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.

Nights of Thunder winner

A horse bought for a modest $20,000 at the 2019 Australian Pacing Gold sale in Perth won his first Group race – the $50,000 Night of Thunder Final – held at Gloucester Park last Friday.

He was the four-year-old Mach Three entire Machnificent, who has a wealth of breeding on his dam’s side, being out of the Northern Luck mare Honorable Daughter, a member of the prolific Lady Agnes family.

Honorable Daughter, who was only lightly raced, was a half-sister to the Gloucester Park winner and Group placegetter Hermattjesty Mulan (1:58.8) and the Dainty’s Daughter Country Classic winner Charged To The Max.

Their dam, Mulan, was a half-sister to a champion pacer and leading sire in Changeover 1:53.4 ($2.3 million) and Change Stride 1:50 ($505,133), being out of Chaangerr (1:58.7), who won six races, and was also the dam of Change Gear 1:52.8 ($190,884) and grand-dam of the dual NZ Sires Stakes Championship winner One Change 1:51 ($608,105), a capable pacer in Jonah Jones 1:52.8 ($211,079) and Joey Maguire.

A champion pacer in Chokin belongs to this family. He won 34 races including the Miracle Mile and Auckland Cup twice, the NZ Cup, NZ Free-for-all and Victoria Cup and $1.8 million in stakes.

Machnificent was bred by Allwood Stud Farm, of one of WA’s leading studmasters, Bob Fowler.

Track record to Captain Ravishing

Captain Ravishing broke the Melton three-year-old record when he rated 1:52.5 for 1720 metres in blitzing a field of maiden three-year-olds last weekend.

Captain Ravishing is a grand type of colt by Captaintreacherous from the Sportswriter mare Ravishing Girl (1:57.1), dam of a Group winning pacer in Let’s Get Rockin (1:54.1), the winner of five races to date.

A product of the 2020 Australian Pacing Gold sale in Sydney, Captain Ravishing has won at his only two appearances. His dam, Ravishing Girl, ranks a half-sister to the VHRSC 3YO Cup winner Tsunami Sloy (1:55.5), the NSW Breeders Challenge 3YO Regional winner Aussieaussiestride (1:55.2) and Surfer Dude (1:57.8).

The next dam, Ravaged, was by Safely Kept from the grand producer Cosmophylla, by Thor Hanover from Calophylla, by Entrepreneur from the Stormyway mare Racol. This is the family which produced racemares such as Louvre, Miss Hazel, Gumdrops – all Group 1 winners – and colts in the same class such as Renaissance Man, Prince Benji, My General Lee and others.

Be My Rose in 1:51.6

Former New Zealander Be My Rose, who won in 1:51.6 at her Australian debut at Menangle, is an American Ideal mare from the same family as that which produced the top WA pacer Chicago Bull, a winner at Gloucester Park 24 hours earlier.

A five-year-old, Be My Rose has not done a great deal of racing, having had only 16 starts for five wins and two placings for $44,064 in stakes.

Be My Rose’s dam, Better Rose, belongs to a noted family. She was by Bettor’s Delight from Milagro, by Dream Away from Aberfeldy, by Mark Lobell from the Scottish Command mare Black Watch and tracing eventually to the taproot Regina.

Regina established one of NZ’s foremost pacing families. It included such winners as the NZ Cup winners Il Vicolo, Arden Rooney, Trusty Scot and Garry Dillon, the WA Pacing Cup winners Chicago Bull and Rocknroll Lincoln, Cash N Flow, Our Triple Play, Katy Perry, the NZ two-year-old mile record holder Franco Indie (1:51.9), Alta Christiano and many others.

Be My Rose was bred and is raced by champion horseman Barry Purdon and his wife, Katrina.

APG Gold Coast sale on Sunday

The Australian Pacing Gold sale, to be held at Magic Millions, Gold Coast on Sunday, kicks off the round of yearling sales for 2022. The entry totals 92 yearlings and breeders from Brisbane to Perth are represented.

The yearlings include some royally bred youngsters with some top class racemares such as Bronski Gorgeous, Courageous Annie, Petousa, Dont Fall For Me, Get In The Groove, Muscle Beach, Too Smart For You, New York Fashion, Secret Desire, Mathilda Diventa, Annika Magic and others.

A feature of the sale will be the first crops of NZ superstar Lazarus, exciting USA import Rock N Roll World, the top Kiwi pacers Ohoka Punter and Ultimate Machete, the local A Good Chance and the trotting sires Volstead, Helpisontheway and Up And Quick.

The established sires Bettor’s Delight, Art Major, American Ideal, Somebeachsomewhere, Captaintreacherous, Rock N Roll Heaven, Sweet Lou, Roll With Joe, A Rocknroll Dance, Mr Feelgood and Majestic Son and up-and-coming sires in Always B Miki, Downbytheseaside, Betting Line and Bling It On are all represented in the catalogue.

Rackemup Tigerpie tops $200,000

Rackemup Tigerpie, who won the Group 3 Hamilton Pacing Cup and is now the winner of $204,795 in stakes, is a seven-year-old gelding by Rock N Roll Heaven from the unraced Victoria Street.

He is a member of an old time Victorian family, which was represented by a placegetter on the same program at Hamilton in Surfsup Tigerpie.

Victoria Street was an Albert Albert mare from Esperia Lee, by Keystone Scotch from Game Hope, by Black Gamecock from Sand Lass, a mare by Brahman. Sand Lass was the dam of a top racemare in Lassken, who won 25 races including the Victorian Mares Championship and Skyring Boy (45 wins).

Game Hope, a Black Gamecock mare from Sand Lass, left a string of winners including the Moonee Valley winner Silver Mint and Esperia Lee, who became the dam of the Melton and Menangle victor Sandler 1:55.9 ($125,101) and the grand-dam of Rackemup Tigerpie.

Bred and raced by Ian Stanley, Rackemup Tigerpie ranks as a half-brother to the Tasmanian Oaks and George Johnson winner Blucolla Tigerpie 1:53.8 ($212,507), the smart Tasmanian pacer Willbe Doc 1:55.3 ($115,078) and Thebackpagescribe (1:54.7).

Cup winner by Sportswriter

Lip Reader, who won the $40,000 Devonport Cup – Ryley Major and Resurgent Storm filled the placings behind him – is regarded as one of Tasmania’s top ranking pacers.

He is a grand stayer and one of the best of the progeny left by the Artsplace horse Sportswriter who sired top pacers of the calibre of Our Uncle Sam, Niki No No, Egodan and others.

Lip Reader is a seven-year-old gelding from Strike Line, by Albert Albert (son of Abercrombie) from the grand producer Picket Line, by Entrepreneur from Kalitara, by Good Chase from Hindu Star, by Brahman – a pedigree with some real background with a strong staying influence behind it.

Kalitara was a half-sister to the Inter Dominion heat winner Canis Minor and to Sakuntala (by Armbro Del), dam of the dual Derby winner Brad Adios and the champion racemare Tuapeka Star, who, in turn, left the NZ Cup and Miracle Mile winner Iraklis, a top flight juvenile in Ermis, Blue And Royal (NSW Carousel) and Braeside Seel Star.

Star Trek to Surf Ace

A bright future is being predicted for the Somebeachsomewhere four-year-old Surf Ace, who success in the Star Trek Final at Bathurst was his second winning run in as many starts this season.

He has a good deal in his favour on the score of blood. Apart from being by Somebeachsomewhere, Surf Ace is out of the In The Pocket mare Henin Hardenne, a half-sister to the A. G. Hunter Cup winner Stunin Cullen and a fine racemare in Coburg, being out of Vicario, by Soky’s Atom from the Noodlum mare Burgundy Lass, who established a very successful branch of the Regina family.

Burgundy Lass left the dual NZ Cup winner Il Vicolo and was the ancestress of such winners as Gotta Go Cullen (Auckland Cup and NSW Derby), It’s All About Faith (NZ Sires Stakes 3YO Final), Veste (NZ Caduceus Club Classic), Code Bailey (Bendigo Cup), Our Triple Play (1:51), Match Point (1:51.6) and Uncle Jord (1:51.1).

Surf Ace was bred and is part-owned by Swan Hill enthusiast Gerard Moloney.

First two-year-old winner

The Betting Line colt Bet On The River won the first two-year-old race of the season held at Pinjarra recently.

Bet On The River was an Australian Pacing Gold purchase in 2021 in Perth, and is a colt out of Firth Of Tay (2:01.1), by Live Or Die from Raisin Toast, a handy racemare by Satan Commands from Matai Princess, by New York Motoring from the El Patron mare Matai Bromac.

This family has produced some useful pacers over the years including the outstanding NZ juvenile Matai Mackenzie, Angelina Jolie (NZ Delightful Lady Classic), Matt Damon (Akaroa Cup) and Helena Jet.

Bet On The River was bred by Victorian enthusiast David Anderson.

Captain Wilson shows promise

Captain Wilson, a winner at the Shepparton Cup meeting, is a four-year-old half-brother to a Group 3 winner in Lierre Noir 1:54.4 ($131,629), the dual Tamworth Cup winner Gottashopearly 1:53.1 ($158,401), the Gloucester Park winner Bettor’s Ace 1:56 ($182,155) and the Melton victor Plan Ce (1:53.6).

They are out of a capable racemare in Saabette (1:56.2), by the Victorian bred horse Classic Garry out of Soky’s Number, by Soky’s Atom from Abekas, by Armbro Del.

Soky’s Number was a most successful broodmare, being also the dam of the WA Pacing Cup and Derby winner Saab, Talladega (2YO Colt of the Year), the Vicbred champion Saabella, Soky Jo and Saabrina. She was a half-sister to the Victoria Breeders Plate winner Sekan Hanover and to Catz N Ratz, the dam of the 2016 WA Nights of Thunder winner Mohegan Sun.

Captain Wilson was bred by Brian and Marilyn Gourley and Vic McFarlane.

By Peter Wharton for Harnesslink