Weekly spotlight on breeding

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.

Victoria Sapling Stakes winner

The Myrniong filly Aureus, who firmly clinched her claim to being one of the best two-year-old fillies in Victoria for the season when she won the Sapling Stakes at Melton, is a member of a top ranking Australian family.

Aureus, who has won two of her four starts, is a filly by the Artsplace horse Art Major, who sired earlier winners of the Sapling Stakes in Treasure (2019), Tuscan Breeze (2013) and Louvre (2011).

Aureus is out of Siliqua (1:53.7), by the Canadian bred sire Mach Three from Molly Penny, a Queensland bred mare by Astreos (also by Artsplace) from the champion racemare Newbold Penny, by Armbro Aussie from the Thor Hanover mare Lourenco Marques and tracing to the noted foundation mare Miss Tommy.

Molly Penny was the dam of the good WA provincial winner Soho Jett and Amanapour. Penny Veejay, a half-brother to Molly Penny, won 25 races and $387,114 including The Legends and a heat of the Inter Dominion.

Lourenco Marques was a daughter of Mozambique, a Gay Reveler mare to whom a long line of classic winners and Vicbred champions in La Machane, Tandia’s Courage and Jilliby Melody is credited. The Inter Dominion and Miracle Mile hero Lennytheshark traces back to Miss Tommy.

Aureus was bred and is raced by Nick Hooper, the president of Harness Breeders Victoria.

Group winner by Roll With Joe

Loorrim Lake, who won the Group 3 J. D. Watts Memorial at Menangle – Cruz Bromac, Zeuss Bromac and Double Encounter filled the placings behind him – is regarded as one of the best pacers in NSW at the present.

He is a grand stayer and one of the best progeny left by the Cam’s Card Shark horse Roll With Joe, who sired top pacers of the calibre of Ignatius, Muscle Factory, Joe’s Star Of Mia, Lavra Joe and others.

Loorrim Lake is a five-year-old gelding from Jethro’s Madam 1:59.8 ($101,681), a Group 2 winner by Fake Left from the good producer Madam Ex, by Entrepreneur from Little Daigal, by Gyration from Intangible Maid, by Intangible – a pedigree with some real background with a strong staying influence behind it.

Top mare wins Group 3

Bettor’s Destroya, winner of the $30,000 Westbred 4&5YO Mares’ feature at Gloucester Park, continues to prove herself in the top bracket among the mares in WA.

She is a member of one of Australasia’s premier families, being a four-year-old Bettor’s Delight mare from the lightly raced Chemical Romance, a Northern Luck mare who has produced others in Bettor Reward 1:52.7 ($244,065), Destined To Rule 1:57.5 ($204,611) and promising three-year-old filly Sovrana (1:56.3).

Chemical Romance was out of Ferrari Trunkey 1:56.6 ($267,527), a fine racemare by Tarcoola Frost from the broodmare gem Celevale Trunkey, by Massie from the U Scott mare Cele and tracing eventually to Pride of Lincoln.

Ferrari Trunkey left eight individual winners including Trunkey Maseratti 1:56.4 ($273,457), winner of 22 races including the WA Derby and WA Sires Stakes 2YO. She also figures as the grand-dam of the WA Sales Classic 3YO winner Ima High Rolla, Trunkey Daydream (WA Country Derby) and the WA Oaks heat winner Fluent Style and the third dam of the WA Sales Classic victor Lady Jadore (1:57.1), a winner at the Gloucester Park midweek meeting.

Bred by Steve Johnson, Bettor’s Destroya was a $70,000 purchase at the APG Perth Sale in 2019.

Foundation Trot to Tough Love

The Foundation Trot Final, one of the feature races for three-year-old trotters at Menangle, was won by Tough Love, a well performed filly by Love You from Tough Tussle.

Love You, a French bred stallion, has been one of Australasia’s top sires of trotters in recent years. He has sired such winners as Monbet, a winner of 10 Group 1’s and dual NZ Trotter of the Year, Enghien, Habibti, Ultimate Stride, Queen Elida and other top trotters. Love You sired an earlier winner of the Foundation Trot in Amore Stride.

Tough Tussle, the dam of Tough Love, won 16 races including 11 at Harold Park and $105,135 in stakes and became the dam of four winners headed up by Tough Monarch 1:53.3 ($567,144), a winner at Group 1 level on both sides of the Tasman. She was by Wrestle (an unraced son of Game Pride and the Interdom champion Tussle) from Tough Whiz, by Gee Whizz 11 from Tuftala, by the American import Tuft, who also distinguished himself as a sire of trotters.

The latest NSW Foundation winner Tough Love has certainly a wealth of successful trotting blood on both sides of her pedigree.

Queensland Constellations prospect

One of the stronger Queensland Constellations candidates, particularly among the youthful brigade will be Rock N Roll Doo, a loosely assessed Victorian pacer who has proved himself at the top level in restricted age company.

His latest winning run over 2240 metres at Melton when having his first start for three months was very impressive performance. He was caught wide early, but finally won decisively at a 1:55 rate.

A tough customer, Rock N Roll Doo is a four-year-old, being by Rock N Roll Heaven from Long Live Lana, the dam also of the brilliant NZ racemare Delightful Lana 1:54.5 ($148,269) and the Edgar Tatlow winner Iolanta 1:53.1 ($168,175).

Long Live Lana was by In The Pocket from Infante Elana, by Soky’s Atom from Entrancing, by Mark Lobell from the Morano mare Coo Doo, who established a very successful branch of the Mavis Wood tribe.

It includes the sub 1:50 winners Shoobee Doo, Atom Love and Extender, the NZ Derby winner Captain Peacock, Palestine (Inter Dominion Consolation), Passion Ration, Elegant Christian (WA Western Gateway), She’s No Lady (NZ 2YO Filly of the Year) and the top Queensland pacers Lilac Flash and Watch Pulp Fiction.

Hemsworth bred to be good

Hemsworth, who won his 10^th race from 20 starts on Australian soil at Albion Park and hoisted a fresh lifetime mark of 1:52, is a four-year-old expected to graduate far beyond his present rating.

He is a member of an old time NZ family, which was represented by a winner at Northfield Park, Ohio in Lynbar Rose (1:52.2) on the same day as Hemsworth won.

By Sweet Lou, and one of his second crop, Hemsworth is out of the In Pocket mare In Hollywood, whose dam Hollywood Rose left the champion racemare Tupelo Rose (1:51.4), a winner of 35 races in NZ, Australia and America and over $1.1 million in stakes.

Besides Hemsworth, In Hollywood, a three-year-old winner, left the Northam Cup victor Our Ideal Act 1:56.9 ($113,493), Walk Of Fame (1:56.1), Screen Gem (1:57.4), the Gloucester Park winner Tinseltown (1:58.8) and the Artsplace mare Screen Idol, dam of Its Mr Clooney (1:53.2) and Lynbar Rose.

Hollywood Rose was sired by Butler BG from a capable mare in Adios Lobell (1:57.4), who raced successfully in America, by Mark Lobell from Emory Anne, an Emory Hanover who traced directly to the NZ Cup winner Trix Pointer.

From the Emory Anne branch of it and to which Hemsworth belongs, others in the USA Stakes winners Machapelo (1:51.6), Rockapelo (1:49.2) and Resistance Futile (1:49.2), the Tasmanian Derby winner Maraetai, Versary (1:49.8), Ok Courage and La Bella Vita (1:52.4) are also members.

Up-and-coming trotter

One of the most promising trotters racing in Victoria is Locksley Lover, bred by Cranbourne identity David Scott. A four-year-old, Locksley Lover is in his second season of racing, but from 13 starts he has won seven and been twice placed.

Locksley Lover has a background of trotting blood second to none. His sire, Love You, has left the top Australian trotting mare Queen Elida and outstanding NZ trotters in Monbet, Enghien and Habibti. His dam, Elusive Charm, is by CR Commando, a successful sire of trotters in NZ.

Elusive Charm, winner of The Redwood, is also the dam of the Vicbred champion Is That A Bid 1:58 ($166,980) and the top Queensland trotter Melpark Magic 1:57 ($139,610).

Elusive Charm ranks as a half-sister to Invasive 1:57.4 ($141,084), a triple Vicbred finalist who later raced successfully in Perth.

The family, which traces to the thoroughbred mare June Hunt, produced a champion trotter in Sir Castleton, who won 44 races including the Inter Dominion Grand Final, and other top trotters in Johnny Gee, Castleton’s King and Mexican Invasion.

by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink