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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 prospect
One of the stronger Garrard’s Miracle Mile candidates, particularly among the local brigade will be Hi Manameisjeff (Art Major), who has proved himself in the topflight and has wo by way back to an NR120 mark.
His latest winning run over the mile in the P. J. Hall Free-for-all at Menangle was a terrific performance. He showed his customary brilliance from the mobile to lead from the outset and finally won decisively in 1:50.8.
Hi Manameisjeff has won 16 of his 29 starts for $194,520 in stakes. He has a mile record of 1:48.9.
A tough customer, Hi Manameisjeff is a seven-year-old gelding, being from Honour Lady, dam also of the NZ winner Shesheartandsole. Honour Lady was sired by Bettor’s Delight from Ladona Franco, by Falco Seelster from the Talk About Class mare Lotta Talk, a half-sister to the Derby and Grand Circuit winners Late Bid and Lotsnlots and the Listed winner Franco Lotsmore.
Hi Manameisjeff was one of three winners by Art Major at Menangle, the others being Major Major (1:52.7) and Our Cosmic Major (1:53.2).
New Maori Mile record
A fresh track and race record for trotters was established by the Trixton gelding Arcee Phoenix of 1:53.8 – bettering the previous record of 1:53.9 held by Sparkling Success by one-tenth of a second – when he won the $75,000 Maori Mile at Bendigo.
Arcee Phoenix, who has now won 10 of his 27 starts and $230,375 in stakes, is a member of the same family as the former 2YO Trotter of the Year Eljaykay Phoenix.
Arcee Phoenix ranks as a half-brother to Querencia (6 wins), being by Trixton from the Sundon mare Justa Phoenix (2:00.2), whose dam Byrdie Num Num was by Speed Supreme, a leading sire of trotters from Jolabyrd, by Joey’s Byrd from Bobby Gentry.
Justa Phoenix was a half-sister to Maori Phoenix, a Victorian winner. Their dam Byrdie Num Num (8 wins) was a half-sister to Dodo Rocket, dam of the Vicbred champion Princess Phoenix 1:55.5 ($167,515), Verukte Phoenix (1:59.1), Hadrian’s Phoenix (2:00) and grand-dam of Breeders Crown, Vicbed and The Redwood winner Eljaykay Phoenix 1:58.6 ($256,877), Peregrine Phoenix 1:56.8 ($102,160), the Inter Dominion heat winner Ofortuna 1:58.8 ($142,760) and last season’s Victoria Trotters Oaks winner She’s Ruby Roo 1:56.1 ($122,736).
In the back removes of Arcee Phoenix’s pedigree are trotters the calibre of Go Ahead Makemyday, Aldebaran Eastwood, Aldebaran Deebee, Joseph Boppard and Supreme Gent.
Max Delight wins Bendigo Cup
Bendigo’s signature race for pacers, the $75,000 Garrard’s Horse & Hound Bendigo Pacing Cup, was won by the Bettor’s Delight gelding Max Delight, who downed a top field including Serg Blanco, Hurricane Harley and Beyond Delight.
Max Delight was back in his field in the early running but raced to the front two laps from home and finally won in a photo finish.
Max Delight, who was bought for a record $245,000 at the APG Sydney sales in 2017, has competed with real distinction at the top level throughout his seven-year career. As a three-year-old he won the NSW and Tasmanian Derbies and the Breeders Crown, at five he annexed the Victoria Cup and Italian Cup and at seven the Sokyola Sprint and Cherry Festival Cup at Young.
In all, he has won 26 races with 29 placings for $940,924 in stakemoney.
An eight-year-old gelding, Max Delight is out of Lady Euthenia 1:53.3 ($461,285), an outstanding racemare and by Art Major from Reggae Miss ($123,087), a NSW Sires Stakes champion by Maple Lane’s Strike from Girl Next Door, by What’s Next from Lady Ex, by Express Byrd.
Max Delight ranks as a brother to the dual Breeders Crown winner and Australasian two-year-old mile record holder Major Delight 1:50.3 ($594,378).
Bettor’s Delight top sire
Bettor’s Delight is Australia’s top sire for the 12th consecutive season. During the closing season his stock won 963 races and $13,733,364 in stakes.
The Woodlands Stud sire finished almost $4 million ahead of the second placed Art Major, the leading sire of two-year-olds.
Captaintreacherous has made spectacular progress to third on the list. He was followed by Sweet Lou, the premier sire of three-year-olds, and a trio of Western Hanover line stallions in American Ideal (5th), Rock N Roll Heaven (6th) and A Rocknroll Dance (7th).
The Inter Dominion champion Leap To Fame, Diego (WA Pacing Cup), Speak The Truth, My Ultimate Ronnie, Braeview Kelly and Major Delight were among Bettor’s Delight’s best winners last season.
The mighty En Zedder Lazarus was the leading first season sire with 14 individual winners and $468,764.
On the trotting side, Majestic Son topped the all aged list for the eighth season on end. He was represented by the winners of 100 races and $2.68million in stakes.
Love You, the sire of champion mare Queen Elida, was second, followed by Just Believe’s sire Orlando Vici (3rd), Father Patrick (4th) and Muscle Hill (5th).
The deceased Muscle Hill import Aldebaran Eagle, due mainly to the brilliant filly Rockinwithattitude, was the leading sire of three-year-old trotters, while the Cantab Hall stallion Volstead was the premier sire of two-year-olds and the leading first crop sire.
Bettor’s Delight captured the all aged, two-year-old and three-year-old broodmare sires’ premierships. His daughters produced the winners of a record $13.9million in 2023, almost $1.6million ahead of Art Major.
The NZ siring colossus Sundon topped the Australian trotting broodmare sires’ table for the 13th consecutive season.
All Is Well tops ton
All Is Well, the winner of $30,000 The Warwick at Gloucester Park last Friday, is one of the most exciting four-year-olds in WA at present.
He has won $108,124 in stakes, a worthwhile return for the $16,000 paid for him as a yearling at the 2019 Australian Pacing Gold Perth sale. By the Rocknroll Hanover horse Foreclosure, whose first Australian crop have been most impressive and have run up a particularly good record, he is out of Cap In Hand (1:57.6), by a champion NZ pacer in Auckland Reactor (a Mach Three horse who is now standing in Victoria) from the handy racemare Elite Angel 1:56.7 ($128,702), by Safely Kept from Elite Dynasty.
Cap In Hand, who won three of her six starts, is a half-sister to the prolific Perth winner Robbie Rocket 1:56.3 ($142,425).
All Is Well was bred by Victorian enthusiast Steve Dickson.
Cobram Cup winner
Invitation Only, who won the $25,000 Cobram Pacing Cup, after gaining a late run on the passing lane, has now won seven races and is rated one of the brightest prospects in his class. He ranks as a five-year-old brother by Bettor’s Delight to the former NZ 2YO Colt of the Year and five-time Group winner Another Masterpiece 1:51.4 ($780,400).
Another Masterpiece won 28 races in NZ, Victoria and NSW.
Elegant Art, the dam of Invitation Only and Another Masterpiece, was a Christian Cullen mare from the American-bred mare Elegance, by Artsplace. Elegant Art was not of much account herself, but she was a sister to Ameripan Gigolo 1:50 ($429,532) and a half-sister to the champion racemare Darlin’s Delight 1:49.2 ($2.9million).
This has been one of the most successful branches of the Barbara Eden family, Elegance being out of the dual USA Breeders Crown champion and 2YO and 3YO Filly of the Year Town Pro 1:51.8 ($1.2million).
By Changeover
The well-travelled six-year-old Lord Zarias is proving a splendid advertisement for the In The Pocket horse Changeover, a grand pacer himself and who stands at Burwood Stud on Queensland’s Darling Downs.
Lord Zarias, a winner in NZ as a three-year-old and later a multiple winner at Albion Park, won at his first appearance at Globe Derby Park in a career-best 1:54.5 over 1800 metres.
It was his 10th success and lifted his stake tally to $115,000.
Desidi, the dam of Lord Zarias, took a record of 2:03 and was a Live Or Die mare from Desifalcon, by Falcon Seelster.
Australian Pacing Gold Yearling Sales
The annual Australian Pacing Gold Yearling Sales will kick off at the Magic Millions, Gold Coast on January 28. The entry totals 84 yearlings and breeders from Queensland and NSW are represented.
The yearlings include some royally bred youngsters with some top class racemares such as Aqua Miss, Come Cullect, Joanne’s A Delight, Bridget Blue Chip, Chevron’s Reward, Mathilda Diventa, She’s A Lefty and others.
by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink
