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.

Breeding of Inter Dominion finalists

Bettor’s Delight, the most successful Inter Dominion sire ever, and A Rocknroll Dance are the only dually represented stallions in the $500,000 Grand Final at Albion Park.

Alabar Bloodstock’s flagship Art Major figures as the damsire of no less than five finalists – Leap To Fame, Swayzee, Spirit Of St Louis, Speak The Truth and Future Assured. In The Pocket has a pair of broodmare credits in Pete’s Said So and Kanena Provlima.

Four of the finalists were bred in New Zealand, four in NSW, two in Queensland and two in Victoria.

The final field comprises three four-year-olds, two five-year-olds, four six-year-olds, two seven-year-olds and an eight-year-old.

Four are the first foals of their dams in Better Eclipse, Classie Washington, Speak The Truth and Our Money Rocks, while Spirit Of St Louis is the second and Swayzee, Kanena Provlima and Turn It Up are third foals. Pete’s Said So is the 11th foal of his dam.

In the trotting section, Orlando Vici and Majestic Son have three runners each, while Sundon has three broodmare credits and Monarchy two.

Interestingly, eight of the 12 runners in the $250,000 Grand Final were bred in NZ. Just Believe, Van Sank and Thebestbourbon were bred in Victoria and Plymouth Chubb in NSW.

The final field comprises two four-year-olds, five five-year-olds, one six-year-old, two seven-year-olds and an eight-year-old and a nine-year-old.

Only two (Queen Elida and Funny Face) are the first foals of their dams, while Plymouth Chubb, Sir Fahrenheit and Mufasa Metro are ninth foals and Ollivici the eighth.

Breeding feat to Xerri family

Rather a notable breeding feat was credited to the Xerri family’s Sloys Company when they produced a pair of $30,000 NSW Breeders Challenge Eastern Region Final winners at Menangle.

Roll With Sloy, a three-year-old filly by Roll With Joe, and Ravishing Sloy, a Bettor’s Delight two-year-old gelding, both scored memorable wins.

Both belong to leading Australasian families, Roll With Sloy being out of the smart racemare Hot Shot Woman 1:52.1 ($170,263), a Rocknroll Hanover mare from the same tribe as Leap To Fame, who won a final round heat of the Inter Dominion at Albion Park on the same night.

Hot Shot Woman, a multiple Group 1 placegetter, is out of the Art Major mare Deadly Woman (1:55.6), a sister to Lettucereason, the dam of Leap To Fame and Swayzee, and to the Victoria Cup winner For A Reason, now a leading colonial bred sire.

Ravishing Sloy, the winner of six of his 10 starts, ranks as a half-brother to the sensational Captain Ravishing 1:50.9 ($518,140) and the Group 1 victor Let’s Get Rockin 1:54.1 ($189,611), being from Ravishing Girl (1:57.1), by Sportswriter from Ravaged, by Safely Kept from the Thor Hanover breeding influence Cosmophylla.

Cosmophylla, the dam of nine winners, was the ancestress of horses the calibre of the dual NSW Breeders Challenge winner Louvre, Miss Hazel (NSW Oaks and Vic. Ladyship Cup), Promiseland (NSW Pink Bonnet), My General Lee (Treuer Memorial), the Derby winner and successful sire Renaissance Man, Benicio (1:50.2), Fourwing Sweepa, Let’s Go To Brazil, Prince Benji and many others.

Nerano is well bred

The Sydney gelding Nerano (Tintin In America), who has been the surprise packet of the Brisbane Inter Dominion – he has won two heats and ran second in the other – is a member of one of NZ’s top ranking Standardbred families.

Nerano, who has now won 16 races and $205,417, is a six-year-old by the McArdle horse Tintin In America, who stood his early seasons at the stud in NZ and has been located in NSW while at the stud in Australia.

Tintin In America has been most successful in NZ. His stock in NZ include the champion racemare Shartin (1:46.8), the fastest horse ever bred in NZ and winner of a record $2.6million.

Nerano is out of Jass (1:58.1), a NZ bred mare by Village Jasper from Wind Chime, by Windshield Wiper from Rakabelle, by Surmo Hanover from Sentimental Belle, by Lumber Dream from the prolific broodmare Sentimental Lass.

Rakabelle was the dam of the Harold Park and Albion Park winner Maristella (1:56.8), who, in turn, left the multiple Group 1 placegetter Rocknroll Emma 1:54.6 ($165,713) and Rolling With Stell (1:54.2).

The Sentimental Lass family had a terrific influence on NZ breeding through several branches.

Extreme Sea in 1:50

A bright future is being predicted for the Well Said three-year-old Extreme Sea whose success in the NSW Breeders Challenge Eastern Region Final at Menangle was his third winning run from five starts.

The gelding has a good deal in his favour on the score of blood. Apart from being by Well Said, and one of his last commercial crop, Extreme Sea is out of the Somebeachsomewhere mare Serene Sea (1:56.9), a half-sister to the Menangle winner Raging Sea (1:51.1), being out of Satin Sea (1:56), by Trump Casino from Sapphire Sea, by Nikalong Shadow, a winner of 45 races.

Extreme Sea is the best winner from this family in recent years but in an earlier decade it produced a smart top pacer in Red Sea, who won 21 of his 24 starts including the NSW Sapling Stakes and Canberra Cup.

Seventh win on end

The Ultimate Machete filly Miss Idaho, who looks Oaks material of the highest order, won the $20,000 Victoria Youthful Stakes to mark the close of her two-year-old season with a deal to spare.

Her winning sequence of seven two-year-old starts makes her the best her age in South Australia by a wide margin, and she looks to have the local three-year-old classics at her mercy.

A well developed filly, possessing both speed and stamina, Miss Idaho is a particularly easy going juvenile and is the first Youthful Stakes winner brought out by Bendigo breeders Garry and Melva Graham.

Miss Idaho’s two-year-old earnings totalled $60,182.

Miss Idaho’s dam, Golden Valour, was unraced, being by Courage Under Fire from Goldtown Dancer, also unraced, and by the American import Troublemaker, a top colt pacer and later a leading sire. Goldtown Dancer was out of Classic Kate, by Batman from the grand producer Gay Debutante, by Gay Reveler and tracing to a noted foundation mare in Miss Tommy.

Miss Idaho promises to do this fine family further credit.

A star from Libertybelle Midfrew

A star two-year-old filly in NSW so far this season is Libby Lou (Sweet Lou), who was bred by the Gibson family’s Success Stud and is raced by Jackie Gibson.

A filly by Sweet Lou, she is out of a top flight racemare in Libertybelle Midfrew 1:53.9 ($640,497) and the third winner from her dam. 

Libby Lou won the $30,000 NSW Breeders Challenge Eastern Region Final at Menangle and earlier a heat of the APG Gold Bullion and looks a two-year-old with the potential one would expect of her breeding.

At the APG Perth sale in March a black filly by Bettor’s Wish from Libertybelle Midfrew will go under the hammer as Lot 478.

Victoria Sires Classic winner

Our Vincent Can Gogh (Vincent), who has won nine races this season including the $30,000 Victoria Sires Classic at Melton, is regarded as one of the best young pacers in the State. 

He is a three-year-old by Vincent, a top colt pacer now making a big impact as a sire on both sides of the Tasman, out of the unraced Hazel B Hasty, a half-sister by Auckland Reactor to the Gawler Cup winner Stratofortress (1:56) and Altimeter (1:55.9).

Their dam, Better Hurry, was a half-sister to the NZ 3YO Flying Stakes and Geelong Cup winner Country Ways 1:59 ($211,220), Hurry Sir 1:54.2 (USA), the Harold Park winner Enter Hurry Zone, Knapdale Guy (1:57.1) and to Clancy Girl, dam of the exported Dependlebury 1:50.6 ($120,724).

Our Vincent Can Gogh has strong strains of colonial blood but he is none the worse for it.

by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink