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.

Tardelli is some youngster

Menangle Park trainer Rickie Alchin, who has a grand record in producing star juvenile pacers and trotters, produced a grand two-year-old at Bathurst in Tardelli.

The colt led throughout to win the $110,000 Gold Crown Final in a 1:54.2 rate over 1730 metres. He clocked his last mile in 1:54.7 and half in 56.8 seconds.

He has won four of his five starts – he finished third after a wide passage at his other appearance at Menangle.

By Huntsville, and one of the first crop of the Somebeachsomewhere horse who returned to America after a single season in Australia, Tardelli is out of Lady Savoia, an unraced mare by Art Major from Armida, a Safely Kept mare whose nine successes included the Bathurst Gold Tiara in 2007.

Lady Savoia is a half-sister to the NSW Sapling Stakes and Simpson Sprint winner Caesar Augustus 1:54.5 ($223,741) and the APG heat winner Megaris (1:58.7), dam of the NSW Breeders Challenge finalist Pelican Fly (1:57.4).

La Speranza, the third dam of Tardelli, won 18 races and $155,828 in stakes and was one of Queensland’s top juveniles in the 1990’s. At the stud she left five 2:00 winners including a top colt in Il Tenore, who, at one stage held the Australian two-year-old mile record at 1:55.7, and an outstanding filly in Armida.

This is the family which also produced the Victoria Legends winner and successful sire It Is I, the top Albion Park racemare New Arrival, Nudge (1:56.1), Desdon Muruffy (1:53.6) and Strident (Vic. Country Clubs Championship).

Tardelli was bred and is raced by Brisbane businessman Alf La Spina.

Gold Tiara to Jewel Melody

Jewel Melody, the season’s latest two-year-old winner, in beating a useful field in the $110,000 Gold Tiara Final at Bathurst, gives the impression that she could develop into one of the best her age.

Bought at the Australian Pacing Gold sale in Brisbane in 2021, Jewel Melody is a strongly built filly by Captaintreacherous from Our Sweet Melody, the dam of the Brisbane APG Sales Graduate winner He’s Sweet (1:54.7) and the Albion Park winner Indy Jewel (1:57.6).

Their dam, Our Sweet Melody (2:00.9), who was unbeaten in two starts, was an Art Major mare from Montana Melody, by Famous Forever (Fake Left-Girl From Ipanema) from Our Lady Delwin, by Lordship. It is an interesting fact that there is a double strain of Artsplace blood in Jewel Melody’s pedigree through Worldly Treasure (dam of Captaintreacherous) and her damsire Art Major.Our Sweet Melody was a sister to the Tasmanian Blue Bonnet winner Tanamay, dam of recent NSW winner Sweet Courage (1:54.4).

A champion pacer and now successful sire in For A Reason belongs to this family. He had a mile record of 1:49.4 and in all won 27 races and $1,111,470 in stakes including the NSW and Queensland Derbies and the Victoria Cup. The NSW Derby winner Leap To Fame, Maximus Red, Montana Moonlit, Hot Shot Woman and Waldenburg are among many good winning members of Jewel Melody’s family.

Jewel Melody was bred by prominent NSW breeder Michael Taylor.

Ripp bred to be good

A bright future is being predicted for the Somebeachsomewhere three-year-old Ripp, whose success in the $100,000 Bathurst Gold Chalice was his fourth winning run from five starts.

He is a member of an old time NZ family which was represented by the runner-up in the Gold Bracelet in Just Hope on the same night as Ripp won. Just Hope took out the NSW Oaks two starts earlier.

Musical Delight, the dam of Ripp, won 11 races including the Australian Pacing Gold and Raith Memorial and $248,910 in stakes and took a mile mark of 1:53.1. She was a Bettor’s Delight mare from a fine racemare in Top Tempo 1:56.5 ($225,313), by In The Pocket from Kliklite 1:56.7 ($156,213), by Holmes Hanover from Jessica Macfaber, an El Patron mare.

Top Tempo, who won 11 races in NZ and Victoria, left two high class racemares in Speak No Evil (1:50.9), a winner of three Group 1’s and $354,300, and Queen Of Pop (1:55.6), a winner of nine races and $204,527), and others in Countdown 1:53.1 ($135,410), That’s How Weroll 1:52.9 ($127,895) and Do Not Surrender (1:55.1).

Ripp ranks as a brother to the Victoria Youthful Stakes winner Beach Music 1:54.5 ($152,870) and Young Rooster 1:58 ($137,712).

From top WA family

Soho Rhapsody, winner of the Group 1 $100,000 Gold Bracelet, one of the features of the Bathurst carnival, is regarded as one of the best young pacers in NSW.

Bred and raced by Robert Watson, she is a three-year-old American Ideal filly who has a wealth of breeding on her dam’s side, being out of the Bettor’s Delight mare Delightful Jade, a member of the prolific Nora (by Glencoe) family.

Delightful Jade, who won 23 races and $241,577 and took a mile record of 1:52, was a sister to a useful racemare in Bettor Bling 1:58.4 ($140,115) and a half-sister to the Gloucester Park winner Theeyes Tellnolies.

Their dam, Whitby’s Solitaire, was a sister to a champion filly and Derby winner in Whitby’s Miss Penny 1:55.2 ($568,289) and the dual Derby winner Ace Of Whitby 1:58.8 ($317,247), being out of Fiscal Miss, who won 15 races, and was also the dam of Lady Legacy (1:57.5) and grand-dam of the Gloucester Park winners Scram Jet 1:55.8 ($235,076) and Pride Of Colorado 1:55.1 ($153,867).

This has been one of WA’s most successful families over a long period. It was established by the Out To Win mare Remit, a NZ bred mare who left the dual Inter Dominion heat winner Whitby Timer, the cup class mare Whitby Heritage and a top flight juvenile in Whitby’s Merit.

Menangle winner from good broodmare

Beale Street, an Art Major five-year-old and a winner of the Menangle Country Series Final last Saturday, is out of Shezacullen, a handy racemare with a record of 1:58.9 who is proving a successful broodmare.

Shezacullen is also the dam of Ideal Tyson 1:52.8 ($299,053), a former smart WA juvenile now racing in America, Form Analyst 1:55.3 ($110,273) and the Melton winner Heaven In Locksley (1:55.8).

Sheza Cullen was a Christian Cullen mare from Averil’s Atom (1:57.1), by Soky’s Atom from Quest For Glory, by Clever Innocence from the Lumber Dream mare Averil’s Dream, a half-sister to the NZ Cup winner True Averil.

Sheza Cullen was a half-sister to a smart NZ mare in Averil’s Quest 1:57 ($113,374), the Globe Derby Park winner Alexia Rose (1:56.3) and Shezaball (1:56.2), dam of The Warwick winner Rockaball (1:55.1) and Play Philly (NZ Leonard Memorial).

Their dam, Averil’s Atom, won two races and left six winners. She was a half-sister to a multiple Group 1 winner in New Age Man 1:56.1 ($155,599), Cool Age Man (1:55.2) and All Time Glory, dam of the exported Rock N Shard 1:50.8 ($175,908), the Gloucester Park winners Cracka Star 1:56.5 ($126,383) and Burghley Shard (1:56.3).

Classic winner by Control The Moment

The Well Said horse Control The Moment, a top colt pacer in America and now available by frozen semen in Australia from WA breeder-owner Kody Charles, has been represented by some promising two-year-olds this season.

Control The Moment, who took a record of 1:48.4 and won more than $1.2 million in stakes, has not had many chances at the stud in Australia, but he has sired a smart two-year-old in Lord Titanium, who won the Group 2 $50,000 WA Champagne Classic last Friday, and a two-year-old filly Bettor Control, a winner at Gloucester Park.

As one of the best winning members of the Fanny Skinner family, there is good reason to expect Control The Moment to make a name for himself as a sire. In Lord Titanium he has certainly left a smart youngster. He is out of Betshes Precious (1:58.3), by Bettor’s Delight from Precious Blonde, by Precious Bunny from Reverup, by the former WA pacing standout Satinover.

Well bred three-year-old

Lochinvar Jag is proving himself a three-year-old of some worth in Victoria and last Saturday he won his second race this season at Melton, beating a good three-year-old in Repelling (by Somebeachsomewhere) and Captain Rival (by Captaintreacherous).

Lochinvar Jag was an Australian Pacing Gold purchase in 2020 in Melbourne, and is a gelding by the Artsplace horse Art Major from a capable racemare in Lombo Cloud Nine 1:55.3 ($102,310), by Northern Luck (a son of Camluck) from the noted producer Decethree Lombo from Misty Maiden, dam of the champion juvenile Lombo Pocket Watch.

Lombo Cloud Nine was a half-sister to Australia’s first 1:50 pacer Lombo Skyrider, the WA Listed winner Iceenothink 1:55.6 ($213,110) and Lombo Silhouette (1:58.4).

Lochinvar Jag was bred by Barry Lyons.

Broodmare treble

Rather a notable breeding feat was credited to the Village Jasper mare Meredith Castle when she produced three trotting winners in the space of five days recently.

Garland Greene (by Julius Caesar) started the ball rolling winning at Redcliffe, Dream Inception (by Dream Vacation) scored at Menangle and Berriesandcherries (by Crazed) posted her maiden success at Bendigo.

Meredith Castle also figures as the grand-dam of Shesapocketrocket, a pacing winner at the Bathurst Gold Crown carnival.

Other winners from Meredith Castle have been Iona Grinner 1:55.1 ($263,395), a multiple Group trotting winner, and the pacers Its Girl Power (1:57.5), Man Of Art (1:54.4) and Western Castle.

Meredith Castle, who is now in her 21^st year, has since produced a three-year-old colt by Bacardi Lindy in the care of Emma Stewart, a two-year-old gelding by Aldebaran Eagle with KerryAnn Turner and a yearling colt by Wishing Stone with Chris Svanosio.

She is now safely in foal to Pastor Stephen.

Out of the Kentucky mare Poetry, Meredith Castle is a half-sister to the former trotting queen La Coocaracha, Blake Castle 1:53.2 ($265,498), Pentameter (14 wins) and Rivertalk (Mildura Guineas).

Meredith Castle is being bred from by Geoff and Lorraine Barnes, of Balmain Lodge, Tatura.

By Peter Wharton for Harnesslink