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.

Hail the King!

King Of Swing achieved yet another moment of glory in a storied career when he won the $500,000 A. G. Hunter Cup for the second time.

His superlative end-to-end success boosted his stake earnings to $2,786,046, making him the seventh richest standardbred ever bred in Australasia.

King Of Swing won in the manner of a true champion, and the crowd accorded the handsome son of Rocknroll Hanover a great reception on his return to scale.

“This is one of my favourite horses of all time – he’s big, he’s strong, he’s good gaited. He’s just done such an amazing job,” driver Luke McCarthy said after the race.

Bred by Ken and Karen Breckon in NZ, King Of Swing began racing as a two-year-old when he included among his four wins the Breeders Crown at Bendigo. As a three-year-old he took the WA Derby and finished runner-up in the NZ Sires Stakes Championship.

One of his memorable wins as a five-year-old was the Miracle Mile, and at the same age he won the A. G. Hunter Cup and numerous other free-for-alls, while at six he won the Miracle at Menangle and the Blacks A Fake at Albion Park.

Earlier this season King Of Swing won three heats of the Inter Dominion and finished fifth in the Final and in all, he has totted up 42 wins and 18 placings from 80 starts.

King Of Swing will enter stud duties at the end of the current racing season at Cobbitty Equine Farm, of Luke and Belinda McCarthy, Cobbitty (NSW).

Great Southern Star winner

Victoria’s top race for trotters, the $300,000 Great Southern Star, was won by the Majestic Son gelding Majestuoso, who confirmed his status as the best trotter in Australia today.

It was his fourth success at Group 1 level. After finishing fourth in his heat, he returned three hours later to lead every step of the way in the final.

Majestuoso has not done a great deal of racing, having averaged 10 starts per season. In five seasons of racing Majestuoso has won 23 races and has been 14 times placed from 48 starts for $509,410.

By the Angus Hall horse Majestic Son (Australia’s leading sire of trotters), he is out of Rosemaryz Luck, by Monarchy from Howz Lucky, by Sundon from Great Memories, by the Great Evander horse Great Heights.

Majestuoso is a half-brother to the exported Need Luck (1:54.6 ($104,258) and the Victorian winner Igniting Stride and a brother to Romeo Foxtrot (2 wins to date).

Majestuoso was bred by Alabar Bloodstock in NZ.

WA Cup winner’s family background

Wildwest, the longshot winner of the $450,000 WA Pacing Cup, is a New Zealand bred six-year-old gelding with an interesting and successful family background.

Bred by Kevin Strong, of Invercargill he was got by Raging Bull from Bay Jet, a Southland bred mare by the Western Hanover horse Jereme’s Jet. Wildwest, who took a record of 1:52.8 as a five-year-old, has run up a tidy score of 13 successes and four placings from 28 starts for $466,290 in stakes.

Wildwest is one of the second crop of the Christian Cullen horse Raging Bull, who stood his early seasons at stud in the Canterbury district and has been based at Brent McIntyre’s Macca Lodge in Southland for the last two seasons.

Raging Bull has left several talented types from comparatively small numbers. His stock include the Raith Memorial winner Our Bare Knuckle (1:51.5), the exported Princess Holly (1:52.6), Give Me A Minute (1:52) and the Albion Park winners Getarattleon, Flame Lady and Mi Furioso Toro.

Bay Jet, the dam of Wildwest, was unraced but she left three winners including a smart Victorian racemare in Leer (1:56.1) and Panpacificjet (1:59.9).

Bay Jet is out of Fake’s Dream (1:59.5), by the champion Queensland sire Fake Left from Clipjoint, by Lumber Dream from Bonnie Win, by Out To Win from the U Scott mare Bonnie Averil and tracing to Topsy, founder of one of NZ’s greatest cup winning families.

Bonnie Averil was the dam of a top ranking pacer in True Averil (1:58.8), winner of 15 races including the NZ Cup and Flying Mile and the smart Sydneysider Garrison and the grand-dam of the Inter Dominion heat winner All A Dream, Good Sport (NZ Franklin Cup) and the Albion Park free-for-aller Kimbolton Run. A fine Kiwi stayer in New Age Man traces back to Topsy.

Siring feat to Alta Christiano

Rather a notable siring feat was credited to the deceased Christian Cullen horse Alta Christiano at Gloucester Park on Pacing Cup night, when he sired four winners on the program.

They were Heez Our Perseus NZ, Suing You, Al Guerrero and the three-year-old Swingband.

Alta Christiano oldest stock are six-year-olds, and they include Im Sir Blake (1:49.4), Fake News (WA Country Derby), While They Pray (WA Manea Classic), Sheez Our Hope and Alta Rhett.

Alta Christiano was one of the first sons of Alta Christiano to go to the stud, and his early crops have been most impressive. A second son of Christian Cullen in Gotta Go Cullen, now based in South Australia, has enjoyed a fair measure of success in NZ.

Two Chariots graduates

The two latest qualifiers for the Chariots of Fire are the Somebeachsomewhere horse Bondi Lockdown, winner of the $100,000 4YO Bonanza at Melton, and Titian Raider, who won the $50,000 Hondo Grattan Stakes at Menangle.

Bondi Lockdown, who has won five races on end recently including the Vicbred 3YO Final, has earned almost $300,000 and there is no doubt that he is a young horse of considerable potential.

Bred in the Murray Plains district, he is a four-year-old stallion by Somebeachsomewhere from Without Guile, by Art Major from a fine racemare in Innocent Eyes 1:57.6 ($421,875), a Chariots winner herself and dam also of Cordero (1:56.9) and Anna’s Innocent (1:57.2).

Innocent Eyes was a half-sister to 10 winners including the WA Solid Gold Bracelet winner Lady Maryclaire, being out of Cerebrano, a Lordship mare from Russia, by Lumber Dream and tracing eventually to a noted foundation mare in Topsy.

Bondi Lockdown ranks as a half-brother to Rocknroll Eyes 1:53.6 ($172,067), Joey’s Hangover (1:56.4) and Without Hesitation (1:58.9).

One of the second crop by the Somebeachsomewhere horse Sunshine Beach, Titian Raider, who was bred by Robert Corfield, is a four-year-old gelding from the NSW and Queensland winner Fromelles (1:58) and is her first live foal.

Fromelles was a Western Terror mare out of the Albion Park winner Sure Sign (1:57.3), by Life Sign from Montana Hanover (1:59.2), by Embrace Me from the Thor Hanover mare Blazing Titian, a sister to the former glamour racemare Jolie Hanover and a half-sister to the Melbourne Pacing Cup winner Dillon Titian and the NSW Tatlow winner Risky Red.

Siblings win at Geelong

It was no mean feat for the siblings Ruby Wingate and Wingate Guy to won on the same day at Geelong recently.

Both are by the deceased Western Hanover horse Union Guy and were bred by Allendale enthusiast Allan Stephens.

Albert’s Belle, the dam of Ruby Wingate and Wingate Guy, was out of the American mare Sachet Hanover, by Albatross. Besides Albert’s Belle, she was also the dam of the Moonee Valley winner Youcansaythatagain (2:00.5) and the grand-dam of the Harold Park victor Black Jag.

Albert’s Belle, who was unraced, left earlier winners in the Melton wines Impressive Guy (1:54.3) and Union Belle (1:55.6) and Iamawingate (1:58).

Art Major influence at Melton

The influence of champion sire Art Major was showcased in Hunter Cup night at Melton with seven of the winners carrying the blood of the Artsplace horse.

Spellbound, winner of the $100,000 Alabar Bloodstock Ladyship Cup, Amore Vita (Garrard’s Horse & Hound Gold Chalice), Hi Manameisjeff and Shorty’s Mate were all sired by Art Major.

While Bulletproof Boy, who captured the $50,000 Mercury80 Final, was sired by Art Official (a son of Art Major) and Bondi Lockdown, winner of the $100,000 4YO Bonanza, and Belittled are out of daughters of Art Major.

Furthermore, Art Major’s sire, Artsplace figures as the damsire of the A. G. Hunter Cup winner King Of Swing.

First two-year-old winners

The American horses Huntsville and Control The Moment, both winners of the Meadowlands Pace, were represented by their first two-year-old winners at Gloucester Park in Rocket City and Bettor Control respectively.

Rocket City, who was making his debut, is a gelding out of the Four Starzzz Shark mare Gabriella Rocks, the dam of the WA Sales Classic winner Red Hot Roxy 1:55.9 ($162,550), Rock On The Beach (1:55.2) and Princess Major (1:57.8). He was bred by Steve Johnson.

Bred by Kevin and Annette Charles, Bettor Control, who was having her third start, is a filly from the Bettor’s Delight mare Keepsgettingbettor (2:01.7), who produced an earlier winner in Justanextragrand (1:56.9).

Rocket City and Bettor Control were both sold at last year’s Australian Pacing Gold sale in Perth.

By Peter Wharton for Harnesslink