation mare Topsy.

Well related three-year-old

Mucho Mover, who won the Tasmanian Sires Produce at Hobart, showed ability as a two-year-old last season when he beat Mickey Oh in a heat of the Sweepstakes.

He has opened his three-year-old season on a winning note and will be well in line for the remaining juvenile classics.

Mucho Mover is a gelding by the Cam’s Card Shark horse Roll With Joe from Fuscienne, the dam also of two-year-old winner Lalasa.

Fuscienne ranks as a half-sister to a grand pacer and dual Inter Dominion winner in Beautide, being by Major In Art from Gorse Bush, by Ticket To Heaven from Barrington Lass, by Holly Sand.

Mucho Mover was bred by Barrie and Denise Rattray.

Sweet Louise retires

Sweet Louise, who won a semi-final of the Breeders Crown and finished runner-up in the Final, has been retired.

Plagued by injury for most of her career, the Sweet Lou mare won six races and $88,110 in stakes.

A member of the Rita’s Pride family, Sweet Louise is out of the Modern Art mare Artistic Dancer, dam also of Black Derby (1:55.9), the Melton winner Plain Baby (1:57) and Dance Of Fire (1:57.4).

By Peter Wharton for Harnesslink