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.

Tatlow Stakes winner

Chicago Gangster, the season’s latest two-year-old classic winner, in beating a useful field in the $$30,600 Tatlow Stakes at Menangle, gives the impression that he could develop into one of next season’s top three-year-olds.

Sold for a modest $10,000 at the 2021 APG Sydney sale, Chicago Gangster is a well developed gelding by Tintin In America from Lettucegrin, who produced others in the pacers Dollar Belle (1:59) and Itz All About Me and the trotter Lettuce Trot (1:57.3), winner of last year’s NSW Foundation 2YO Series.

Their dam, Lettucegrin, was a Grinfromeartoear mare from the American-bred Heart Of The City (1:56.6), by Sonsam from All My Heart, by Best Of All. It is an interesting fact that there is a double strain of Knight Dream blood in Heart Of The City (grand-dam of Chicago Gangster), through both Best Of All and Duane Hanover (sire of the grand-dam of the Tatlow winner) and a strain of Albatross blood through Sonsam. It was the Albatross line that gave Australasia three of its greatest ever sires in Holmes Hanover, Vance Hanover and Torado Hanover.

Lettucegrin was a half-sister to the exported Son Of The City (1:54.8), Ring Of Honour (1:56.6) and the Albion Park winner Noelhamric (1:57).

A top American pacer in Runnymede Lobell belongs to this family. He won 31 of his 48 starts including the North America Cup, Cane Pace and US Pacing Championship and $1.6 million in stakes and took a mile mark of 1:51.4.

Dangerzone on Derby trail

Winner of the QBred Breeders Classic and the Changeover Classic as a two-year-old last season, Dangerzone downed the top

three-year-old filly Cover Girl at Albion Park recently and he will be a force in the forthcoming Derby classics.

Dangerzone, who has now won seven races and $89,072 in stakes, has proved himself a young pacer of great ability.

By Gotta Go Cullect, a son of Christian Cullen and the champion filly Elect To Live, Dangerzone is out of Sheza Machstar (1:58.7), by Mach Three from Fake Star, by Fake Left from Camelot Miss, by Tiff N Time from the Mineral Spring mare Miss Burdekin, the grand-dam of a top NSW pacer in Tiff’s Mystery and the NSW Breeders Plate winner Another Tiff.

Dangerzone ranks as a half-brother to Just Won More (1:55.7), a winner of 13 races to date.

Inter Dominion prospect

One of the stronger Inter Dominion prospects, particularly among the Victorian brigade will be Like A Wildfire, who has proved himself in the top flight and has won his way back to cup class with two recent successes.

His latest winning run over 2240 metres in the Italian Cup at Melton was a terrific performance. He was forced to sit parked outside Triple Eight, but finally won decisively at a 1:57 rate.

A tough customer, Like A Wildfire is a seven-year-old gelding by the Western Ideal horse Big Jim from I’m Against The Wind (1:59), dam also of smart pacers in Pass Them By 1:51.8 ($419,261), a winner of 21 races in NZ, Victoria and North America, and Neon Sky 1:53 ($194,008), who won 20 races including the Newcastle Oaks.

I’m Against The Wind was sired by D M Dilinger (a millionaire son of Camluck) from Dinavinetto, a noted producer by the Abercrombie horse Fitch 11. She was a half-sister to a fine racemare in Pullover Brown 1:56.7 ($311,937), a triple Oaks winner and Breeders Crown champion who, in turn, was the dam of Runaway Bay 1:52.6 ($329,435), Dina Bolt 1:50.6 ($173,621) and Dina Brown 1:52.4 ($113,412), all pacers of some worth.

A half-brother to Against The Wind was the speed merchant Montecito, a winner of 12 races in NZ and who later took a record of 1:49.4 in America and finished up with a stake tally of $522,723.

Like A Wildfire was by bred and is raced by NZ couple Steve and Anne Phillips.

Set Warragul track record

A fresh track record for 2210 metres at Warragul was established by the Captaintreacherous gelding Captain Bellasario of 1:54.5 – bettering the previous record of 1:56.2 held by Yambukian by 1.7 seconds – when he won the $25,000 Eastern Challenge.

Captain Bellasario, who has now won six races and was a Vicbred finalist at three, is a member of the same family as Lennytheshark.

Captain Bellasario ranks as a half-brother to the Melton winner Biscuit (1:57.4), being by Captaintreacherous from the Bettor’s Delight mare Bellasario (1:55.5), whose dam Forest Glory was by Armbro Aussie from Racist, by Garry Rowan from Mozambique, by Gay Reveler.

Bellasario was a half-sister to the exported Bullion Bill 1:51 ($321,165), the Victoria Ladyship Cup winner Nolarama 1:56.8 ($221,500), the Listed winners Johnorama 1:53.9 ($170,343) and Maastrict (1:55.3), dam of Captain Maastrict, who finished second on the same day as Captain Bellasario won.

This family was bred from extensively over three generations by the late Jack Munnerley. Other winners from it include Forest Glory (Aussco-Jetport 2YO Classic), Forest Babe (1:55.4), Mulgrave (Vic. Youthful Stakes) and the Traralgon Cup winner Mister Macedon.

Five wins on end

One of the most capable young mares racing in Victoria at present is the NZ bred Von Art, who is quickly making her way through the grades. She has won at her last five appearances.

Von Art has a background of blood to back up her claims to further promotion, being by Art Major from Von Regal (1:57.5), by Village Jasper from Regal Treasure, by Holmes Hanover from the NZ Oaks winner Robyn’s Treasure 1:57.7 ($152,245), by Son Of Afella from Ryal Robyn, who established the very successful ‘Robyn’ tribe.

It includes the 2015 Tatlow winner Salty Robyn (1:49.4, now racing successfully in America, Deano Robyn ($254,752), My Guy Mac (1:52), Stanley Ross Robyn (1:52.6) and the NZ country cup winners Robyn’s Playboy, Tartan Robyn and Robyn’s Cullen.

Star four-year-old by Artspeak

A bright future is being predicted for the Artspeak four-year-old Talks Up A Storm, whose success in the $30,000 The Pure Steel at Gloucester Park was his second in Group company. He won the WA Sales Classic as a two-year-old.

Bred by the late Harry Capararo, Talks Up A Storm is a member of one of NZ’s most successful families, being an Artspeak gelding from a fine racemare in Typhoon Tan 1:54.4 ($141,722), and the first of her produce to race.

By Live Or Die, Typhoon Tan was out of Belle Mystique (2:01.1), by Mystical Shark from Scottish Bella, a noted producer by Holmes Hanover from Scottish Hostess (1:59.7), by Butler B G from the Scottish Hanover mare Scottish Belmer, a great granddaughter of the breeding influence Purple Patch.

Scottish Bella, who took a time trial record of 1:58.2, produced Mister Skye Rocket (1:56.1), a winner of 44 races and $268,669, the Albion Park winner Kerry O’Relly (1:56.3) and Agent Em Eye Five (2:00). She was a half-sister to the Harold Park winner Scottish Falcon and the exported Scottish Operative (1:58.4).

Lord Verde is promising

The NZ bred gelding Lord Verde (by A Rocknroll Dance) is proving himself a four-year-old of some worth in Victoria and over the winter period has won three races including one at Melton from as many starts.

Lord Verde has a good deal in his favour on the score of blood. Apart from being by A Rocknroll Dance, and one of his third crop, he is out of the Bettor’s Delight mare Imke B, a sister to the exported Beltane 1:51.4 ($313,316) and the Melton winner Lunar Delight (1:56.3) and a half-sister to this year’s WA Sales Classic winner Cabsav (1:57.7) and to the dam of the top WA racemare Queen Shenandoah 1:53.6 ($251,075) and the Menangle victor The Maharani (1:55.4).

Imke B, who took a record of 1:55.8 at three, was out of the Artsplace mare Lughnasadh, a half-sister to the champion pacer and Inter Dominion winner Elsu, the crack juvenile Revonez, Falcor and so on.

Lord Verde ranks as a half-brother to talented youngster Vinke B, winner of the recent Group 2 NZ Sapling Stakes at Ashburton.

Brazilian pacer wins at the Big M

Mv Ok Palacio, a winner at The Meadowlands in a lifetime best 1:52 on Saturday night, was bred in Brazil.

A six-year-old gelding, he was sired by the American-bred OK Commander (1:47.8), a Stakes-winning son of Art Major, and is out of the unraced Mv Art’s Patty, by Sportswriter from the Armbro Operative mare Patty Ben Beau 1:50.6 ($532,599), who was exported to South America after she finished racing.

by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink