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.

Skylou’s WA Derby

Western Australia’s premier race for three-year-olds, the $200,000 WA Derby, was won by then Sweet Lou gelding Skylou, and although Never Ending (also by Sweet Lou), rated the top three-year-old of his year, finished second after brutal sectionals, this fact could not detract from the merit of Skylou’s success.

He has now won six of his last eight starts; Never Ending has won 12 of his 14 starts.

Bred by Brian and Heather Hedger and Greg Sweeney, Skylou was knocked down for $25,000 at the 2021 NZ Bloodstock National yearling sales at Karaka.

SKYLOU REPLAY

His sire, Sweet Lou, was one of the best performed sires to come to NZ, being by Yankee Cruiser, a grandson of Artsplace. His oldest stock in Australasia are six-year-olds and include Spirit Of St Louis, Double Expresso, Virgil, Cantfindabettorman and others, and in America he has sired over 60 in 1:50 including this year’s champion three-year-old Confederate.

Sky Beauty (1:58.4), the dam of Skylou, was an In The Pocket mare from Skyhigh Eagle, by Tuapeka Knight from Eagles Three, by Crockett from Scottish Eden, by Morris Eden. 

Sky Beauty, who won seven races, left earlier winners in Sky Major 1:50.4 ($825,538), a triple NZ Jewels winner and successful sire, the WA Listed victor Sky Art (1:57), Sky Diamond (1:54.3), Sky Delight (1:56.1) and Sky Falcon.

Others from this fine family included the Victoria Cup Consolation and Stawell Cup winner Kurahaupo Lord, Kurahaupo Kruzar, Kurahaupo Princess, the Vicbred champion My Bella Starr, El Jacko (Pinjarra Cup), Eagles Together, Robbie Burns (1:49.6) and recent Melton winner Outlaw Man.

Ladies In Red tops million

The Mach Three mare Ladies In Red achieved yet another moment of glory in a brilliant career when she topped the million dollar mark in stake winnings.

Her superlative success from back in the field in the $150,000 Queen of the Pacific at Melton boosted her earnings to $1,003,620.

It was her second win in the Group 1 feature and she won in the manner of a true champion, circling the entire field in the last lap to score by open lengths.

Ladies In Red began racing as a two-year-old when she included among her nine wins the Breeders Crown, Tatlow Memorial and Vicbred Home Grown Classic.

As a three-year-old she took the Victoria Oaks, Breeders Crown and Vicbred Super Series, while at four years one of her memorable wins was the $305,000 The Rising Sun, beating Better Eclipse and Leap To Fame. She also won the first of her two Angelique Club Cups at Melton.

Bred and owned by Bill and Anne Anderson’s Lauriston Bloodstock, Ladies In Red is out of the American-bred mare Kabbalah Karen B (1:52.8), the dam of the Victoria Derby and dual Breeders Crown champion Our Little General 1:49.8 ($765,566), Our Little Jet 1:55.9 (APG Gold Sovereign) and Kasbah Kid (1:53.1).

Tasmanian Derby winner

The Sweet Lou gelding Celebrity Royal, who won the $40,000 Tasmanian Derby, one of the features of the premier meeting at Hobart, is a Sweet Lou gelding from the same family as that which produced this year’s Victoria Derby winner Petracca.

Celebrity Royal, who was a finalist in the Victoria Derby, but only been lightly raced, but he has shown up as a very useful pacer, and it was a handy field he beat at Hobart.

Bred by Maryborough breeder Peter Gleeson, who also owns him, Celebrity Royal is out of a fine racemare in Our Celebrity 1:55.1 ($130,019) and the first of her produce to race. Our Celebrity, a winner of the SA Southern Cross and Victoria Sapling Stakes, was a Mach Three mare from Celebrity Ball, by Presidential Ball from the Windshield Wiper mare Larrakeyah Lady.

This family has consistently produced a number of good winners over the years. A close relative of Celebrity Royal is Ride High (1:49), a Breeders Crown champion who is now at the stud. Ride High’s dam, All The Magic, is a half-sister to Our Celebrity, the dam of Celebrity Royal.

Future Assured star sprinter

Future Assured (Always B Miki) advanced strong claims to being one of the best sprint pacers in Queensland today when he won the Garrard’s Be Good Johnny Sprint in 1:51.8 at Albion Park.

It was his fourth successive win. At his previous starts he disposed of Turn It Up and others in 1:51.6, and before that he downed a class field in a lifetime record of 1:50.9.

Future Assured has not done a great deal of racing, having averaged 10 starts a season. In three seasons of racing Future Assured has won 13 races and has been eight times placed from 29 starts for $188,399.

Bred and owned by Kevin and Kaye Seymour, Future Assured is out of French Charm, by Art Major from Faith Prevails, by Fake Left from the QBred Triad winner Girl From Ipanema, by Vanston Hanover from Goldrush Girl, an Oaks winner by Transport Chip. Future Assured is a half-brother to the Group 1 placegetter Free Thinker (1:53.7).

Future Assured was one of three winners on the night for leading sire Always B Miki, the others being Aardie’s Flash (Peak of the Creek Final) and Miki Magic (QBred For Life 3YO).

Won Tasmanian Oaks

The Victorian filly Paradise Valley (Sweet Lou), who soundly trounced her rivals in the $40,000 Tasmanian Oaks at Hobart, is a member of one of Queensland’s top ranking standardbred families.

Paradise Valley, who has now won three races, is a filly by the Yankee Cruiser horse Sweet Lou, a leading sire of juvenile pacers in both hemispheres.

Rock Setter, the dam of Paradise Valley, was an unraced sister to the dual Group 1 winner and former two-year-old mile record holder Heavens Trend 1:52.1 ($385,683), being by Rock N Roll Heaven from a fine racemare in Trend Setter 1:55.6 ($199,414) by Perfect Art from the NZ bred Trendy Brooke (1:58.1), by Present Laughter.

Trendy Brooke, an eight-time Albion Park winner, established a great winning line for Kevin and Kaye Seymour. They included the QBred Triad winners Bonnie Jujon and Talent To Spare, Major Generaljujon ($156,884), Bombadier Jujon ($162,134), Lucifer’s Legend (1:51.2), Rockin With Elvis (1:51.6) and recent two-year-old winner Missed Consequences.

By Ultimate Machete

A top two-year-old in Tasmania this season – he has won three of his five starts including the $60,000 Dandy Patch at Hobart – is Smooth Machete, a close relative of the NZ Derby winner Krug.

Smooth Machete is a colt by the Bettor’s Delight horse Ultimate Machete, and one of the first crop of the NZ 3YO and 4YO of the Year, from the NZ bred Sparkling (1:56.4), by McArdle from the Soky’s Atom mare Champagne N Diamonds, who proved a good broodmare.

Besides Sparkling, Champagne N Diamonds, who was unraced, left the prolific Perth winner McArdle’s Gem 1:55.4 ($213,368), the exported American Colt (1:52.6) and Rock N Diamonds (1:59.2).

Smooth Machete was bred is part-owner by Mark and Kelly Reggett.

Navy Cup to Magnificent Storm

Western Australia’s champion pacer Magnificent Storm (American Ideal), who won the $50,000 Navy Cup at Gloucester Park, is WA Pacing Cup bound.

The American Ideal gelding has raced twice since an unsuccessful winter campaign in Brisbane and will spearhead a strong local defence of the Grand Circuit feature to be raced tonight.

After being beaten a head in the $100,000 J. P. Stratton Cup one week earlier, Magnificent Storm was sent straight to the top in the Navy Cup and never looked in danger of defeat. He rated 1:54.3 for 2130 metres from behind the mobile barrier.

The win sent his stake earnings over the $800,000 mark.

A tough customer, Magnificent Storm is a six-year-old, being by American Ideal from the Group 3 winner Splendour (1:56.2), dam also of useful winners in Stamford (1:54.9) and Amazing Me.

Splendour, who won the Gold Coast Oaks, was sired by Bettor’s Delight from Splendid Deal, by In The Pocket from the Dream Away mare Splendid Dreams, a half-sister to the sub 1:50 performers Adore Me, Have Faith In Me and Megabucks. Splendour ranks as a sister to the Victoria Derby and NZ Sires Stakes winner Maxim 1:53.8 ($494,436).

A star from Azarenka Leis

A star two-year-old in Tasmania so far this season is Swiatek Leis (Vincent), who is raced by Trevor and Marjorie Leis and trained by Todd Rattray.

A filly by Vincent, she is out of a smart racemare and Belmont winner in Azarenka Leis, dam also of Szabolski Leis (1:56.7) and Volkova Leis. 

Swiatek Leis won the $60,000 Evicus Stakes at Hobart and before that the Tasmanian Sweepstakes and looks a two-year-old with the potential one would expect of her breeding.

by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink