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.

Breeding of NSW Regional Championship winners

Let’s Get Rockin and Far Our Bro, who won the $100,000 NSW Regional Championship Finals at Menangle and Newcastle respectively, were both bred and are raced by the Xerri family and represent two of New Zealand’s outstanding winning families – that of Flora (by Berlin) and Rawene.

Both are by the Matt’s Scooter horse Mach Three, a leading sire and sire of sires in both North America and Australasia.

Ravishing Girl, the dam of Let’s Get Rockin, was sired by a fine pacer in Sportswriter (1:48.6), a North America Cup winner and world champion juvenile. An Artsplace horse from the Miss Duvall family, Sportswriter has built up a good siring score in both North America and Australia.

Ravishing Girl (1:57.1), a dual Menangle winner, is also the dam of the highly promising Captain Ravishing, 1:52.5 three-year-old winner at Melton earlier this season.

Ravishing Girl’s dam, Ravaged, was a Safely Kept mare from Cosmophylla, by Thor Hanover from Calophylla. This branch of the Flora family has contributed such winners as Louvre (NSW Breeders Challenge 2YO and 3YO), Miss Hazel (NSW Oaks), My General Lee (Treuer Memorial), Benicio (1:50.6), Renaissance Man (SA Derby), Mister Brazil (1:51.2), Gumdrops (Vic. Queen of the Pacific) and this year’s Pink Bonnet victor Promiseland.

Far Apart, the dam of Far Out Bro, was an Art Major from Come Together (1:58.5), by Western Hanover from a top racemare in Miss Chevious, a winner of 14 races including the NSW Sires Stakes 2YO Final and $166,786.

Three of Miss Chevious’s daughters bred on with marked success. Jean West, a sister to Come Together, ranked as the dam of the NSW Breeders Challenge winner Spicy Stride 1:52.8 ($184,635) and the second dam of Astride 1:53.6 (Bathurst Gold Crown) and Oyster Stride 1:53.5 ($130,910).

Massimo Miss (by Aces N Sevens) left four winners including the good Melton winner Steel Screens 1:53.5 ($109,940), while Come Together figured as the dam of the NSW Breeders Challenge 4YO champion Luda 1:52.5 ($216,653) and the grand-dam of Hot Rod Heaven (1:52.6), Sport Cadet (1:53.9) and now Far Out Bro.

Star four-year-old by ‘Beach’

A bright future is being predicted for the Somebeachsomewhere four-year-old Lyrical Genius, whose success in the $100,000 NSW Regional Championships Western Final at Bathurst recently was his eighth from 20 starts.

Lyrical Genius was a Bathurst Gold Crown Yearling Sale purchase in 2019, and is gelding out of My Lively Lass (1:58.5), by Life Sign from Moi Attack (1:59.2), by Fake Left from Down The Catwalk, dam of the top Queensland racemare Catwalk Beauty 1:58.2 ($156,566) and the Group 2 winner Attack Life 1:57.7 ($132,832).

Down The Catwalk is the second dam of Queensland’s leading three-year-old filly Cat King Cole 1:55.3 ($146,649) and the QBred Triad winner A Good Chance 1:50.2 ($296,079).

Lyrical Genius was bred by well known NSW harness racing administrator John Dumesny.

Brother and sister

Two of Western Australia’s most talented pacers at present, and both recent winners at Gloucester Park who promise to be a force in the upcoming feature races, are Arma Xfactor and American Arma.

Both bred and part-owned by Jim Currie and trained by Colin Brown are by American Ideal from Arma Express, a top racemare herself, and who also left the Albion Park and Gloucester Park winner Arma Veyron.

Arma Xpress was by the Artsplace horse Artiscape from Arma Antoinette, by Holmes Hanover from Arma Class, by Talk About Class from the prized matron Ar Miss.

Arma Xfactor has won three of his seven starts, while American Arma is the winner of seven races from 18 starts.

Siring feat by Changeover

The Listed $25,970 QBred Breeders Classic for two-year-old colts and geldings, run at Albion Park last Saturday, was a triumph for Changeover as the sire of Mullum Axel (1^st) and Regazzo Di Tilly – rather a notable siring feat.

The quinella pair were bred by Queensland identity Chris Garrard, who owns the winner.

Mullum Axel, who was having only his fourth start, led throughout at a 1:57.9 rating for 1660 metres.

He has a good deal in his favour on the score of blood. Apart from being by Changeover, a leading sire in Queensland, Mullum Axel is out of the McArdle mare Rowan Franco (1:56.2), a sister to the Albion Park winner Kookaburraprincess (1:53.9), being out of Rapid Fire Franco, by Live Or Die from the Holmes Hanover mare Reigning Franco and tracing to the Rey De Oro mare Purple Patch, whose family today is one of the best in the NZ stud book.

It includes the Oaks winners Piccadilly Princess and Misswood, Emma’s Only (2YO of the Year), the NZ Derby winner Sovereign, Belmers Image (NZ 3YO of the Year), Smudge Bromac (Melton Cup), Patchwood’s Star, Royal Belmer, the top Tasmanian pacer Genghis Karalta, Conrod Straight (NSW Sires Stakes 3YO) and many others.

Rocknroll Runa bred to be good

Rocknroll Runa, who won the $100,000 Regional Championship Riverina Final at Wagga, is a four-year-old gelding expected to graduate far beyond his present rating.

He is a member of an old time NZ family, which was represented by the three-year-old She’s A Caribbean, a half-sister by Caribbean Blaster to Rocknroll Runa who won on the same card.

Their dam, She’s A Runa (1:55.5), won 19 races including the NSW Oaks and Bathurst Gold Bracelet and $291,126 in stakes and was one of the best fillies of her year. She was by Jereme’s Jet from Runacullen, by Christian Cullen from Cherokee Charmer (1:58.4), by Redskin from Tiffany Liz, a mare by Tiff N Time.

Cherokee Charmer, a multiple Harold Park winner, left a capable pacer in Albert’s Charm 1:57.2 ($100,665), the Bathurst Sale Classic winner Lady Cherokee, the Menangle victor Win Or Die (1:58) and the Falcon Seelster mare Beyond Rare, dam of Ryan’s Gangster 1:53.9 (6 wins to date).

Other members of this family have been Lamorak 1:52.6 (Bathurst Sale Classic), Foreverinbluejeans (1:56.7), Tiffanie’s Boy and Noplacelikeholme (Bathurst Gold Tiara Cons.).

Unbeaten two-year-old

The $50,000 SA BOTRA Silver Final, one of the major two-year-old classics of the season at Globe Derby Park, was won by Jamaican Rock, a gelding by A Rocknroll Dance from Jamaka Run, a useful racemare who took a record of 1:58.8.

Unbeaten in two starts to date, Jamaican Rock is a member of an old time family tracing back to Bonnie Bright, a fine racemare who established a great winning line for the late Rex Vanstone.

Bonnie Bright won 21 races including the Victoria Ladyship Cup at Moonee Valley and at the stud became the dam of five winners headed up by Bonnie Bouquet 1:58.6 (23 wins and $113,327) and the Southern Cross winner Blazing Bright and the second dam of the dual Southern Cross winner Bobby Hank 1:56.5 ($206,106)

Another of Bonnie Bright’s offspring was the Albert Albert mare Bonnie Bonnie, who left two winners including Jamaka Run, the dam of Jamaican Rock.

Jamaka Run, who won eight races, produced others in the SA Sires Produce winner Jumping Jolt 1:53.1 ($185,538), Country Run (1:59.3) and Watchme Run.

Jamaican Rock was bred by Peter and Lesley Medhurst, of Glencoe in the south-eastern corner of SA.

Silver Salver winner

One of SA’s premier races for two-year-old fillies, the $50,000 SA BOTRA Silver Salver, run at Globe Derby Park, was taken out by Honolulu Lulu, a little fancied filly by Sweet Lou from Loveliest.

It was her first success from five starts.

A non-sale entry for Geoff Easom, of Wyndown Stud, Honolulu Lulu is a lightly framed filly by Sweet Lou, one of the best performed sires to come to Australasia, being by Yankee Cruiser, a grandson of Artsplace. Sweet Lou had a record of 1:47 and was one of America’s greatest colt pacers.

His oldest stock ‘down under’ are five-year-olds and include Spirit Of St Louis, Double Expresso, Sweet On Me and Aladdin and others, and in America he sired 26 in 1:50 including Warrawee Ubeaut (1:48.6).

Loveliest, the dam of Honolulu Lulu, was a Blissfull Hall mare from Everloving, by Waverly Niatross from Great Ambition, a dual Group 1 winner of $125,757 and the richest daughter of the legendary Paleface Adios.

The family traces back through successful sires such as Hondo Hanover, First Variety and Blue Gamble to the Denver Huon mare Molly Denver, foaled in NSW in 1916.

First winner by Fear The Dragon

The Dragon Again horse Fear The Dragon, a North America Cup winner and whose frozen semen is available from Yirribee Pacing Stud, was represented by his first Australian winner when Imperial Power was successful recently at Dubbo.

Imperial Power had been placed twice previously. A half-brother to the Group 2 placegetter Sunshine Pepper (1:55.5), he is a well developed youngster and promises to be a very good stayer.

Their dam, Ivy’s Faith, was a Mach Three mare from La Saint (2:00.8), a NSW Sires Stakes champion and the dam of eight sub 2:00 winners including Saint William 1:51.2 ($798,759) and No Ah Saint, a NSW Breeders Challenge winner and, at one stage, holder of the Australian two-year-old mile record at 1:54.3.

Ecurie D trots in 1:49.2

The Danish bred Ecurie D has joined the growing list of trotters to enter the 1:50 list in America. He recorded a world record 1:49.2 when he was successful in the $170,450 Cutler Memorial at The Meadowlands recently.

By the Pine Chip horse Infinitif – a top trotter himself – Ecurie D is from To Soon, by Muscles Yankee from See You Soon, by the Coktail Jet horse Love You, one of Europe’s leading sires of trotters for many years.

Ecurie D is only the 22nd trotter in the world to record 1:50 or better. Muscle Hill (four) and Cantab Hall, Chapter Seven and Muscle Mass with two apiece are the only sires with multiple representation in the 1:50 list.

by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink