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.

Miracle Mile winner 

The Victorian gelding Catch A Wave (Captaintreacherous), the brilliant winner of the $1million Garrard’s Miracle Mile in 1:48.8, is a member of one of New Zealand’s top ranking families.

Catch A Wave, who has now earned $1,123,120, is a four-year-old Captaintreacherous gelding from Coppagoodone (1:57), a Christian Cullen mare who has produced the useful sorts Yambukian 1:55.4 ($131,850) and Bettor Copagoodone 1:54.5 ($103,651).

Coppagoodone was a half-sister to the outstanding NZ racemare and six-time Group 1 winner De Lovely 1:54 ($613,355) and the cups winner Zadaka 1:54.4 ($203,066), being out of Copper Beach 1:58.6 ($179,794), by Beach Towel from Lez Payzen Star, by Payson’s Brother from Interchange, a noted producer by New York Motoring from Zenover, by Bachelor Hanover.

Interchange left the grand stayer and Inter Dominion champion Elsu 1:53.6 ($2million), the NZ Sires’ Stakes 2YO champion Revonez 1:56.1 ($264,670) and the exported Falcor 1:53 ($228,231). 

Other members of this family, which was founded in NZ by the Bellman mare Bell Aurore, were the Breeders Crown champion and successful sire Tintin In America, the NZ 2YO of the Year Motoring Magic, Albert Jacka, Lord Zin Zan (1:49.6), Jack Farthing, Sirletic, Beltane and Queen Shenandoah.

Catch A Wave was bred by Benstud Standardbreds and Peter and Zilla O’Shea.

NSW Derby to Better Be The Best

New South Wales’s premier race for three-year-olds, the $200,000 NSW Derby, was won by Better Be The Best (Shoobee’s Place) and although Alta Meteor, rated one of the best three-year-olds of his year, failed to get into a place, this fact could not detract from the merit of Better Be The Best’s success.

He has now won nine of his 13 starts and $244,079 in stakes.

Bred by Paul Carmody, Better Be The Best was knocked down to Chris Buttigieg for $17,500 at the Bathurst Gold Crown Yearling Sale in 2021.

His sire, Shoobee’s Place, was one of the best bred sons of Artsplace to be imported to Australia, being first at the stud in NSW and who is now standing at Kevin Spurr’s stud at Wagin (WA).  Shoobee’s Place took a record of 1:49.2 and earned $787,271. His oldest stock are seven-year-olds and include Shoobee Doo (1:49.4), Katchar Shoobee, Merrywood Lyn and May’s Place.

Patch Maguire, the dam of Better Be The Best, was a Bettor’s Delight mare from Miss Jubilee, by In The Pocket from Mystic Gold, by Butler B G from Vita Gold.

Patch Maguire (1:57.9), a good Albion Park winner, was a sister to the exported Lachie Maguire 1:50.4 ($607,138), the Gloucester Park victor Better Scoot 1:57.3 ($133,844), Curtis Maguire 1:55.2 (Albion Park) and the New Norfolk Cup winner Jessie Maguire and a half-sister to the NZ country cups winner Mikey Maguire 1:56 ($158,487).

The most distinguished member of this family was a champion pacer in Tiger Tara, who won six races at Group 1 level and $2.3million. His successes included the Inter Dominion Final, A. G. Hunter Cup and Victoria Cup, NZ Free-for-all and Great Northern Derby.

Others from this family included the Fremantle Cup winner Power Of Tara, Stingray Tara, Tango Tara, A G’s White Socks (Ballarat Cup) and Matthew Lee

Unbeaten two-year-old filly

Water Lou (Sweet Lou) is Western Australia’s top two-year-old filly to date this season. She is undefeated in four starts highlighted by her decisive win in the $100,000 APG Sales Classic at Gloucester Park.

WATER LOU REPLAY

Bought for $65,000 at the APG Perth sale in 2022, Water Lou is a well developed filly by the Yankee Cruiser horse Sweet Lou from Living Hei, the dam of the good metropolitan winners Erskine Range 1;54 ($255,480) and Im Living The Dream 1:57.4 ($103,431) and grand-dam of the promising Yeah Charlie (1:53.4).

Their dam, Living Hei, was a Live Or Die mare from Bali Hei, by Holmes Hanover from The First Lady, by Nat Lobell from Tiawana, by Bachelor Hanover. Living Hei was a half-sister to the Invercargill Cup winner Bali Mystic 1:53.4 ($158,027) and the Victorian winner Indigo Beach (1:59.6).

A top flight NZ filly in Lizzie Maguire belongs to this family. She won 12 races and $477,366 in stakes including the Great Northern Oaks and Harness Jewels. The Victoria 4YO Bonanza winner My Cap, Franco Trubrooke (NZ Kindergarten), Artillery (1:49) and Jaccka Taurus (Bathurst Gold Crown) are among many good winning members of Water Lou’s family.

She was bred by Kody, Kevin and Annette Charles.

WA Group winner by Highview Tommy

Benji, who won the $50,000 Chandon 4YO Classic at Gloucester Park – Street Hawk, Showpony and The Miki Taker filled the placings behind him – has made rapid progress through the classes.

He is a grand stayer and one of the best progeny left by the Bettor’s Delight horse Highview Tommy, who sired the top Tasmanian pacer Kuzma, Matamua, Tommy Bligh, Refine (7 NZ wins) and others.

Highview Tommy, a former NZ 2YO Colt of the Year and cups winner, stands at the Yanko Lodge stud, Yanco (NSW), of Laura and Malcolm Diebert. 

Benji, a winner of 11 of his 24 starts and $86,938 in stakes, is a four-year-old gelding from Lynne Falcon (1:59.4), by Falcon Seelster from the Moonee Valley winner Electrofying Franco (1:59.8), by Holmes Hanover from Easy Key, a Victorian-bred mare by Keystone Scotch – a pedigree with some real background with a strong staying influence behind it.

Won Premiere Stakes

The Sweet Lou filly Remi Lou is proving herself a two-year-old of some worth in Victoria – she has a win and two placings from three starts to date – and could develop into one of the best her age and sex this season.

She led throughout in the Victoria Premiere Stakes at Melton, beating Ferrigno (by Sweet Lou) and Soho Honey Rider (by American Ideal). 

Remi Lou was an Australian Pacing Gold purchase in 2022 in Melbourne, and is a filly by the Yankee Cruiser horse Sweet Lou from the handy racemare Rosharni (1:58.5), a half-sister by Blissfull Hall to the dual Southern Cross winner Hez The One 1:55.9 ($257,992) and to Just Like Elle (1:57.4), dam of the Tasmanian Mother of Pearl victor Iden Miss Lucy.

Their dam, Summer Fairytale won five races and left six sub 2:00 winners. She was by California Cam (son of Cam Fella) from Manwarra Empress, by Jef’s Emperor from Karamea Lizzie, by Lyss Hanover and tracing to the celebrated matron Topsy.

Remi Lou, who was bred by young Portland breeder Heath Bourke, ranks as a half-sister to the Victorina provincial winners About To Shine (1:56.6) and I Can Tell You.

Ninth winner from broodmare

When the Art Major two-year-old Bob Sloy won on debut at Newcastle, he credited his dam Miss Brazilian with her ninth individual winner.

Bob Sloy, bred and owned by the Xerri family, had shown good placed form at the trials. Others from Miss Brazilian to win have been the Group winners Benicio (1:50.6) and Let’s Go To Brazil (1:50.6), Mister Brazil (1:51.2), Smooth Style (1:54.2), Handsome Major (1:55.5), Misterrioderjaneiro (1:55.7), Brazilian Rocker (1:56.5), Tony Sloy (1:57.7) and now Bob Sloy.

Miss Brazilian, who is now in her 18th year, has since produced a yearling filly and a filly foal by Captaintreacherous.

Miss Brazilian was a Mach Three mare from the grand producer My Ami Lee, by Safely Kept from Cosmophylla, by Thor Hanover and tracing to the taproot Flora (by Berlin).

Leading sires in Europe

French superstar Ready Cash was the leading sire in France for the eighth consecutive season. His progeny earned $6.9million in 2022, according to classicfamilies.net

Maharajah topped the Swedish sires’ list for the fourth year in a row and was also the premier sire in Finland and Netherlands. 

In Italy, Varenne headed the sires’ list for a record 13th consecutive season, while the North American-bred Quite Easy was again the leading sire in Norway.

Three sons of SJ’s Photo in En’s Snapshot (Denmark), SJ’s Caviar (Germany) and Light Kronos (Austria) topped the sires’ table in their respective countries, En’s Snapshot achieving the feat for the seventh time, SJ’s Caviar for the third consecutive season and Light Kronos for the fifth time in the last six years.

By Major Secret

Major Secret, a Derby and cups-winning son of Art Major from a smart racemare in Secret Life, and who stands at Steve Norman’s Allenby Lodge stud in South Australia, was recently represented by his first winner in the two-year-old colt Star Man.

He led throughout for an effortless win on debut in a heat of the SA BOTRA Kindergarten Series at Globe Derby Park.

Bred by Allenby Lodge, Star Man is the first produce of the Elsu mare Kash (1:55.8).

Fastest Irish-bred trotter

The six-year-old Harry Knows became the fastest Irish-bred trotter in history when he won a $15,000 race in 1:54.2 at The Meadowlands last Saturday, according to classicfamilies.net

The gelding was sired by the Love You horse Armstrong Jet.

by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink