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.

Two Ladyship Mile qualifiers

The two latest qualifiers for the NSW Ladyship Mile are the Rock N Roll Heaven mare The Honey Queen and Stylish Memphis, who won the $50,000 Sibelia Stakes at Menangle.

The Honey Queen, who won at her Australian debut in 1:51.2 at Menangle, has won eight races and $111,645 in stakes, and there is no doubt that she is a young mare of considerable potential.

Bred in the Auckland district, she is a four-year-old mare by Rock N Roll Heaven from the smart racemare Tosti Girl (1:58.2), by a champion racehorse and sire in Christian Cullen (son of In The Pocket) from Delightful Paula, by Jaguar Spur (son of Albatross) from Aristocratic, by Smooth Fella.

Tosti Girl, winner of the NSW and NZ Great Northern Oaks, figures as the dam of the millionaire and NZ Cup winner (Thefixer 1:50.7) and the grand-dam of the Menangle winners Girls Are Best (1:52) and Gooddealehemily (1:52.9) and the three-year-old Miki Montana, runner-up in the $150,000 NZ Harness Million at Auckland last Saturday.

Tosti Girl was a sister to a fine racemare in Delightful Christian 1:52.1 ($297,501) and the exported Whambam 1:54.6 ($425,968) and a half-sister to Runrunjimmy Dunn 1:52.2 (winner of 27 races and $416,780), who is racing successfully in America.

Bred and raced by Wayne Higgs, Stylish Memphis holds a record of 1:49.2 and is the winner of 14 races and $543,783. She is a member of one of NZ’s most successful families, being a five-year-old Bettor’s Delight mare from Memphis Melody, a Badlands Hanover mare who has produced others in the multiple Group winner Delightful Memphis 1:51.4 ($507,811), the NZ Southern Supremacy winner Memphis Tennessee 1:58.2 ($147,812) and Harley Earl 1:55.3 ($146,184).

Memphis Melody was out of the Victoria Oaks heat winner OK Deb, an OK Bye half-sister to the four-time Group winning juvenile Adios Dream and the NZ Sires Stakes 2YO champion Advance Debra, dam of the mighty Courage Under Fire.

Paleface Adios Stakes winner

The winner of the $50,000 Paleface Adios Stakes at Menangle was the Rock N Roll Heaven gelding Rock N Roll Doo, who is expected to make cup class.

A four-year-old, he showed up last season as a three-year-old above average when he finished fourth in the Breeders Crown and qualified for the Vitoria Derby and Vicbred Finals.

Rock N Roll Doo is by a world champion and Little Brown Jug winner in Rock N Roll Heaven from Long Live Lana, dam also of two high class fillies in Iolanta 1:53.1 ($167,455) and Delightful Lana 1:54.5 ($148,269).

Rock N Roll Doo boasts two close strains of Direct Scooter blood through his sire Rock N Roll Heaven (by Rocknroll Hanover) and his damsire In The Pocket (by Direct Scooter).

In the back removes of Rock N Roll Doo’s pedigree are pacers of the calibre of the NZ Derby winner Captain Peacock, Shoobee Doo (Rod Fitzpatrick Memorial), Elegant Christian (WA Western Gateway), Extender (1:49.2), Major Moment (Qld Premier’s Cup), Life Of Luxury (1:51) and the Kaikoura Cup winner Palestine.

Derby prospect

Leap To Fame, an impressive winner at his first start this season at Albion Park and is now the winner of nine races, is regarded as Derby material of the highest order. He ranks as a three-year-old half-brother by Bettor’s Delight to the Group 2 winner Maximus Red 1:55 ($218,502), now racing in America, and Swayzee (1:53.3).

Their dam, Lettucereason, took a mile record of 1:55.9 and earned $180,073 and was a top racemare in her own right.

The grand-dam, Left For Me (1:59), a Fake Left mare from Our Lady Delwin, by Lordship from Del’s Dream, has proved a most successful broodmare. She is the dam of the Victoria Cup, dual Derby winner and successful sire For A Reason 1:49.4 ($1.1 million), Left Tennant 1:51.5 ($140,488), Straddie 1:53.6 ($100,893) and Deadly Woman (1:55.6), who, in turn is the dam of the multiple Group 1 placegetter Hot Shot Woman 1:52.1 ($170,263) and Mondooley Mach 1:58.5 ($103,442).

Left For Me, a winner of 10 races, was a sister to the Albion Park winner Deputy Dan 1:54.4 (winner of 26 races and $125,666) and a half-sister to Delectable Dolly 1:56.7 ($136,788).

This has been one of the most successful branches of the Eastern Lady family, Our Lady Delwin being a half-sister to the NZ Group winner Western Fella, Lotliker (dam of the NSW Pink Bonnet winner Like An Atom) and to This Time Del (1:59.5), dam of the top flight WA pacer This Time Dylan 1:56.3 ($299,335).

Im Off N Gone is well bred

Im Off N Gone, who won her third race from six starts on Australian soil at Melton, is a four-year-old mare expected to graduate far beyond her present rating.

A member of Dean Braun’s Melton West team, she has a good deal more in her favour on the score of blood than most. By Somebeachsomewhere, a leading sire in both hemispheres for many years, Im Off N Gone is out of the Bettor’s Delight mare Kabet (1:56), whose dam Spring Thaw was a Falcon Seelster mare who left horses of the calibre of the Victoria Ladyship Cup winner Talaspring 1:53.4 ($194,145), the Gloucester Park winner Hez The Artisan 1:57.7 ($135,919) and Spring Campaign 1:53.6 ($109,082) and Sewinyaface 1:58.7 (dam of Swe What 1:56.1 – $109,955).

Spring Thaw was out of Tuapeka Frost, by Vance Hanover from the grand Armbro Del producer Sakuntala, dam of the dual Derby winner Brad Adios and the NSW Ladyship Mile winner Tuapeka Star. This was the family founded by the American-bred mare Norice.

From the Sakuntala branch of it and to which Im Off N Gone belongs, others in the NZ Cup winners Iraklis and Monkey King, Ermis (NZ Welcome Stakes), the dual Derby winner Lavros Star, O Baby (Queensland Oaks) and the Inter Dominion heat winner Galactic Star are also members.

A star from Miss Hazel

A star three-year-old in NSW so far this season is Duggee Sloy, who was bred and is raced by Sloy’s Company and trained by Michael Doltoff.

A gelding by Somebeachsomewhere, he is out of a top flight mare in Miss Hazel 1:57 ($310,063) and is her eighth foal and sixth winner. He downed a top field at Menangle last Saturday and looks a three-year-old with the potential one would expect of his breeding.

Miss Hazel left earlier winners including the Listed winner Christian Sloy (1:53.8), the Group 1 placegetter Hazelnuts (1:54.6), Miss Rocknroll (1:54.9) and Roll With Me (1:56.2).

My Ami Lee, the dam of Miss Hazel, has been one of the gems of the Australian stud book. She is the dam of eight individual winners, seven of whom took records of better than 1:57, including the NSW Breeders Challenge winners Louvre 1:54.5 ($402,665) and Renaissance Man 1:53.1 ($297,904) and the Treuer Memorial victor My General Lee 1:52.2 ($261,897)

An Art Major yearling colt out of Miss Hazel will go up for auction at the inaugural Nutrien Equine Sydney sale on Sunday.

Well related three-year-old filly

Sovrana, who downed a strong field of three-year-old fillies at Gloucester Park, showed ability as a two-year-old last season when she finished third to In The Spotlight in the Diamond Classic.

She has opened her season on a winning note – she in unbeaten in three attempts – and will be well in line for the major juvenile classics.

She is a filly by the Bettor’s Delight horse Betting Line from Chemical Romance, the best of whose several progeny have been the Westbred 3YO Classic winner Bettor Reward 1:52.7 ($244,065) and Destined To Rule 1:57.5 ($203,911). Bettor’s Destroya, a four-year-old mare out of Chemical Romance, won at the recent Gloucester Park midweek meeting.

Chemical Romance ranks as a half-sister to a top racemare and WA Derby winner in Trunkey Maseratti, being by Northern Luck from the WA Oaks winner Ferarri Trunkey, by Tarcoola Frost (a Cup winning son of Raider Frost) from Celevale Trunkey, by Massie.

Sovrana was bred by leading Perth breeder Steve Johnson.

First winner by Downbytheseaside

The Somebeachsomewhere horsed Downbytheseaside, a former USA 3YO Colt of the Year and now at Woodlands Stud in NZ, was represented by his first winner in Australia when Between Two Thorns was successful in a heat of the APG Sales Classic at the Gloucester Park midweek meeting.

Between Two Thorns had shown good winning form at the trials prior to her debut.

Bred by Kevin and Annette Charles, Between Two Thorns is out of the Western Hanover mare Kiwi Rose, an American-bred mare whose dam, Tupelo Rose (1:51.4), won 35 races including four Oaks classics and was one of the best fillies of the early 2000’s.

Kiwi Rose, who was only lightly raced, has left several useful winners including the Melton Cup and Tasmanian Derby victor Maraetai 1:52.3 ($194,754) and Glenferrie Boss (1:53.6).

Ninth winner from broodmare

When the Somebeachsomewhere three-year-old Botany Bay Warrior won at Maryborough recently, he credited his dam Indigenous with her ninth individual winner.

Botany Bay Warrior, one of the last commercial crop of Somebeachsomewhere, won again at the Albury Cup meeting on Friday night. Others from Indigenous to win have been the Queen of the Pacific winner Life Inthefastlane 1:54.7 ($264,566), Lanista 1:54.4 ($107,415), Nostra Ideal (1:52.2), Reclusive (1:56.7), Awaitinginstructions (1:57.8), Koori Art (1:58.2), Native Charm (1:59.4), The Dreamtime (1:59.8) and now Botany Bay Warrior.

Indigenous, who is now in her 24^th year, has since produced a two-year-old filly by American Ideal and a filly foal by Sweet Lou.

A Tasmanian Oaks and Victoria Gold Chalice winner, Indigenous was an Armbro Operative mare from Black Debate, by Lordship from Debatable. This is the family that produced such winners as Tanabi Bromac (Victoria Derby), Singasongasixpence (VHRSC 3YO Cup), Solid As A Rock (1:52.2), Its Beaujolais (Vicbred Homegrown 3YO Classic), Satan’s Dispute, Mabo and Lordable.

By Peter Wharton for Harnesslink