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 finalists

Bettor’s Delight and Somebeachsomewhere are the only stallions with multiple representation in the $500,000 Inter Dominion Pacers Grand Final at Melton.

Bettor’s Delight is the sire of Beyond Delight and Zeuss Bromac and the damsire of Mach Dan, while Somebeachsomewhere’s finalist are Honolua Bay and Act Now.

Art Major figures as the sire of Narutac Prince and the damsire of Spirit Of St Louis, while Mach Three is the sire of Mach Dan and the damsire of Zeuss Bromac.

In the trotting section, Majestic Son has four finalists in Majestuoso, Ofortuna, Majestic Harry and Swiss Miss.

Love You is dually represented by Queen Elida and Parisian Artiste, while Monarchy and Safely Kept both have multiple broodmare credits. Monarchy has left the dams of Queen Elida, Majestuoso and Majestic Harry and Safely Kept figures as the maternal sire of Mufasa Metro and Sleepee.

Just Believe’s family background

Just Believe, the leading point scorer in the trotters section of the Inter Dominion, is a Victorian bred gelding with an interesting and successful family background.

Bred by Pat Driscoll, of Ballarat she was got by the French sire Orlando Vici from Heavens Above, an American bred mare by the Lindy Lane horse Like A Prayer. Just Believe, who holds a record of 1:55.9, has run up a tidy score of 14 wins and 15 placings from 50 starts for $251,363.

Orlando Vici, the sire of Just Believe, has not been extensively patronised at the stud but from 24 foals three-year-old and older he has sired 17 winners including ‘black type’ trotters in Brandlo Prince, Cravache Dor, Adelle, Ollivici and Zebec.

Just Believe’s dam Heavens Above, was an unraced mare by Like A Prayer, a Kentucky Futurity winner and a leading sire in Finland.

Heavens Above has proved a very successful broodmare, being also the dam of Cup class trotters in Shared Interest 1:54.6 ($203,996), Heavenly Sister 1:56.5 ($129,745) and Namoscar (1:59.4). Heavens Above was out of Armbro Odalisk, a lightly race mare who became the dam of winners in Ode To Earl (1:56.2) and Alleigh Girl (1:57.8).

In the back removes of Just Believe’s pedigree are trotters of the calibre of Armbro Blush (USA 2YO Trotting Filly of the Year), Armbro Leader (Canadian 2YO and 3YO Trotter of the Year) and the millionairess Windsong Soprano.

Artillery fires in 1:49

Artillery has joined the growing list of pacers to enter the 1:50 list in Australia. He recorded 1:49 when he was successful in a $20,400 race at Menangle last weekend.

By the Artsplace horse Art Major – a sub 1:50 winner himself – Artillery is from Tessace, by Aces N Sevens (a son of Cam’s Card Shark) from Tessa Franco (1:59.2), by Holmes Hanover and tracing to the taproot Moor Chimes.

Besides Artillery, Tessace, a 1:56.6 winner at Menangle, left the SA Leger winner Culture King 1:53 ($127,925), a winner of 17 races. Nelly Bigtime (by Changeover), a close relative of Artillery, won in 1:55.2 at Newcastle on Monday.

Joyful bred to be good

Joyful, who won her third race from her last six starts in the Youthful Stakes at Melton, is a two-year-old filly by Always B Miki from Joyfuljoy, a top NZ racemare who took a record of 1:51.6 in America and banked $480,442.

She is a member of an old-time NZ family, which was represented by a winner at Addington in Rollyourown, who won a week earlier than Joyful won.

Joyfuljoy was a Mach Three mare from Joyfulbelle (1:56.3), by Road Machine from Rockne Dell, by Rockne Lobell (grandson of Meadow Skipper) from Dryden Dell, a mare by Honkin Andy. Joyfulbelle left a fine racemare in Bettor Joy 1:50.2 ($613,164), a Group winner in NZ and who later competed successfully in North America.

Jumpforjoy (1:55.8), a Bettor’s Delight mare from Joyfulbelle, became the dam of Jumpingjackmac 1:55.2 ($324,991), the winner of 16 races and rated one of the top pacers in WA today.

A half-sister to Jumpforjoy in Pride N Joy left the WA Diamond Classic winner Majorpride 1:58 ($139,245) and the talented Riverina pacer Sportingjoy.

Unbeaten two-year-old

Riverina trainer David Kennedy, who has a grand record in producing star juvenile pacers, produced a grand two-year-old at Melton last week in the NZ bred Blazing Home.

After settling down in last position and spotting the leaders a tidy start in the last lap, he finished resolutely to prevail in the last few strides in a sharp 1:51.9 mile rate for 1720 metres. He was privately timed to pace his last 800 in 55.9 and 400 in 28.1.

Blazing Home is now unbeaten in six attempts and has banked $44,160.

By Rock N Roll Heaven, a Rocknroll Hanover horse who stands at Alabar Bloodstock, he is out of Capture My Heart, an unraced mare by Bettor’s Delight from Bury My Heart and thus a member of the Patch Of Gold family which has produced the NSW Derby winner Alpine Fella, the Oaks winner Courageous Annie, Tight Connection (NZ Free-for-all) and the NZ 2YO Filly of the Year Gitten and has been one of the most successful winning lines in NZ.

Breeding feat in Southern Cross

Rather a notable breeding feat was credited to Adelaide enthusiasts David and Glenda Battye at Globe Derby Park last Friday, when they bred four of the six Southern Cross final winners.

Cobber (A Rocknroll Dance-Star Crossed) and Elegant (Somebeachsomewhere-Spokeswoman) took out both finals of the three-year-old pacing series, while the siblings Sequence and Mercenary captured the two and three-year-old trotting finals, respectively.

Both by Majestic Son, Sequence and Mercenary are out of the successful Bettor’s Delight mare Imitating.

Mercenary won the two-year-old final of the Southern Cross last year.

4YO Classic winner by Mach Three

Pinny Tiger, who won the $125,000 WA 4YO Classic – Jumpingjackmac and Machnificent filled the placings behind him – has made rapid progress through the classes.

He is a grand stayer and one of the last commercial crop of the Matt’s Scooter horse Mach Three, who sired top pacers of the calibre of Somebeachsomewhere, Auckland Reactor, Colt Thirty One and others.

Pinny Tiger is a four-year-old gelding from Tigress Franco NZ, by Falcon Seelster from Tisha, by Holmes Hanover from Tinisha, by Nero’s B B from Tiawana, by Bachelor Hanover – a pedigree with some real background with a strong staying influence behind it.

Pinny Tiger was bred by former Australian Pacing Gold manager David Boydell.

Tassie Golden Apple winner

The Victorian bred, owned and trained entire Blitzern broke the Launceston track record for 2200 metres from the standing start of 2:41.2 (a 1:57.4 mile rate) when he scored a runaway win in the $50,000 Tassie Golden Apple Final.

Blitzern is a grand type of four-year-old by Western Terror (a Breeders Crown champion and son of Western Hanover) from the Blissfull Hall mare Blitzsuzy (1:57.4) and the first of her produce to race.

Blitzsuzy, a Listed winner, was a half-sister to Bonnie Belle (1:54.4), a winner of six races to date, Kaybee Starzzz (1:57.1) and Rock Albert.

Blitzern looks certain to win his way back to a tight mark.

Group win for Be My Rose

Be My Rose, winner of the Group 3 Teeny Teeny Stakes at Menangle, continues to prove herself in the top bracket among the mares in NSW. She holds a mile record of 1:51.6 and has won nine races and $91,106.

She is a member of one of NZ’s most successful families, being a five-year-old American Ideal mare from Better Rose (1:59.7), a Bettor’s Delight mare who left the Group placegetter Miss Chantilly (1:54.6).

Better Rose was out of Milagro, by Dream Away from the noted producer Aberfeldy, by Mark Lobell from the Scottish Command mare Black Watch, who founded a very successful branch of the prized Regina family.

It includes the Inter Dominion finalist Beyond Delight, the WA Pacing Cup winners Chicago Bull and Rocknroll Lincoln, the NZ Cup and A. G. Hunter Cup winner Arden Rooney, Cash N Flow, Malcolm’s Rhythm, Mighty Ronaldo (WA Derby), Katy Perry (2YO Filly of the Year) and many others.

by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink