It All Started with Dr Ed Dewar’s, Remit

How appropriate it is that Dr Ed. Dewar, a lifetime member of the Western Australian Standardbred Breeders Association, will have an APG online auction in his honour.  

Dr. Ed Dewar, a legend of the Western Australian breeding industry, passed away on February 28 this year. A true harness racing icon, Dr Dewar amassed 1,190 wins with his horses, claiming many prestigious titles such as four Golden Slipper 2yo winners, four 2yo Pearl Classics; two Western Australian Oaks; and a Pearl Classic champion.  

Following his death, the Dewar family entrusted Australian Pacing Gold (APG) to conduct the Estate Sale of the late Doctor’s remaining stock. The Estate Sale for the late Dr Dewar – can be accessed via the APG Website from Friday May 2, until Sunday May 4, 2025.  

Seventeen horses will be on offer, comprising 12 broodmares; one four-year-old; three two-year-olds; and one yearling. They are all listed below (with Remit’s relations typed in bold). 

A true gentleman of the sport, Dr Dewar, in later years, ran his breeding operation at Whitby Falls Stud for more than four decades. While he had begun to scale down operations at the Stud in recent times, he retained a select group of broodmares and young horses – many which will be up for grabs in the early May online auction.  

Dr Dewar’s estate actually presented two yearlings at the recent 2025 APG Yearling Sale in Perth on March 2. Both hail from Dr Dewar’s 1971 foundation mare, Remit. 

They were, Lot 417, a Huntsville filly out of four-time winner Remit Me Whitby (1.58.5, $34,000). It is her first foal and Whitbyfalls Pacing Stud sold her to D. Leitch for $13,000.  

Then Whitbyfalls Pacing Stud sold Lot 424, a Stay Hungry colt out of the unraced American Ideal mare Pennies For Whitby (now in foal to Captaintreacherous), a grand-daughter of Whitbys Merit (two-time Group One winner, who won of 10 of her 14 starts and $168,598) to Kristy Elson for $10,000. 

Pennies For Whitby, like Remit Me Whitby, is a great-grandaughter of Remit. 

Dewar-bred horses are third on the all-time career wins for West Australian breeders.  

Former Kiwi, Remit, was imported into New South Wales by ship in 1975. She then raced in Victoria for Ted Demmler and won seven races for him – two of which were at metro meetings at the Melbourne Showgrounds. Dr Dewar then won another 11 races with her in Western Australia. 

Remit (2:01.6) was a brown mare, by Out To Win and out of the three-win Fallacy brown mare, Gold Heritage. She only had four races in the South Island and the best she could muster was 11th before being exported to Australia.  All-up she won win 18 of her 109 starts (20 placings) and netted $92,839 in purses. She also placed in the Empress Breeders Stakes. 

It comes as no surprise that Remit became a breeding great. But her mother, the New Zealand-bred three-win mare, Gold Heritage, also produced a breeding line second to none. 

Gold Heritage’s great-granddaughter, the 1993 Group One winning B G’s Bunny – Super Smooth (Smooth Fella) mare, Scuse Me, has a family that has produced champion after champion. She too is a giant of the Australasian standardbred breeding industry. 

Her ninth foal, the 2009 Bettor’s Delight mare, Adore Me (1:51.6) was a multiple Group One winning pacer, who was triumphant in 26 of her 36 starts ($1.6m). That also included the 2014 New Zealand Cup. 

Gold Heritage’s grandson son three times removed, the 2008 Christian Cullen – Splendid Dreams (Dream Away) gelding, Christen Me (1:49.1), was also a multiple Group One winning gelding, who was victorious in 32 of his 62 starts ($2.47m). His biggest win came in the 2015 Auckland Cup. 

But Remit far exceeded her racing performances in the breeding barn, where she produced eight winners from 97 races and more than $835,000 in stakes. 

On September 1, 1980, Remit left the first of her 10 foals – a Captain Hook brown filly named Fiscal Miss, who won 15 races and $53,854 for Dr Ed Dewar in Western Australia. 

Fiscal Miss, who was twice named Australian Broodmare of the year produced the 1987 Booth Hanover brown filly, Whitbys Miss Penny (1:55.2), who won 32 of her 50 starts and $568,289 in purses. She was also crowned Australian 2-Year-Old and 3-Year-Old Pacer-Of-The-Year.  

Whitbys Miss Penny left Australian broodmare of the year Sexy Lexy Whitby, who in turn left nine winners, including champion mare, the 2005 Pacific Fella mare, Ima Spicey Lombo (1:55.1), who won 24 races and $483,686. 

Whitbys Miss Penny was Fiscal Miss’s first foal. Her second – a 1988 full brother to Whitbys Miss Penny, Ace Of Whitby (1:58.8) won 29 races and $317,247. Both pacers were by Booth Hanover who Dr Dewar imported from USA to stand at his stud farm. He also stood stallions, Tarport Adios, Shaw Lobell, Mystical Prince and Kinney Hanover, and Halwesa.  

Halwes, a ‘Leap To Fame-like champion’ of the 1960s stood at Dr Dewar’s called Tullamour Lodge. That Stud later became Summerfields Stud in Baldivis. Aub Wesley who owned Halwes, actually came over with the horse to be the Doctor’s stud master. 

Halwes was a 1959 Nephew Hal – Desmouth (Raider) brown colt, who produced 508 live foals and 141 winners totalling $1.38m in stakes. On the track his highlight came at the 1968 Inter Dominion Pacing Championships at Auckland’s Alexandra Park when he won all three of his heats before being scratched was scratched on the morning of the Final when an odds-on favourite. NSW pacer First Lee beat Kiwi Holy Hal in the Final.  

In the USA, Dr Dewar’s Group One winner, the 2015 son of A Rocknroll Dance and Miss Worthy Whitby – Its Rock And Roll (1:50.4), who has extended his win to 30. He was an astute purchase at the 2009 Melbourne Sales with Dr Dewar buying Miss Worthy Whitby. She is the grand-dam of top pacer The Lost Storm, who is closely related to Alabar stallion The Storm Inside. 

Other Remit grand progeny to excel were Montana Anna 13 wins $230,863, Aikido Whitby 21 wins $270,328, Zerina Whitby 15 wins and $107,827, La Roya Whitby seven wins $106,649. Two of these fillies were by another stallion imported by Dr Ed Dewar named Kinney Hanover. 

She also left Whitby Heritage (22 wins and $201,758), Whitbys Merit (10 wins $168,598), Fiscal Miss (15 wins and $53,854), Whitby Mitre (nine wins and $39,916) and her best colt – foal six, the 1985 Spring Run brown gelding, Whitby Timer (1:56.9), who won 23 of his 44 starts and $314,899. 

Remit left her last foal in September 1994 – a one-win Panorama filly named Spirit Of Whitby. After missing to Panorama in 1994, Zakara in 1995, and Remit in 1996, she was retired from the broodmare’s paddock at the ripe old age of 25. 

The 17-strong Estate Sale for the late Dr. Ed Dewar, comprises 12 broodmares; one four-year-old; three two-year-olds; and one yearling. Many of these still carry the bloodline of Remit 

Lot 1: Annika Whitby: a Mr Feelgood – Ayshe Whitby (Rocknroll Hanover) bay mare foaled on February 10, 2017.  

Lot 2: Miss Worthy Whitby: a Bettors Delight – Spirited Storm (Stormy Pursuit) bay mare foaled on January 11, 2007.  

Lot 3: Pennies For Whitby: an American Ideal – Prix De Whitby (Life Sign) bay mare born on November 11, 2017. GREAT GRAND-DAUGHTER OF REMIT. 

Lot 4: Prix De Whitby: a Life Sign – Whitbys Merit (French Chef) bay mare born on November 30, 2007. GRAND-DAUGHTER OF REMIT. 

Lot 5: Remit Me Whitby: a Mach Three – Zerina Whitby (Kinney Hanover) bay mare born on November 14, 2016. GREAT GRAND-DAUGHTER OF REMIT. 

Lot 6: Wedu Whitby Voodoo: a Betting Line – Terrifying (Western Terror) brown mare born on October 13, 2018. Wedu Whitby Voodoo is currently in foal to Pebble Beach. 

Lot 7: Whisky Neat: a Bettors Delight – Focussed (In The Pocket) bay mare born on November 17, 2016. 

Lot 8: Whitbys Blue Iris: an Art Major – Garden Gate Tina (Rustler Hanover) bay mare born on February 22, 2012. 

Lot 9: Whitbys Comet: an A Rocknroll Dance – La Roya Whitby (Kinney Hanover) brown mare born May 11, 2018. GREAT GRAND-DAUGHTER OF REMIT. 

Lot 10: Whitbys Gamble: a Bettors Delight – Tweed For A Lady (Crouch) bay mare born on January 11, 2013. 

Lot 11: Zara Whitby: a Somebeachsomewhere – Zerina Whitby (Kinney Hanover) bay mare born on August 10, 2014. GREAT GRAND-DAUGHTER OF REMIT. 

Lot 12: Zetarose Whitby: a Western Terror – Zerina Whitby (Kinney Hanover) brown mare born on October 20, 2015. GREAT GRAND-DAUGHTER OF REMIT. 

Lot 13: Lucky Lou Whitby: a 4yo American Ideal – Prix De Whitby (Life Sign) bay mare born on September 28, 2020. GREAT GRAND-DAUGHTER OF REMIT. 

Lot 14: An unnamed 2yo American Ideal – Miss Worthy Whitby (Bettors Delight) bay colt born on September 9, 2022. 

Lot 15: An unnamed 2yo Rock n Roll Heaven – Whitbys Gamble (Bettors Delight) bay filly born on October 17, 2022. 

Lot 16: Whitbys Delight: a 2yo Bettors Delight – Pangani (Mach Three) bay filly born on December 10, 2022.  

Lot 17: An unnamed yearling Bettors Delight – Prix De Whitby (Life Sign) bay colt born on March 12, 2023. GREAT GRANDSON OF REMIT. 

From APG Ltd