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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. 
Top two-year-old by Huntsville
The Huntsville colt Tardelli firmly established himself as the top two-year-old pacer of the season when he won the Group 1 $103,990 Garrard’s Redcliffe Yearling Sales Series Final last Saturday.
Tardelli was bred and is raced by prominent Queensland identity Alf La Spina, who also bred and owned his first two dams.
He is by the Somebeachsomewhere horse Huntsville (sire of Mister Hunter, etc.), from the unraced Lady Savoia, and is her first foal. She has since produced a yearling filly by Rock N Roll Heaven and a weanling filly by Captaintreacherous and has a positive test to Bettor’s Delight.
Lady Savoia was by the champion sire Art Major from a fine racemare in Armida 1:59.1 ($159,285), a Group 1 winner by Safely Kept from La Speranza 1:59 ($155,828), a classics-winning sister by What’s Next to the Victorian Country Clubs Championship winner Strident (1:56.1) and the Albion Park winner Late Arrival and a half-sister to the Victoria Legends winner and successful sire It Is I 1:56.4 ($208,575) and the metropolitan winners Nudge (1:56.1) and Laser Edge.
This is a long established Queensland family and an earlier top two-year-old belonging to it was Il Tenore, who set an Australian two-year-old mile record at 1:55.7. The NSW Simpson Sprint winner Caesar Augustus (1:54.5), Corelli (1:55), Four Starzzz Forsa 1:52.6 ($223,593), Desdon Murruffy ($169,974) and So Much Bettor (1:53.8) are other members of this fine family.
Seb’s Choice wins Redcliffe Cup
The richest race on the Redcliffe calendar, the $106,070 Redcliffe Gold Cup, was won by the Bettor’s Delight gelding Seb’s Choice, who led throughout to down a top field.
Seb’s Choice, a $70,000 yearling, has only been sparingly raced but has proved himself a young pacer of great ability. Now in his third season, he has had 26 starts for 13 wins and seven placings and $205,871 in stakes.
Bred by Colin Moore, he is four-year-old gelding by Bettor’s Delight from a capable racemare in Alta Calypso (1:59.4), by Village Jasper from Ballie Hanover (1:56.6), an American mare from the Minnehaha tribe who was later bred from successfully in NZ.
Besides Seb’s Choice, Alta Calypso, who won 13 races, was also the dam of the Vicbred champion and Mildura Cup winner Milly Perez 1:52.7 ($343,882), the good Melton winner Changing Code 1:53.9 ($129,516) and the Sportswriter mare Charissa Tee (1:58), dam of last year’s NSW Derby winner Patsbeachstorm 1:53.4 ($179,120).
Redcliffe Derby winner
Winner of the NSW Breeders Challenge as a two-year-old last season, Tim’s A Trooper downed the top three-year-olds in the $31,160 Redcliffe Derby, including a top ranking three-year-old in Teddy Disco, who finished third.
Tim’s A Trooper has been a model of consistency throughout his career, winning seven races and being nine times placed from 23 starts for $219,843 in stakes.
By Tintin In America, and one of the first commercial crop of the NZ horse to race in Australia, Tim’s A Trooper is out of Elizabeth Kelly, by Life Sign from the outstanding matron Miss Paula (1:59.5), by Tompkins Hanover from the Richmond mare Rich Sister, and tracing eventually to the taproot Miss Tommy.
Elizabeth Kelly, who was only lightly raced, was a half-sister to the Derby winners Albert Kelly and Greg Kelly, the Vicbred champion McRae’s Mate and the multiple Group placegetter Macca Kelly.
Menangle winner from top broodmare
Spirit Of Anzac, a Bettor’s Delight seven-year-old and a brilliant winner at Menangle last weekend, is out of Spirit Of Eros, a lightly raced mare who is proving a successful broodmare.
Spirit Of Eros is also the dam of the Listed winner Our Bettor Spirits 1:50.2 ($345,100) and his full brother Our Crown Law 1:51.4 ($208,885), a NSW Tatlow winner, as well as the NZ North Island Breeders Stakes winner Spirit And Desire 1:55.9 ($131,891) and Double Rocket 1:57.2 (NZ Sires Stakes 3YO Graduate), Spirit Of Delight (1:55.2) and Spirit Of Art (1:56.5).
Spirit Of Eros was an In The Pocket mare from the unraced Spirit Of Bethlehem, by Soky’s Atom from the smart racemare and celebrated matron Tabella Beth (1:55.6), by Able Bye Bye. Spirit Of Bethlehem was a sister to the NZ Sires Stakes 3YO Championship winner Spirit Of Zeuss 1:57.8 ($243,472) and to Spirit Of Beth, grand-dam of the champion pacer Lazarus, and a half-sister to the NZ Kindergarten Stakes winner Karmic Reward and the Moonee Valley winner Rip And Roar.
Lamandier, a winner at the Redcliffe Group meeting on the same night as Spirit Of Anzac won, is also a member of this family.
Brother and sister
Two of Victoria’s star pacers at present, and both recent Melton winners who promise to progress through the classes, are Delightful Angel and Something Bettor, both loosely assessed and with little between them.
Delightful Angel won the Group 3 VHRC Metropolitan Pace Final last Saturday, while Something Bettor took out a heat one week earlier.
Both bred by Wagga couple Denis and Jo Howe are by Bettor’s Delight from Distant Memory (1:55.1), a dual Group 1 winner, and who has left other Group/Listed winners in How’s The Memory 1:50.1 ($154,424) and Beach Memories (1:53.4).
Distant Memory was by the Most Happy Fella horse Troublemaker from the grand producer Macrandra, by Classic Garry from the NZ bred Melanie, by Nero’s B B. Macrandra, the dam of 14 winners, was a half-sister to the Harold Park winner Mel Cee and to Melissa Charm (2:00), dam of the Australian Pacing Gold winner Dazed And Confused 1:56.8 ($172,444) and the grand-dam of the Group 2 winner Roll With It 1:53.9 ($123,028).
Up-and-coming trotter
One of the most promising trotters racing in Victoria is Nephew Of Sonoko, part-owned and trained by Ross Graham. A six-year-old, Nephew Of Sonoko has won three consecutive races at Melton recently.
He has an all-Australian breeding background and one which has been most successful. By Danny Bouchea (a derby winning son of Sundon from the Maori Miss tribe), he is out of the Framework mare Sister Of Sonoko, and the first of her produce to race.
Sister Of Sonoko, a dual Vicbred finalist, was out of Ima Barbie Girl, the dam of five winners including Sonoko, who left two high class trotters in The Redwood and Tatlow Memorial winner Sun Of Sonoko (1:59.2), a winner of 21 races and $219,982, and Scenic Sky (1:58.2), who has won 17 races to date and $167,232.
Ima Barbie Girl, a pacing winner, was by Riverlea Jack from Mostlea, by Most Chance from Raegan Lea, by Garry Rowan from Gay Debutante, who founded a noted branch of the Miss Tommy family.
10th winner from broodmare
When the Gotta Go Cullect two-year-old Fraya won at the Redcliffe midweek meeting, she credited her dam Faith Prevails with her 10th individual winner.
Fraya, one of the last Queensland crops of Gotta Go Cullect, had shown good trial form recently. Others from Faith Prevails to win have been Fame Assured (1:50.8), Frankie Rocks (1:52.2), Feel The Faith (1:53.1), Fearless Faith (1:55.5), Ipanema Beach (1:59.2), Jet’s Girl, French Charm, Favourite Miss and Fast Tracker (1:55.3), a winner on the same day as Fraya won.
Faith Prevails, who is now in her 20th year, has since produced a weanling colt by Bettor’s Delight, to whom she failed to get into foal last season. Faith Prevails was a Fake Left mare from Girl From Ipanema (1:57.6), by Vanston Hanover from the Oaks winner Goldrush Girl.
This has been one of the most successful branches of the celebrated Lady Antrim family. It includes the QBred Triad winners Leo’s Best (1:50.7), Forever After, Fond Memories and Get In The Groove, the outstanding racemare Good Lookin Girl, Guitarzan (Paleface Adios Classic) and Famous Forever (successful sire).
Platinum Sparkle tops ton
Platinum Sparkle became the latest member of the ‘$100,000 Club’ when she took out the Group 3 The Lombardo at Gloucester Park. It was her second success from three starts in WA.
By the Cam’s Card Shark horse Bettor’s Delight – Australasia’s champion sire – Platinum Sparkle is from Bollinger Baby (1:56), by Christian Cullen (a son of In The Pocket) from Nivea Franco, by Live Or Die from the Holmes Hanover mare Never Before Franco.
Bollinger Baby, a winner at Melton and Gloucester Park, was a sister to a top pacer in Chancellor Cullen 1:52.8 ($411,821), whose 22 successes included the Kilmore Cup and Melton Plate. This is the family which produced such winners as Glenferrie Hood ($538,110), Born To Boogie (WA Norm’s Daughter Classic), Franco Nile (NSW Schweppes Cup), Lord Stark and others.
Underthesouthernsun in 1:47.8
Underthesouthernsun has joined the growing list of NZ bred pacers to enter the 1:48 list in America. He recorded 1:47.8 when he was successful in a $25,000 race at The Meadowlands recently.
By the Mach Three horse Somebeachsomewhere, Underthesouthernsun is from Under the Odds, by Bettor’s Delight from the champion racemare Under Cover Lover (1:51.8), by In The Pocket from the Holmes Hanover mare Vain Franco, a descendant of the prized matron Krina.
Under The Odds, who was unraced, ranks as the dam of the WA Derby winner Major Trojan (1:54.1 ($204,689), The Odd Lover 1:56.1 (WA 4&5YO Championship) and last season’s NZ juvenile winner Artisan (1:57).
Underthesouthernsun was bred by Brian West’s Studholme Bloodstock and Neville Tilsley.
by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink
