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.

Inter Dominion heat winner

Better Eclipse, winner of the Chariots of Fire and Sunshine Sprint and last Saturday a heat winner at the Inter Dominion at Ballarat, is one of the best four-year-olds in the country at present.

He has won 11 races and $559,460 in stakes, of which $463,570 has been won this season.

Bred by Joe Bajada, Better Eclipse was gotten by the Bettor’s Delight horse Betterthancheddar from Power Of Eclipse, an unraced mare by Northern Luck (son of Camluck) from Cammag Girl, by Windshield Wiper from Starting Out, by Salvation from Backward Lands, by Garry Rowan from the grand producer Gay Debutante.

Power Of Eclipse, the dam of Better Eclipse, was a half-sister to the Moonee Valley victor Lucky Eclipse (1:59), who, in turn left the VHRSC 3YO Cup winner and Breeders Crown finalist The Defiant 1:56.9 ($101,920).

Better Eclipse is the best winner from this family in recent years but in an earlier decade it produced a top flight juvenile in Royal Verdict, who won three Group 1’s at two.

Set Shepparton track record

A fresh Shepparton track record rating for 1690 metres from the mobile barrier was established by the Mach Three gelding Mach Dan of 1:51.9 – bettering the previous record of 1:52.5 held by Ideal Star by 0.6 – when he won the opening heat of the second round of the Inter Dominion.

Mach Dan, who has now won 20 races – he finished third in the first round to Act Now and Expensive Ego at Ballarat – is a member of the same family as King Of Swing.

Mach Dan ranks as a half-brother to Offload (2:02.7), being by Mach Three from the Bettor’s Delight mare Bettor Give It 1:57.4 ($138,061), whose dam Giveitawhirlgirl was by Jenna’s Beach Boy, a top colt pacer from Impish (1:54.9), by Falcon Seelster from Smarty Pants (1:58.6), by El Patron.

Bettor Give It was a half-sister to the Newcastle Cup winner Feels Like Magic 1:51 ($261,728) and the NZ Sires Stakes champion Twist And Twirl 1:56 ($283,258), dam of the outstanding pacer and thrice Miracle Mile winner King Of Swing 1:47.9 ($3.3 million), now at the stud in NSW, and the NZ 3YO Filly of the Year Bettor Twist.

This is the family which produced the briliant NSW racemare Braeview Kelly, Smart Son (1:49.6) and a string of top ranking pacers tracing back to Jessie Pepper.

Kowalski Analysis is cup class

Kowalski Analysis, who won on the opening night of the Inter Dominion carnival at Ballarat, is a Roll With Joe gelding from the same family as that which produced a top Victorian pacer in Abettorpunt.

Kowalski Analysis, who was placed in the Chariots of Fire and Victorian Bonanza as a four-year-old, has been a difficult horse to produce at his peak, but he has shown up as a very useful pacer, and it was a smart field he beat at Ballarat.

A five-year-old gelding, Kowalski Analysis is out of Dream Away Jo, by Dream Away from the Echelon mare Jolaura, a half-sister to Frosty Mattina, the dam of the multiple Group winner Abettorpunt 1:53.1 ($429,802).

This family has produced some useful pacers for the Lewis family in western Victoria over the years. They include the Vicbred 3YO champion Frosty Lady, Amajorjo 1:52.9 ($141,280), Frosty Bulldog and the SA Oaks winner Lewisienna Jo.

Ofortuna bred to good trotter

Ofortuna, who won the fastest of the Inter Dominion Trotting Championship heats at Ballarat and has worked her way back to a NR97 mark, is a five-year-old trotter expected to graduate far beyond her present rating.

A member of Craig Demmler’s Parwan team, she has a good deal more in her favour on the score of blood than most. By Majestic Son, the leading sire of trotters in both NZ and Australia, Ofortuna is out of the Wind Cries Maori mare Fortunate Phoenix whose dam Dodo Rocket left a top juvenile trotter in Princess Phoenix 1:55.5 ($167,515), the good Melton winner Veruckte Phoenix (1:59.1) and the Vicbred and Breeders Crown finalist Hadrian’s Phoenix.

Dodo Rocket, who was unraced, figures as the grand-dam of the 2YO Trotting Colt of the Year Eljaykay Phoenix 1:58.6 ($256,877), who won four Group races as a two-year-old, and the multiple Group placegetter Peregrine Phoenix 1:56.8 ($102,160).

Other members of this fine family include the Victorian country cups winners Go Ahead Makemyday ($177,923), Joseph Boppard and Aldebaran Deebee, Justa Phoenix (Vic. Princess of Speed), Supreme Gent, Aldebaran Eastwood and Byrdie Num Num.

Jilliby Kung Fu versatile

The Four Starzzz Shark horse Jilliby Kung Fu, a former Chariots of Fire and Vicbred champion, is mixing racing and stud duties successfully.

The eight-year-old led throughout in the Group 3 Tony Turnbull Free-for-all at Menangle to bring up his 19^th success from just 39 starts and spike to earnings to over $560,000.

Jilliby Kung Fu, who stands at Cobbitty Equine Farm, Cobbitty (NSW), has his first crop racing as two-year-olds this season.

Won Westral Mares Classic

Miss Limelight gave a taste of her class when she comfortably won the $150,000 Westral Mares Classic, one of WA’s premier races for fillies and mares at Gloucester Park.

She led from the outset and was not in danger of defeat over the last 800 metres clocked in 56.2 seconds. By Bettor’s Delight, and one of six winners on the card sired by the Woodlands Stud flagship, Miss Limelight is out of It’s Showtime, dam of the NZ Messenger winner Elios 1:55 ($219,577) and grand-dam of the multiple NZ Group winner Henry Hubert 1:54.8 ($373,726).

It’s Showtime, who was unraced, was by the Falcon Seelster horse Falcon’s Future from Mrs Simpson, dam of the cup class pacer Ouch 1:56.1 ($173,994), by Alba Byrd from Regal Play, by Card Shark from Lady Royal, by Lordship from the Morano mare Ceremonial and tracing to the taproot Miss Kate.

From the Ceremonial branch of the family and to which Miss Limelight belongs, others in Major Occasion (1:48.2), a winner in elite company in America, Royal Cee 1:49.6 ($1.1 million), The Emcee, Honkin Del (NSW Pink Bonnet), Sea Me Smile and the Victoria Ladyship Cup winners Spellbound and Our Stretto also are members.

Up and coming youngsters

Two smart young horses to win Group events at Hobart recently were Iylac Pakaria, winner of the $60,000 Evicus for fillies, and Triedtotellya, who won the $60,000 Dandy Patch for colts and geldings.

Iylac Pakaria, who has won four of her five starts, is a two-year-old filly by the Bettor’s Delight horse Betting Line, and one of his second crop.

Earlier in the season Iylac Pakaria took out the Tasmanian Sweepstakes and the Belmont and she is certainly the cream of her crop. She ranks as a half-sister to a capable pacer in Iylac Beach (1:53.4), being out of Glamour Art, by Modern Art from Any Clues, by Panorama.

Triedtotellya, who has won three races, was bred and is part-owned by Matthew Howlett, who has the top three-year-old Mickey Oh, winner of the $60,000 Globe Derby at Launceston.

He is a two-year-old gelding by Well Said from Ballroom Belle, dam of the exported Tulhurst Santanna 1:49.6 ($333,276). Ballroom Belle was a Presidential Ball mare from Beena Karalta, a Torado Hanover mare from the noted Royal Empress family. It includes the dual Tasmanian Easter Cup winner Nubeena, Babyitsu (Tas. Raider Stakes), Beena Buster and Goldeena (Tas. Oaks).

Eighth winner from broodmare

When the Love You three-year-old Nakedtruth won at the Melton midweek meeting, he credited his dam Starcus with her eighth individual winner.

Nakedtruth, one of the second commercial crop of Love You, had been placed once as a two-year-old. Others from Starcus to win have been the Group winners War Dan Destroyer 1:53.8 ($181,262) and Naked Ambition (1:56.7), Zhenya ($108,499), Naked Majesty (1:59.7), Birthday Suit, Star Monarch, Trixy Nixie and now Nakedtruth.

Starcus, who is now in her 19^th year, has since produced a two-year-old filly by Majestic Son and a yearling filly by Skyvalley.

Starcus was an S J’s Photo mare from a fine racemare in Staka Pride ($136,420), by the Speedy Crown horse Stakhanovite from Van’s Pride, by Game Pride and tracing to the noted taproot Harold’s Rest.

Skewbald winner

Major Paint, a skewbald pacer by the Art Major horse Major Bronski, now at the stud in Tasmania, won his first race at Redcliffe recently.

The five-year-old entire is out of Havilah Mistress, a skewbald mare from the unraced Flying Jaguar (a son of top Perth pacer Trunkey Jaguar), also a skewbald.

Bred by Shepparton breeder Anne O’Donoghue, Major Paint ranks as a brother to the skewbald Holstein.

by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink