Weekly Spotlight on Breeding

Breeding authority Peter Wharton presents all the harness racing news on breeding from Australia, New Zealand and North America every Friday brought to you by Garrard’s Horse & Hound.

Ego about top four-year-old

Expensive Ego, a good looking Rock N Roll Heaven entire, is rated Australia’s top four-year-old this season, particularly after his superlative win in the $210,000 Australian Pacing Gold Final at Melton, one of the season’s major harness racing classics. He has won six and been twice placed from nine starts for $418,390 in stakes.

In the APG Final, he was never really extended in running out the 1720 metres in a 1:52.1 rate, the last 800 in 55.3 and the final 400 in 27.7, figures which he could have sharply improved.

Expensive Ego is out of Art Start, who took a record of 1:58.2. Art Start was a Perfect Art mare from the Oaks winner Sweet Clementine (1:59.6), by Land Grant from the noted producer Sue Adios NZ, by Jerry Adios.

Art Start, a winner of 14 races, has proved a very successful broodmare. Besides Expensive Ego, she is also the dam of the QBred Triad 2YO winner Art’s Treasure 1:50.9 ($152,542), Bodhi Tree 1:52.1 (winner of 26 races and $192,854) and Golightly (1:54.5), who has won his last four starts at Albion Park.

Art Start was a half-sister to the Albion Park and Gloucester Park winner Stage Coach Kid 1:56.5 ($139,575) and to the dam of the exported Who Said What 1:54.2 ($191,803), their dam Sweet Clementine being a half-sister to the multiple Group winner Sweet Liberty 1:57.9 ($102,706), who founded a strong winning branch of The Brat family.

It includes My Liberty Belle (Qbred Triad 3YO), the dual Inter Dominion heat winner Philadelphia Man 1:52.6 ($559,135), the former 2YO of the Year Centenario, last year’s outstanding two-year-old filly Tough Tilly and Somedan (1:55.9).

Expensive Ego wins APG 4YO Final at Melton – Stuart McCormick photo

WA Derby winning line

The Western Australian Derby winner, Mighty Ronaldo, is a son of the Christian Cullen horse Alta Christiano, who won the Derby himself as well as other Group races in NZ and WA.

It was Mighty Ronaldo’s third success at Group level and his fifth lifetime. He has stakes totalling $270,255,

One of the third crop sired by Alta Christiano, he is out of Millwood’s Delight (1:57), by Bettor’s Delight from Gliding By (1:57.4), a Cambridge Cup winner by Vance Hanover from Significant, by Out To Win from the broodmare gem Black Watch.

Millwood’s Delight, the dam of Mighty Ronaldo, was last season sent to the world champion McWicked.

The winner of three at Gloucester Park, Millwood’s Delight ranked as a half-sister to the NZ and USA winner Raptorial 1:50.2 ($316,088), the Gloucester Park victor Face Your Fears (1:58.6), Seaward 1:59.2 (9 NZ wins) and to the McArdle mare Shes Got It All (1:58.6), the dam of two high class pacers in Malcolm’s Rhythm 1:52.9 ($248,850) and Be Major Threat 1:55 ($125,639).

Another half-sister in Zwish (by Dream Away) was responsible for the good Melton winner Phil Monty 1:54.3 ($130,216) and the brilliant but ill-fated Zee Dana (1:54.6).

Significant, the third dam, left seven individual winners including the NZ Oaks winner Pacific Flight 1:51.2 ($562,345), who later competed with great distinction in America, and the Victorian country cups hero The Unicorn 1:57.8 ($488,524).

Mighty Ronaldo was bred by leading Perth breeder Dr Trevor Lindsay.

Mighty Ronaldo wins WA Derby at Gloucester Park – Paceway Photos

Leading sire’s absence a loss

The runaway success of Cat King Cole in the $50,000 APOG Gold Bullion Final for two-year-old fillies at Albion Park further demonstrated the loss of Hurrikane Kingcole to breeders.

One of his third crop, Cat King Cole has won three of her four starts and looks to be well in line for the major juvenile classics later in the year.

She is out of the multiple Group winner Catwalk Beauty 1:58.2 ($156,566), a P B Bullville mare who produced others in Werelivingthedream (1:54.3) and Matron Jujon (1:55.4).

Venus Jujon, a four-year-old mare by Hurrikane Kingcole, finished third in the $50,000 APG 4YO Consolation Final on the same night as Cat King Cole won.

In all, Hurrikane Kingcole has produced 67 foals to have raced with 45 of those having been successful and his progeny has earned $1.1 million to date.

Cat King Cole wins APG Gold Bullion Final at Albion Park – Dan Costello Photography

Class prevails at Albion Park

A top colt in Queensland this year – he won the $50,000 APG Gold Bullion Final at his second start – is Class To The Max, a half-brother to the outstanding pacer Colt Thirty One.

Class To The Max belongs to one of Queensland’s premier families, being by American Ideal from Charm Personified, by Perfect Art from Charming Reminder, by Vanston Hanover from the Tempest Hanover mare Call Girl, who established a great winning line for well known Brisbane identity Kevin Seymour. She left an Oaks winner in Goldrush Girl and a smart colt in Destiny Calls.

Charm Personified, the dam of six sub 2:00 winners, was a half-sister to the dual Oaks winner Cherry Cheer 1:56.7 ($278,372), dam of the Breeders Crown Silver winner Cherish The Moment 1:53.1 ($135,595), and to the Seymour Nursery winner Rhapsody In Red 1:56.8 ($167,715), who left a string of classic winners in Rani Major, Raring To Go, Rich Heritage and Red Charmer.

Other members of this fine family have been Good Lookin Girl (NSW Ladyship Mile), the QBred Triad winners Girl From Ipanema and Charming Allie (half-sister to Class To The Max), Cavetto (1:51.2), Cheers Robbie (1:53.9), Cherry’s The Best (1:53.1) and recent Albion Park three-year-old winner Frontliner.

Class To The Max wins APG Gold Bullion Final at Albion Park – Dan Costello Photography

Yianni shows promise

The four-year-old Yianni to uphold the fine record of Changeover’s stock. Trained by Emma Stewart, he effortlessly won the $50,000 APG 4YO Consolation at Melton in a career-best 1:53.8.

Yianni has not raced a great deal. From 34 starts he has won seven with 11 placings for $73,945.

A gelding by Changeover (son of In The Pocket), he is out of a useful racemare in Jodila (1:57.5), who ranked as a half-sister to the metropolitan winners Jodan 1:52.9 ($147,129) and Walkabout Creek (1:52.7).

Their dam, Trudee, was a top flight racemare in the Harold Park era. She won 21 races and $167,757 and at the stud left five winners – all inside 2:00 – from eight foals to race.

Trudee was an Albert Albert mare from the noted producer Avonali, by Toliver Hanover from Stormy Helen, by Stormyway.

A champion racemare in Make Mine Cullen belongs to this family. She won a record 29 races at Melton and, at one stage, held the Australian mares’ mile record of 1:53. In all, she won 40 races and $874,178 in stakes.

Yianni ranks as a half-brother to the Victoria Sapling Stakes winner Ideal Dan.

From Group 1 family

Michelle Lee Mac, who won the $210,000 APG Gold Bullion Final for four-year-old mares, one of the features of last weekend’s Melton meeting, is a Bettor’s Delight mare from the same family as that which produced a champion racemare in The Private Dancer.

Michelle Lee Mac, who won the Bathurst Gold Tiara as a two-year-old and the NSW Breeders Challenge Regional Final at three, has been a model of consistency throughout her career.

Bred and raced by the McDowell family, she has a wealth of breeding on her dam’s side, being out of the Armbro Operative mare Duets, a member of the prolific First Water family.

Duets (1:56.2), a dual Listed winner, produced earlier winners in Thunder Dance 1:50.5 ($209,030), Butterfly Princess (1:56.1) and Dance Teacher (1:57.3), an Artsplace mare who left the good NSW and USA winner Jive Dancing 1:51.8 ($152,883).

Duets was a half-sister to the NSW Sapling Stakes winner Stardust 1:52.9 ($118,705), Private Road (NSW Breeders Challenge Regional 3YO) and Prince Syntax (1:52.8), being out of the Edgar Tatlow winner The Irish Dancer, by Torado Hanover from the glamour filly of the 1980’s, The Private Dancer, the winner of her first 12 starts including the Edgar Tatlow Memorial, NSW Pink Bonnet, NSW Princess Mile and Raith Memorial.

At the stud The Private Dancer left seven winners and was the ancestress of horses the calibre of the NSW Breeders Challenge winner Home Of The Brave (1:53.4), Palace Star (NSW Princess Mile and Raith Memorial), Zenyatta (NSW Breeders Challenge Regional 2YO) and Pacific Drums (1:52.8).

Michelle Lee Mac wins APG 4YO Mares Final at Melton – Stuart McCormick photo

Stars Align in 1:48

Stars Align has become the third Australian-bred performer to enter the 1:48 list in America. He recorded 1:48 when he was successful in a $US16,500 race at The Meadowlands on April 24. He won again in 1:49 the following week.

By the Artsplace horse Art Major – a champion racehorse himself – Stars Align is out of the Albert Albert mare Nosotros, a half-sister to the cup class pacer and Inter Dominion heat winner Hexus 1:55 ($555,199). Nosotros produced others in Red Vee Hanover 1:54 ($181,436), Ichiba Newy (1:57.1) and Tell A Tall Story.

Stars Align, who was bred by leading Victorian nursery Benstud Standardbreds, joins Majordan (1:47.8), also bred by Benstud, and Leonidas (1:48) as Aussie bred 1:48 pacers.

NSW Trotters Oaks to Aldebaran Ursula

The Group 2 NSW Trotters Oaks, for three-year-old fillies, one of the features on the trotting calendar at Menangle, was won by Aldebaran Ursula, a filly by the Swedish sire Yield Boko from Ushaka Bromac NZ.

Yield Boko, a son of the Italian bred champion Viking Kronos, has not been extensively represented to this stage but has a tidy score of winners to starters. He has sired such winners as Godofthunder (SA Hambletonian), the Vicbred Final placegetter Fend Off, Flyin Around and Forever Kronos.

Ushaka Bromac, the dam of Aldebaran Ursula, was by Continentalman, who also distinguished himself as a sire of trotters, from Ursula Bromac, a mare by Live Or Die from a predominantly pacing family. Ushaka Bromac won 16 races and $144,985 in stakes and took a mile record of 1:59.3 and was a top racemare in her own right.

This has been a most successful family, as Caligula, a winner in 1:55.2 on Oaks night, is out of Una Bromac, a full sister to Ursula Bromac. A half-sister by Union Guy to the pair in Ulrica Bromac went in 1:49.6 in North America.

Aldebaran Ursula was bred by Aldebaran Park and was sold for $8,000 at the Australasian Premier Trotting Sale in 2019.

50^th SA Golden Nursery

An important milestone for South Australian harness racing will be marked on October 30 when the Alabar Bloodstock Golden Nursery will be held for the 50^th time.

The two-year-old feature was first run at the Wayville Showgrounds in 1971 and was won by Karomin, driven by Lloyd Webster.

Over the years the race has been won by many of SA’s top juveniles including Dancing Finn, Emain Macha, Aspiring Artist, Flagbearer and Oztreos.

Alabar Bloodstock is sponsoring the classic for the eleventh consecutive year.

By Peter Wharton