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.

Five wins on end

Niki Nah Nah, a daughter of the American sire Captaintreacherous, has been one of the stars of the holiday racing in Victoria.

She won five consecutive races – Bendigo (twice), Shepparton, Maryborough and Mildura – during December and lowered her lifetime mark to 1:54.4 over 1690 metres at Shepparton.

Niki Nah Nah is closely related to a top pacer in Majordan, whose list of successes included the Newcastle Mile (twice), the Len Smith Memorial and the NSW Golden Mile. He later raced in America where took a record of 1:47.6.

Bred and part-owned by media identity Rob Auber, Niki Nah Nah is from a fine racemare in Niki No No 1:55.6 ($294,455), by Sportswriter, an Artsplace horse from the celebrated Duvall family.

Niki No No, who won the Victoria Oaks and Vicbred 2YO Final, was out of Benelise (1:59), winner of eight races and by Vintner from Dorrie’s Daughter, by Keystone Scotch. Benelise threw the Bathurst Gold Crown winners Soho Valencia (a successful sire) and Yrubla, the Victorian country cups winner Wardan Express (1:51.2), Majordan and others.

Classic winner by Fear The Dragon

Komodo, the season’s latest two-year-old winner, in beating a useful field in the Vicbred Platinum Home Grown Classic at Melton, gives the impression that he could develop into one of next season’s top three-year-olds.

Bred, trained and raced by Aaron Dunn, Komodo is a strongly built gelding by the North America Cup winner Fear The Dragon from Azzgoodazz, and is the first produce of his lightly raced dam.

Azzgoodazz, who died two years ago, was an Art Major mare from Madazhell (7 wins), by Albert Albert from Ballistic Gold, by Northern Lights from Orogenic, by Captain Hook. It is an interesting fact that there is a double strain of Abercrombie blood in Azzgoodazz, through both her sire Art Major and Albert Albert (her maternal grandsire).

Azzgoodazz was a half-sister to a capable pacer in Madazalways, who took a record of 1:56.2, won 15 races and $125,078.

A topflight Victorian pacer in Game Oro belongs to this family. He won 29 races including the Kilmore Cup twice and a heat of the Inter Dominion and finished a close third to Preux Chevalier and Village Kid in the 1985 Grand Final at Moonee Valley.

Home Grown Classic Fillies’ winner

Victoria’s last classic for two-year-old fillies for the season, the $40,000 Vicbred Platinum Home Grown Classic, run at Melton, was won by Krafty Candy, and although Our Saydie Kay, who had won her previous three races, had to settle for second after a chequered passage, this fact could not detract from the merit of Krafty Kandy’s success.

It was her first win from only three starts.

Krafty Kandy was sold for $16,000 at the 2022 Australian Pacing Gold sale by a group managed by Glenn Taylor.

His sire, Betterthancheddar, was a dual world champion, being by the immortal Bettor’s Delight, a grandson of Cam Fella. Betterthancheddar had a record of 1:48 and was one of America’s greatest three-year-olds of his era. His stock in Australasia include Better Eclipse, Betterzippit, Caviar Star, Sweetchilliphilly and others, and in America he sired the winners of $30million and 18 in the 1:50 list.

Eye Like Candy, the dam of Krafty Kandy, was a Presidential Ball mare from the handy racemare Arivee (1:59.3), by Safely Kept from Willing Greek, by Golden Greek from Willing Whiz, by Armbro Whiz.

Eye Like Candy (1:55.8), who won nine races, left earlier winners in Jawbreaker 1:52.8 ($106,700), Helansin (1:56) and Bettororworse. She was a half-sister to the Menangle winner Riveered (1:53.4) and Fighting Fire (1:53.9).

Others from this family included the Victoria Cup winner Caribbean Blaster, Charlaval, Grand Stride (APG 3YO Final), Protikori, Aphorism, Crunch Time (1:49.6), War Dan (1:50) and this season’s top two-year-old filly Lux Aeterna.

The Coulson winner

Bought for $30,000 at the APG Perth sale in 2020 and now the winner of $147,194, Sovrana further underlined her potential when she downed a smart field of mares in the $30,000 The Coulson at Gloucester Park.

By the Bettor’s Delight horse Betting Line (now in America), Sovrana is out of Chemical Romance, by the former leading WA sire Northern Luck. Chemical Romance left others in the Westbred Classic winner Bettor Reward 1:52.7 ($244,065), Destined To Rule 1:57.5 ($229,787) and Bettor’s Destroya (1:56.2).

Chemical Romance was out of the WA Oaks winner Ferrari Trunkey 1:56.6 ($267,527), by Tarcoola Frost (son of Raider Frost) from the Massie mare Celevale Trunkey, who established a great winning line for the late Bob Humphries.

Chemical Romance was a half-sister to the WA Derby winner Trunkey Maseratti 1:56.4 ($273,457) and to Corniche Trunkey, dam of the WA Oaks heat winner Fluent Style and the WA Sales Classic 3YO winner Ima High Rolla, who, in turn, is the dam of the Group 1 winner Lady Jadore 1:57.1 ($112,265).

Sovrana was bred by prominent Perth breeder Steve Johnson.

Won Shirley Turnbull Memorial

Bathurst’s top race for open class pacers, the $50,000 Shirley Turnbull Memorial, was won by the Art Major gelding Cya Art, a NZ bred pacer who was having only his third start on Australian soil.

Cya Art was back in his field in the early running but raced to the front two laps from home and finally won decisively from Taipo and Star Major.

A five-year-old gelding, Cya Art is out of Cyathea, a handy racemare, by Fake Left from Frond, by In The Pocket from Fern Glen (1:59), a winner of 10 races including the Caduceus Club 2YO Classic and $125,235.

Frond was a half-sister to the WA Pacing Cup winner Maheer Lord 1:53 ($515,470), Lavros Glen 1:54.4 ($122,984) and to the dams of NZ and Victorian country cups winner Ideal Success 1:54.4 ($217,459), the NSW Carousel victor Port Au Prince 1:51.7 ($208,463), Full Speed Ahead 1:57.1 ($171,632) and Carrera Mach 1:54.9 ($203,954).

Won Inter City Pace

Hands On, bred in New Zealand’s Southland district by Phil Creighton and Stewart Gillan and owned and trained in NSW, notched his most important success when he won the $25,500 Inter City Pace at Maitland.

The winner of 14 races and $126,523, Hands On is a five-year-old gelding by Bettor’s Delight and the fourth winner of the Group 3 sired by the Woodlands Stud flagship. He joins Im Quick As Fire (2021), Express Stride (2017) and Kept Under Wraps (2016).

Asabella, the dam of Hands On, has proved a most successful broodmare. She is also the dam of the top flight WA pacers Ohoka’s Bondy 1:53.6 ($388,148) and Code Red 1:55.6 ($132,639), Brantley 1:56.5 ($119,352) and Dancing Diamonds 1:57.8 ($343,276), who, in turn, is the dam of the millionairess Princess Tiffany (1:49.9) and the exported Rock Diamonds 1:50 ($772,168).

Asabella, who won twice, was an In The Pocket mare from the grand producer Bellisimo, by Smooth Fella from the NZ 2YO Filly of the Year Krina Bella, by Lordship from the NZ Derby winner Bellajily and tracing eventually to the taproot Krina.

Other top pacers further back in this pedigree have been Miss Sangrial (WA Empress Stakes), Sangua Reale (WA 4YO Championship), Keep It Up (SA Derby), The Cavalier and Black Flash (NZ Breeders Produce).

Leeton Breeders Plate winner

Mr Bondi, who won the $30,600 MIA Breeders Plate, one of the features of the Leeton calendar, is a Downbytheseaside gelding from the same family as that which produced the champion racemare Encipher.

Mr Bondi, a winner at Auckland in November, has won at his first two appearances in NSW and should be well in line for this season’s major three-year-old classics.

Bred by Woodlands Stud, the youngster has a wealth of breeding on his dam’s side, being out of the In The Pocket mare Bizzie Girl, a member of the prolific Tondeleyo family.

Bizzie Girl, who won twice, left earlier winners in the exported Eliza Dushku 1:51.2 ($234,949), a winner of 24 races including the NSW Pink Bonnet, My Mei (1:53.6), The Bizzness (1:55), Comeon Howzat (1:57.8) and Our Cahort (1:57.9), the dam of the millionairess Encipher.

Bizzie Girl was a half-sister to a cup class pacer in Percy The Punter (1:56.4), a winner of 17 races and $332,067, and All The Way 1:57.9 ($118,675).

This has been one of NZ’s most successful families over a long period. It was established by the Dale Axworthy mare Estella Amos, who was imported from America by Freeman Holmes in 1923 and produced the thrice NZ Cup winner Indianapolis, the dual Inter Dominion heat winner Miraculous and Tondeleyo, the ancestress of such winners as Hilarious Guest, Speedy Guest, Garry Rowan, The Sentry, Millwood Meg and Wrapper’s Delight.

By Jilliby Kung Fu

The Four Starzzz Shark horse Jilliby Kung Fu, who stood a season at the stud in NSW, before returning to Victoria, is leaving smart three-year-olds from his first crop, the oldest of which are now four years.

Keayang Yukon, who won twice over the holiday period at Terang, is a gelding by Jilliby Kung Fu from the Safari mare Emma Jade.

Jilliby Safron, who won twice as a three-year-old last season, Jilliby Tidalwave, Jilliby Mojito, Jilliby Panda and the recent two-year-old winner Jilliby Fabio are other winners from Jilliby Kung Fu’s first two crops.

by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink