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.

Captain Ravishing eyes classics

Captain Ravishing is proving himself a three-year-old of some worth in Victoria and over the Breeders Crown series he recorded convincing successes in a heat at Bendigo and the semi-final at Melton, comfortably beating a very good three-year-old in Ripp (Somebeachsomewhere).

Captain Ravishing was an Australian Pacing Gold purchase in 2020 in Sydney, and is a colt by the Somebeachsomewhere horse Captaintreacherous from Ravishing Girl (1:57.1), by Sportswriter from Ravaged, by Safely Kept from Cosmophylla, who established a great winning line for the Xerri family’s Sloys Company.

Other top performers tracing to her have been the NSW Oaks winner Miss Hazel, Louvre (NSW Breeders Challenge 2YO and 3YO), My General Lee (Treuer Memorial), Mister Brazil, Let’s Go To Brazil, Benicio, Fourwing Sweepa, Prince Benji and so on.

Breeders Crown hopeful

The Lost Storm, who won a heat and semi-final of the Breeders Crown for two-year-old colts and geldings, is a Captaintreacherous colt from the same family as that which produced a top Victorian juvenile in The Storm Inside, now standing at Alabar Bloodstock.

The Lost Storm, the winner of four of his five starts, is out of the lightly raced Ayshe Whitby, a Rocknroll Hanover mare from the Bettor’s Delight mare Miss Worthy Whitby (1:59.9), a half-sister to The Storm Inside, the Breeders Crown Silver winner Firestorm Red (1:52), Captain Dorian (1:55.2) and others.

The Lost Storm was bred and is part-owned by Ballarat identity Justin Baker. He was one of four Breeders Crown winners sired by Captaintreacherous on the night, the others being Encipher, Tough Tilly and Captain Ravishing, an impressive winner and rated one of the best three-year-olds in the country.

Tintin in America quinella

The Group 1 $100,000 NSW Breeders Challenge Blue Series Final for three-year-old colts and geldings was a triumph for Tintin In America as the sire of the winner Mahomes and runner-up Tim’s A Trooper – rather a notable siring feat.

Tintin In America, a dual Harness Jewels and four-time Group 1 winner, stands at the new Wingate Farm, Wagga (NSW), of Jake Stockton, who bred Mahomes.

The gelding is out of the Jenna’s Beach Boy mare Esther’s Light 1:54.3 ($111,897), the dam of earlier winners in Picard (1:49.4), a winner of 26 races including the Hondo Grattan Sprint and $334,720 in stakes, and Our Bella Lucia (1:56.4), a Blue Series Final placegetter.

Tim’s A Trooper, bred by Yirribee Pacing Stud, is from the lightly raced Elizabeth Kelly, a Life Sign half-sister to the Derby winners Albert Kelly and Greg Kelly and the Vicbred champion McRae’s Mate.

Won NSW Breeders Challenge Blue

Bought for $17,500 at the 2021 Bathurst Gold Crown Yearling Sale and now a winner of $126,495, Better Be The Best became the latest Group 1 two-year-old winner when he blitzed his rivals in the $100,000 NSW Breeders Challenge Blue Series at Menangle.

By the Artsplace horse Shoobee’s Place (now at stud in WA), Better Be The Best is out of Patch Maguire NZ (1:57.9), by Bettor’s Delight from Miss Jubilee, by In The Pocket from the NZ Southland Oaks winner Mystic Gold, a Butler B G mare from the prized Dolly (by Young Irvington) family.

Patch Maguire was a sister to the prolific Albion Park winner Lachie Maguire 1:50.4 ($607,138), who later competed successfully in America, the Perth winner Better Scoot 1:57.3 ($133,844), Curtis Maguire (1:55.2) and the Tasmanian Matron victor Jessie Maguire and a half-sister to Mikey Maguire 1:56 ($158,487), winner of this year’s National Cup Handicap at Addington.

Their dam, Miss Jubilee, was a half-sister to the Bendigo Cup winner Sammy Maguire (1:57), JB Maguire (1:54.5), a winner of five races at Menangle, Maia Maguire (1:55.1) and others. The Dolly (by Young Irvington) family had a terrific influence on NZ and Australian breeding through several branches.

Better Be the Best was bred by respected Maitland studmaster Paul Carmody, of Lochend Stud.

A star from Katy Perry

A star three-year-old in both New Zealand and Australia so far this season is Major Perry, a convincing Breeders Crown semi-final winner at Melton.

A colt by Art Major, he is out of an outstanding racemare in Katy Perry, who won the Breeders Crown herself in 2014 and is the first of her produce to race.

Major Perry won heats of the NSW and Victoria Derbies and finished runner-up in the NSW Derby and looks a three-year-old with the potential one would expect of his breeding.

Saveeon is some youngster

Saveeon became the latest member of the ‘$100,000 Club’ when she won the Group 1 NSW Breeders Challenge Blue Series for two-year-old fillies at Menangle.

It was her sixth success and took her stake earnings to $112,839.

Bred by Bathurst enthusiast Tracey Grives, who also races her, Saveeon is certainly a splendid advertisement for the American import Warrawee Needy, who stands at the new Wingate Farm at Wagga (NSW).

On her dam’s side, Saveeon belongs to a family which has distinguished itself by the number of top racemares it has produced.

Zibibbo (1:52.9), the dam of Saveeon, won 11 races and finished runner-up in the Breeders Crown for $115,188 and was a talented racemare in her own right. Her dam, Karamea Dreamin (1:59.3), won seven races and left six winners including the Vicbred Final placegetter Miss Dreamin (1:54.3) and the good Albion Park winner Saucy Dreams 1:51.4 ($150,413).

By Dream Away, Karamea Dreamin was out of Karamea Minnie NZ, by New York Motoring from the Thor Hanover mare Karamea Minna, a cup class pacer and one of the best racemares of her day.

Eighteen Carat’s Classic

Eighteen Carat, winner of the $100,000 Norm’s Daughter Classic at Gloucester Park, continues to prove herself in the top bracket among the racemares in Western Australia. She has won seven of her 10 starts this season and $168,331.

Eighteen Carat is a member of one of North America’s most successful families, being a five-year-old Mach Three mare from Diamonds And Dust, a McArdle mare who has produced others in Queen Of Diamonds (1:54.7), Betterbebetter (1:56) and Churchill Downs (1:58.8).

Diamonds And Dust was out of Alta Vista, a noted producer by Soky’s Atom from the American-bred mare Ballie Hanover, and tracing eventually to the taproot Minnehaha, the world’s leading source of million dollar pacers.

Alta Vista produced two high class pacers in Five Star Anvil (1:51.5), a winner of 33 races including The Gammalite and Mildura Cup and $779,733 in stakes, and Let’s Elope (1:55.3), a winner of 27 races including the NZ Sires Stakes 2YO Championship and $596,029. Others from Alta Vista were Downunder Stride 1:56 ($125,242), Gold Class (1:51) and Alta Mach (1:59.3).

Dual Queensland Cup winner

Mach Da Vinci, who won the Group 2 $53,040 Queensland Cup for the second consecutive year, is regarded as one of the Sunshine State’s greatest stayers. He is five-year-old Art Major entire from the immediate family of thrice NZ Cup winner and dual Horse of the Year Terror To Love, now making an impact at the stud.

Mach Da Vinci, bred by Terry McDonald, has won 19 races and $318,871 in stakes and holds a record of 1:51.1.

Mach’s Love (1:58), the dam of Mach Da Vinci, was a Mach Three mare from Love To Live, by Live Or Die from Michael’s Magic, by Michael Jonathan from Dream Star, and has proved a successful broodmare. She is also the dam of the Menangle and Albion Park winner Stun Gun (1:50.9).

Besides Terror To Love, Love To Live, who was unraced, left the Menangle winners Bad All Over (1:56.3) and Cee J P (1:57.8) as well as the dams of the prolific Gloucester Park winner Bad Round (1:56.8), the exported Roundaround The Clock (1:50.6) and the NZ country cups winner Gilligan’s Island (1:54.8).

This has been one of the most successful branches of the Parisienne family, Dream Star being a half-sister to the Auckland Cup winner Roydon Glen and a cup class pacer in Roydon Scott and to Roydon Vision, dam of Victoria Country Clubs Championship winner Amazing Albert and the exported Live A Vision (1:51.6) and Nuclear Vision (1:52.6) and the grand-dam of the NZ Easter Cup and Welcome Stakes victor Tuherbs.

Close relatives win in Brisbane

Future Assured, winner of the Group 3 Yearling Sale 3YO Classic, and Cheer Leader, who won the Burwood Stud 2YO Feature at Albion Park, both belong to the same family.

Both bred and raced by Kevin and Seymour are sired by the world champion Always B Miki and trace back to the Tempest Hanover mare Call Girl, a mare the couple imported from NZ 40 years ago. She left the Queensland Oaks and Golden Slipper winner Goldrush Girl.

Future Assured, who picked up his second Group win, is from French Charm, by Art Major from Faith Prevails, by Fake Left from a fine racemare in Girl From Ipanema, by Vanston Hanover from Goldrush Girl.

While Cheer Leeder is out of Cherish The Moment, by Mach Three from the dual Oaks winner Cherry Cheer, by Fake Left from Charming Reminder, a half-sister to Goldrush Girl, the fourth dam of Future Assured.

This is the family which produced horses the calibre of Colt Thirty One, Good Lookin Girl, Rhapsody In Red, Fame Assured, Get In The Groove, Guitarzan and many others.

by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink