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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.
Better Eclipse joint fastest Aussie bred pacer
The Betterthancheddar gelding Better Eclipse became the co-fastest Australian bred pacer at 1:47.6– joining the exported Majordan – when he won the $250,000 Chariots of Fire at Menangle.
Better Eclipse, who has now won two of his five starts at Menangle – he won the $50,000 Carousel in December – is a member of the same maternal family as Lennytheshark.
Better Eclipse is the first foal of the unraced Power Of Eclipse, a Northern Luck mare whose dam Cammag Girl, was by champion sire Windshield Wiper from Starting Out, by Salvation from Backward Lands, by Garry Rowan and tracing to the foundation mare Lady Ostic.
Power Of Eclipse was a sister to Lucknpower 1:58.3 (5 wins) and a half-sister to the Moonee Valley winner Lucky Eclipse (1:59), who won 11 and became the dam of the VHRSC 3YO Cup winner The Defiant 1:56.9 ($101,640).
This has been one of Australia’s most successful families over a long period. From the Lucia’s First branch of it and to which Better Eclipse belongs, other top flight pacers in the Inter Dominion and Miracle Mile winner Lennytheshark, Classic Garry (WA Golden Nugget and sire), the Breeders Crown champions Royal Verdict and Led Suitcase, Tandia’s Courage (2YO Filly of the Year), the Oaks winners Mother Courage and Newbold Penny, Penny Veejay (Vic. Legends), Special Garry (WA Derby), Lagoon Lady and Provocative TT1:53.8 (Aust. mares record), and many others are members.
Won Newcastle Mile
Mach Dan, bred, owned and trained in Victoria, won the $100,000 Newcastle Mile in 1:52.7 and has qualified for the $1million Garrard’s Miracle Mile at Menangle on March 5.
It was his 17th lifetime success. At his previous start he finished a close fourth in the A. G. Hunter Cup at Melton and before that he won n freed-for-all company in a career-best 1:50.3 at Menangle
Mach Dan has not done a great deal of racing, having averaged 10 starts a season. In four seasons of racing Mach Dan has won 17 races and has been 12 times placed from 40 starts for $467,422.
Mach Dan, one of the second last crop sired by Mach Three, is a five-year-old gelding from the Bettor’s Delight mare Bettor Give It 1:57.4 ($138,061), a winner of 15 races including the Jane Ellen and Blossom Lady at Melton.
Bettor Give It ranks as a half-sister to a fine racemare in Twist And Twirl 1:56 ($283,258), dam of King Of Swing 1:48 ($2.7 million), Australia’s champion pacer today, and the top racemare Bettor Twist 1:52.1 ($518,600).
Bettor Give It is also a half-sister to the dual Group 3 winner Feels Like Magic (20 wins and $261,728), who took a record of 1:51 in America, and others in Spandau Ballet (1:58.9), Flying Loose (1:59.5) and Double Twist (1:59.7).
Mach Dan was bred by Parwan couple Shannon and Meaghan Nixon.
NSW Oaks hopeful
Madrid is proving herself a three-year-old filly of some worth in NSW and over the Carnival of Miracles numbered a heat of the NSW Oaks among her successes, beating a very good filly in Goldies A Delight (by Bettor’s Delight).
Madrid was an Australian Pacing Gold graduate in 2020 in Sydney, and is a filly by the American Ideal horse Bling It On from Lillylane (1:58.7), by Lombo Mandingo (a son of Million To One) from Jackie One, by Stature from Jackie One, a half-sister to the NSW Sires Stakes champion Catchme.
Madrid has strong strains of colonial blood but she is none the worse for it.
100th 1:50 mile at Menangle
The NZ bred mare Fairy Tinkabell has become the 100th horse to enter the 1:50 list at Menangle. She recorded 1:49.9 when she was successful in the $50,000 Robin Dundee Stakes last Saturday.
By the Western Ideal horse Big Jim – a top pacer himself – Fairy Tinkabell is from McKenzie Jaccka (1:59), by McArdle from Marianna Jaccka (1:59.9), by Holmes Hanover from Miss Priscilla, by Admiral Halsey and tracing eventually to the taproot Nora.
McKenzie Jaccka, who won three races, produced others in the Menangle and Albion Park winner Let’s Katchmeifucan 1:51.1 ($168,814), McKenzie Mara (1:57.3) and Unsurpassable (1:59.3).
Miss Priscilla was a half-sister to the NZ and Great Northern Oaks winner Josephine Bret.
Jay OK is cups material
A smart winner on the second night of the Carnival of Miracles meeting at Menangle was the A Rocknroll Dance gelding Jay OK, who is expected to make cup class. He was bred by Benstud Standardbreds.
Only a five-year-old, he showed up last season as a four-year-old above average when he took out the APG Gold Bullion Consolation and finished third to Shoobee Doo in the Chariots of Fire.
Jay OK is by the world champion juvenile and Meadowlands Pace winner A Rocknroll Dance from Naevia (2:01.7), by Sportswriter from the Listed winner Morgan Abby (1:55.7), by Aces N Sevens from the Albert Albert mare Boldandbeautiful (1:59.2).
Besides Naevia, Morgan Abby, who won 10 races and $118,050, was also the dam of the Melton winners Exciter (1:56.5) and Morgan Art (1:56.5), the prolific Globe Derby Park winner Sir Roman (1:56.9), Supreme Stride (1:55.6) and last season’s two-year-old winner Anyonewilldo (1:56.1).
Morgan Abby was a half-sister to the NSW Breeders Challenge 2YO Final winner Its Only Rocknroll 1:50.8 ($477,906), now racing successfully in America, the Breeders Crown Silver victor Lynniemach (2:00) and Rolled In Gold (1:55.8).
This is the family that left the WA Golden Nugget winner Shockwave, Kingstar (3YO Colt of the Year), Gold King (NSW Carousel), the Bathurst Gold Crown winners Chariot King, Emjayem Grand and Royal Chef, Replaced Eye (1:50.6), Double Expresso (WA Westbred Classic), Duel Prince and so on.
A Sweet Lou yearling half-brother to Jay OK fetched $40,000 at the inaugural Nutrien Equine Sydney sale last Sunday.
Cup winner by Big Jim
One of the most exciting stayers racing in Victoria at present is Like A Wildfire, who has quickly won his way to the top flight.
The seven-year-old gelding posted his 17th win when he outfinished a strong field in the $50,000 Terang Pacing Cup, coming from last and being buried three deep on the marker pegs.
Like A Wildfire has a background of blood to back up his claims to further promotion, being by the Western Ideal horse Big Jim from Im Against The Wind (1:59), by D M Dilinger from Dinavinetto, by Fitch 11 (son of Abercrombie) from a fine racemare in Precious Dina, by Mercedes.
Im Against The Wind, who won three races as a two-year-old, left a cup class pacer in Pass Them By 1:51.8 ($419,261) and the Menangle winner Neon Sky 1:53 ($185,438), both of whom later raced successfully in America.
Im Against The Wind was a half-sister to the exported Montecito 1:49.4 ($522,723), Irak M Up (1:56) and the triple Oaks winner and Breeders Crown champion Pullover Brown 1:56.7 ($311,937), who, in turn, left the exported In Runaway Bay 1:52.6 ($322,455) and Dina Bolt 1:51.4 ($115,021) and the NZ Sires Stakes Graduette winner Dina Brown 1:52.4 ($113,412).
Like A Wildfire was bred and is raced by Auckland couple Steve and Anne Phillips.
Ninth on end
Jimmy Mack won his ninth race on end in the Italian Cup, the first leg of the SA Cups Series at Globe Derby Park. He is by the Presidential Ball horse Washington VC, sire of the triple Inter Dominion champion Im Themightyquinn.
Jimmy Mack is out of Sandralec, by Perfect Art from Knot A Patch, by In The Pocket from the Smooth Fella mare Most Happy Patch, the grand-dam of the Cups winner Freyberg 1:51 ($422,590), the good Menangle winner The Croupier 1:50.9 ($113,373) and Vanhalem 1:58.4 ($102,548), who won 12 in NZ.
Jimmy Mack ranks as a half-brother to the smart Tasmanian pacer Kinky Boots.
In the back removes of Jimmy Mack’s pedigree are horses of the calibre of the QBred Triad winner Karter Brown, Malaz (NZ Sapling Stakes), Madame Leza (1:52), Our Edward and Hit The Spot (Vic. Enduro).
First two-year-old winner
The Rocknroll Hanover horse Foreclosure NZ, a multiple Stakes winner in America and whose frozen semen is available in Australia through Kody Charles’ KTC Bloodstock, was represented by his first Australian winner when the two-year-old filly Pocketful Of Opals was successful recently at Narrogin.
Pocketful Of Opals had been placed in one of her previous two starts.
Bred, part-owned and trained by Bianca Ashcroft, Pocketful Of Opals is out of the Courage Under Fire mare Tella (1:57.6), whose dam, Tellalie, was by Live Or Die from the Talk About Class mare Tarantella, who left several useful winners including a top flight racemare in Lady Toddy.
Restrepo on the move
The Art Major horse Restrepo, who formerly stood at Goodtime Lodge in Victoria, will have a new location next season.
Restrepo has been lightly used at the stud in Victoria since he finished racing, and the oldest of his stock are five-year-olds including the Southern Cross winner Urbadboy, the Gloucester Park winner Sidstrepo and the Albion Park victor Misstrepo.
From 13 foals of racing age, Restrepo has left eight winners from 10 starters and they have averaged $23,400.
A particularly well bred horse, Restrepo is by Art Major from She’s Innocent, by D M Dilinger from a noted producer in Cerebrano, dam of the glamour racemare of the early 2000’s, Innocent Eyes.
Restrepo proved himself a brilliant pacer on his day, taking a mile record of 1:52.4 and winning 19 races and $527,118 in stakes including the Ballarat Cup, Victoria Legends, 4YO Bonanza and the Sapling Stakes.
