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.

Torrid Saint in top form

Torrid Saint, a son of the American sire Shadow Play, now at the stud in Canada, was one of the stars of the winter racing at Melton.

He won the My Lightning Blue Free-for-all – beating comeback pacer Lochinvar Art -and was twice placed in open company. His winning run over 1720 metres in a 1:51.7 last Saturday was a career-best performance and one of the fastest times put up at the Melbourne headquarters’ track.

Bred and raced by Swan Hill estate agent Noel Watson, Torrid Saint ranks as a half-brother to seven sub 2:00 winners including the Tontine winner Saint Flash 1:52.3 ($285,368) and Courageous Saint 1:52.1 ($193,053) and Saint Stormy (1:57.2).

Their dam, Torridon, a winner of seven races, was by Safely Kept from Lauder Lass, by Armbro Aussie from My Double Birdie, by Birdie Hanover from the broodmare gem Birdie, dam of the high class NZ pacers Dillon Dean and Dillon Dale.

My Double Birdie, who took a record of 1:57.4 in America, left the Moonee Valley winner Two Under 1:53.2 ($221,695) and his sister Boom Boom Birdie, who became the dam of the SA Kindergarten Trophy winner Hugo Jack (1:57.2) and the Albion Park victor Boom Boom Hall (1:54.2).

Other members of this family, which was founded in NZ by Harold’s Rest, were Elusive Chick (Harness Jewels 4YO), former Australian two-year-old mile record holder Divine State, Elmer Gantry, Hero, the Vicbred champion Hei Shangri La, Risk (1:48.4), Bettor Be The Bomb, Dillon Dave and others.

QBred Triad quinella

Magical Maya and Racy Roxy, who quinellaed the $106,090 QBred Triad Final for three-year-old fillies at Albion Park, belong to the same maternal family.

Both bred and raced by Kevin and Kay Seymour trace directly to the Grattan Loyal mare Trixie Milne, who founded a very successful branch of the Lady Antrim tribe.

Magical Maya, a filly by Bettor’s Delight, is out of the Fake Left mare Making Magic 1:56 ($133,818), who won the QBred Triad herself in 2009 and whose brother Maximillion took out the 4YO Triad in 2006.

Making Magic, the dam also of the exported Macheasy 1:50.2 ($232,346), was out of the Mamouna (2:00.5), by Vanston Hanover from the grand producer Mistron, by El Patron from the NZ Oaks winner Ar Miss, by Armbro Del from Trixie Milne.

Racy Roxy was gotten by Mr Feelgood, a Little Brown Jug and Inter Dominion champion, from Rani Major 1:55.7 ($246,434), a dual Triad winner by Art Major from Rhapsody In Red (1:56.8), by Fake Left from Charming Reminder, by Vanston Hanover from Call Girl, a granddaughter of Bonnie Milne, a half-sister to Ar Miss, the fourth dam of Magical Maya.

The Lady Antrim family had a terrific influence on NZ and Australian breeding through several branches.

Diamond Classic winning line

The winner of the $100,000 WA Diamond Classic, Zephyra, is a daughter of the Yankee Cruiser horse Sweet Lou and the former top racemare Tricky Styx 1:54.1 ($460,548), who won the race herself in 2014.

Zephyra has now won four of her six starts and $92,216 in stakes. She is the first foal of her dam.

Tricky Styx, who won five Group races, was sired by Jereme’s Jet (a $1.6 million winning son of Western Hanover) from Pocket Rain, by In The Pocket from Cosmic Rain (1:58.7), by Soky’s Atom from the Group 1 winner Rain Girl (1:59.6), by Adover Rainbow.

There are some notable winners in almost every remove of this family.

Tricky Styx was a half-sister to a top flight juvenile in Go West U Terror 1:54.8 ($273,367), a winner of 16 races at Gloucester Park including the WA Pearl and Western Crown.

Their dam, Cosmic Rain, left six winners including Reign Of Terror (QLD Premier’s Cup), Encore Maestro (1:52.9) and the Moonee Valley victor and Breeders Crown placegetter Listen To The Rhythm 1:57.9 ($132,852), who became the dam of the NZ Sires Stakes 3YO champion My Willow 1:51.4 ($304,416).

Rain Girl, the fourth dam of Zephyra, was the dam the Australian Horse of the Year Atitagain 1:55.1 ($787,945), a thrice Group 1 winner, and the NZ Messenger winner Rain Again.

12^th foal a winner

For Real Life, the winner of the $103,990 QBred Triad Final for two-year-old colts and geldings, run at Albion Park, is the 12^th and last foal of his dam She’s Elegant.

A colt by the Victoria Cup and dual Derby winner For A Reason, For Real Life had been placed in the Garrard’s Redcliffe Yearling Sales Series. Others from She’s Elegant to win have been Tightrope 1:53.6 ($204,098), a Menangle and Albion Park winner, the Melton winner Somedreamsomewhere (1:56.6), Hec’s Elect (1:56.3), Teamenup (2:00.2), Swanky’s Atom (2:00.8), Royal Jinx (2:00.9) and Elegantly Spoken.

She’s Elegant was a Safely Kept mare from She’s Our Angel, by Classic Garry from She’s Cool, who established a great winning line for northern Victorian breeders Daryll and Sue Wegmann. Descendants of She’s Cool include pacers the calibre of Menin Gate (Aust. 3YO of the Year), Dreams Of Heaven ($150,444), Smooth Showgirl (Seymour Nursery),the dual Vicbred champion Rocknrolla, Fourbigmen, Nightn Georgia (Vic. Sapling) and Nikkibadwagon and top trotters in Aleppo Sunrise, Aleppo Midas and Alpha Male.

For Real Life was bred by Aaron Taaafe and his fiancée Alyce Welling, who bought his dam privately from Peaks Crossing enthusiast Greg Edwards. The couple sold For Real Life for $18,500 at the Garrard’s Redcliffe Yearling Sale in 2021.

QBred race record

A fresh race record for the QBred Triad three-year-old colts and geldings was established by the Captaintreacherous gelding Captain Shuffles of 1:54.3 – bettering the previous record of Manila Playboy at 1:55 by 0.7 seconds – when he won the $106,090 final at Albion Park.

Captain Shuffles, who has now won seven of his 11 starts, is a member of the same family as Iraklis.

Captain Shuffles ranks as a brother to the Triad two-year-old colts’ final placegetter Frankie Ferocious, being by Captaintreacherous from the P B Bullville mare Morethanmeetstheye (1:56.2), whose dam And More was by Fake Left from Native Lady, by Land Grant from Naivasha, by Willie Win, a NZ Derby winner from Hindu Star, by Brahman.

Morethanmeetstheye, a Group 3 winner, was a half-sister to the Menangle winner Conada (1:58.4) and to At Least, dam of the 2014 Triad two-year-old winner Jack Malone 1:54.8 ($112,746).

This family was founded by the American-bred mare Norice. From the Hindu Star branch of it and to which Captain Suffles belongs, other top flight pacers in Iraklis, Monkey King, Karloo Mick, Lavros Star, Brad Adios, Tuapeka Star and The Warp Drive also are members.

Captain Shuffles completed rather a notable double on the night for his sire Captaintreacherous, who also left the $103,990 QBred Triad two-year-old fillies’ winner Jewel Melody, who notched an unprecedented fourth Group 1 success.

Won APG Gold Sovereign

Winner of a Vicbred heat as a two-year-old last season, Our Little Jet downed a smart field of three-year-olds in the $30,000 APG Victoria Gold Sovereign at Melton last Saturday.

It was her third success for the season and her mile rate of 1:56.3 for 1720 metres was put up when she had nothing in her favour, galloping in the score-up and racing wide without cover. She is a very good youngster.

Bred by Lauriston Bloodstock, Our Little Jet was an Australian Pacing Gold sale purchase in 2020 at Melbourne, and is a filly by Bettor’s Delight from the American-bred mare Kabbalah Karen B, the dam of glamour racemare Ladies In Red, the Derby winner Our Little General, Kasbah Kid and others.

Mr Ibiza in 1:51.6

The NZ bred Mr Ibiza is proving himself a three-year-old of some worth in Australia and over the winter racing he numbered wins at Menangle, comfortably beating older horses in 1:51.6, and Albion Park.

A colt by Sunshine Beach (son of Somebeachsomewhere), he is out of the Bettor’s Delight mare Elsie’s Delight, who ranked as a half-sister to a capable pacer in The Banker (1:57.5), a winner of five races to date.

Their dam, Mikana, was a half-sister to a fine racemare and NZ Jewels winner in Running On Faith 1:56 ($326,890), dam of the Menangle winners The Faithful 1:52.5 ($205,948), Marathon Man (1:52.6) and Road Runner (1:54.9) and grand-dam of the exported Louie The Horse 1:51.8 ($103,420).

Mikana, who was unraced, was by Christian Cullen from Anakim (1:58.7), by New York Motoring from Cyclone Bola, by Lordship from the Mercedes mare Lotto, and tracing to the taproot Little Agnes.

This is the family of standout trotters in Glenferrie Typhoon, Cyclone U Bolt and Cyclone Jake and pacing winners in Casino Lord (NZ International Sales Classic 2YO), Big Mach and Thunder Storm ($300,795).

by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink