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.

Siring feat to Changeover

Rather a notable siring feat was credited to the In The Pocket horse Changeover at Albion Park when he sired two winners of the QBred Breeders Classic Finals.

Regazzo Di Tilly, a three-year-old gelding, produced a barnstorming finish to win the $27,800 3YOI Final in a new lifetime mark of 1:53.6, while his younger brother Quik Change notched his maiden success in the two-year-old colts and geldings’ final.

Both bred by Chris and Daren Garrard are out of the Group 2 winner Mathilda Diventa 1:55 ($129,171), a Cammibest mare from the noted Regina family. Mathilda Diventa, who won 12 races, is a sister to the prolific Albion Park winner Bumper 1:53.8 ($104,324) and a half-sister to the Group 3 winner She’s Miss Devine 1:54.5 ($138,566), the Redcliffe Derby winner Couldntresist (1:56.6) and the three-year-old Holme Boy (1:59.3).

Changeover, the sire of the winners of more than $20millions, stands at Burwood Stud on Queensland’s rich Darling Downs.

QBred winning line

The QBred Breeders Classic two-year-old fillies’ winner Ever Art is a daughter of the champion racemare Forever Gold, who won the race herself in 2010 as well as the three-year-old edition the following season.

Ever Art is undefeated in two starts to date. “She’s a really big, rangy filly and I think she will improve a lot,” her trainer David Thorn said.

Bred by Murray Cole, Ever Art is the fourth foal and fourth winner of Forever Gold, a mare by Famous Forever (Fake Left-Girl From Ipanema) from Making Gold, by Bookmaker from Abbe Gold, by Fake Left and tracing eventually to the taproot Millie C.

Riverina Regional Championship winner

Brooklyn Bridge (Sweet Lou), a most impressive winner of the $100,000 NSW Regional Championship at Wagga and has won seven of his 10 starts to date, is regarded as one of the best young pacers in the State.

BROOKLYN BRIDGE REPLAY

He is a four-year-old sired by the Yankee Cruiser horse Sweet Lou, a world champion and now a very successful sire. He is out of the good racemare Loving You (1:55.7), an Art Major mare from the same family as the WA Golden Nugget and dual Inter Dominion heat winner Impressionist.

Loving You, who won four races at Gloucester Park and was placed in the WA Oaks, was a half-sister to the Western Crown victor Rumour Has It (1:56.3) and Arousing 1:56.6 ($119,663), being out of the WA Empress Stakes winner Roustabout (1:59.5), by Christian Cullen from Little Egypt, by Deal Direct from Impressionable, by Talk About Class from the Lordship mare Tilla. 

Loving You was bought in foal to Sweet Lou by retired West Wyalong grazier Ray Moore from Perth breeder Neven Botica. Loving You has failed to produce a live foal since she foaled Brooklyn Bridge in 2018, but she is carrying a positive test to Sweet Lou.

Classic winner by Vincent

Brulee, a three-year-old by Vincent from Russian Rocket, by Pacific Rocket (son of Albert Albert) from Rush Machine, by Road Machine, failed to win a race in two starts as a two-year-old last season.

But the Vincent filly has proved herself to some purpose in her three-year-old racing, and she put an exclamation mark on her season when she beat a strong field in the $50,000 WA Diamond Classic at Gloucester Park.

It was Brulee’s third success for the season and her mile rating of 1:58.7 was put up when she had nothing in her favour, drawing wide on the front line and racing three deep uncovered for the last lap. She is a very good youngster.

Bred by Alabar Bloodstock, Brulee ranks as a half-sister to the Menangle winners Dynamite Denn Nee 1:52.9 ($292,527), Machamillion 1:52.3 ($183,294) and Soviet Stunner (1:53.2).

Home Grown Classic quinella

The $50,000 Vicbred Platinum Home Grown Classic for two-year-old trotting fillies at Melton was a triumph for the Cantab Hall horse Volstead as the sire of the quinella pair, Violet Stanford and Maoris Mac.

In fact, he sired four of the nine finalists including Third Eye, who won a qualifying heat. 

Violet Stanford, who is unbeaten in two attempts, was knocked down for a meagre $3,000 at the APG Melbourne sale in 2022. She is out of the good Menangle winner Mingara and is her first issue.

Mingara, who was bred in NZ, was by Thanksgiving (grandson of Speedy Crown) from Sporty Spice, a dual gaited mare by Payson’s Brother from Daniella, by Soky’s Atom from the Armbro Del mare Tabella Supreme, dam of the NZ Stratford Cup and Albion Park winner Supreme Justice.

A top flight NZ trotter in Game Paul belongs to this family. He won 23 races including the NZ Trotting Championship and a heat of the Inter Dominion and $279,852 in stakes. The dual Breeders Crown champion Super Command, Superbowlcheerleader (Anzac Cup), Very Cheerful (NZ Trotters Oaks), Hot Holiday and Paula are among many good winning members of Violet Stanford’s family.

Violet Stanford was bred by Goulburn Valley enthusiasts Bruce Phillips and Kerrie Lee.

Up-and-coming pacers

Two smart young pacers to win NSW Regional Championship Finals last weekend were Gordon’s Bay (Captaintreacherous), who took the Metropolitan leg at Menangle, and the Tamworth pacer Metallica Man, winner of the Hunter Final at Newcastle.

Gordon’s Bay, who won a heat in runaway fashion, is a five-year-old gelding by Captaintreacherous, and one of his first crop.

Gordon’s Bay looks certain to take a tight mark and as a stayer he has a bright future. He ranks as a half-brother to the recent Newcastle winner Sinbinned (1:56.5), being out of Corzan Effect NZ, by Jereme’s Jet from Corzanello.

This family has consistently produced a number of good winners over the years. A close relative of Gordon’s Bay in Australia was I’m Corzin Terror 1:52.2 ($513,219), a winner of a string of country cups in Victoria.

Gordon’s Bay was bred by Doug and Janet Moore of Brooklyn Lodge stud, near Bathurst.

Metallica Man, who showed up as a three-year-old above average last season, was bred by Junee horseman Bruce Harpley and his wife, Natasha. He looks to have great potential.

He is a four-year-old by Tintin In America from Sokyou Go Girl, who produced an earlier winner in Soky’s Falcon (1:55.9). Sokyou Go Girl was a Live Or Die mare from Sokyeni, a Soky’s Atom mare from the noted Purple Patch family.

A Star by Major Secret

A star two-year-old in South Australia so far this season is Star Man (Major Secret), who was bred by Steve Norman’s Allenby Lodge Stud.

A colt by Major Secret, and one of the second crop of the Art Major horse, Star Man is out of the Albion Park winner Kash (1:55.8) and the first of her produce to race. He won the SA BOTRA Silver Salver and finished second in the Kindergarten Series Final at Globe Derby Park and looks a two-year-old with the potential one would expect of his breeding.

Noted family of trotters

The $50,000 Vicbred Platinum Home Grown Classic, for two-year-old trotting colts and geldings, the first feature race for young trotters in Victoria, was won by Kyvalley Maven, a little fancied gelding by Tactical Landing from Kyvalley Paris. 

Tactical Landing, a son of Muscle Hill, was the second leading first crop trotting sire in America last year and sixth overall with almost $1.9million.

He has sired such winners as Mambacita, a dual Stakes winner of $496,161, Quick Stop (New Jersey Classic) and Tactical Approach, who clocked a final quarter in 25.8 seconds on a sloppy track when third in a New Jersey Sire Stakes heat at The Meadowlands last weekend.

Kyvalley Paris, the dam of Kyvalley Maven, was by Majestic Son, the leading sire in both NZ and Australia for many years, from Cashal Dagha, by Pine Chip from Insufficient Funds, by Chiola Hanover from the top NZ racemare Indette.

This has been a most successful family, as Kyvalley Paris was a half-sister to the cups winner Kyvalley Boomerang 1:57.4 ($239,725), Flash Kyvalley 1:58 ($127,008) and Kyvalley Topcat (1:59.2), all trotters of some worth.

Bred and raced by Jim Connelly, Kyvalley Maven ranks as a half-brother to the Vicbred champion Kyvalley Finn 1:57.7 ($245,456).

by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink