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.

Redcliffe Classic winning line

The winner of the $50,700 Garrard’s Redcliffe Yearling Sale Series 3YO Final, Shes Miss Devine, is a Heston Blue Chip half-sister to Mathilda Diventa and Couldntresist, who won the two-year-old edition of the Series in 2014 and 2012 respectively.

The trio were all bred by Burwood Stud, Pittsworth, one of Queensland’s leading standardbred nurseries where Changeover, the sire of the Redcliffe Classic minor placegetter Nicks Pick, is doing stud duty.

Purchased for $16,500 as a yearling, Shes Miss Devine has won seven races and more than $90,000 in stakes. By the American Ideal horse Heston Blue Chip, she is out of the Holmes Hanover mare Holme Call (2:01.7), dam also of the prolific Albion Park winner Bumper (1:53.8) and Rocknholme (1:59.6).

Holme Call was out of Prompt Call (1:58), by Tuapeka Knight from Alarm Call, by Knowing Bret. Holme Call was a half-sister to the exported Search And Rescue (1:53.4) and the Albion Park winner Cold Shoulder (1:58.2).

Prompt Call was a half-sister to the NZ Thames Debutante winner Smooth Call, Doc’s Call (1:58), the Moonee Valley victor Letterkenny Call (1:59.7) and the exported Letterkenny Holmes (1:57.8).

Siblings win at Gloucester Park

It was no mean feat for the siblings Bettor Beach Belle (by Bettor’s Delight) and Major Artist (by Art Major) to win on the same night at Gloucester Park last Friday. Bettor Beach Belle took out the Group 1 $100,000 Westbred Classic for three-year-old fillies.

Both bred by Terry Ferguson are from Art On The Beach, a Group winner herself, and who has left other winners in Swagga 1:58.4 ($102,655), winner of the WA Pearl, Rocknroll Beachboy (1:54), Hy Fyfe (1:55.3) and Major Beachboy (1:59.5).

Art On The Beach was by the Beach Towel horse Jenna’s Beach Boy (triple winner of the Breeders Crown) from Mont Marte, by Black Gamecock from the Victoria Oaks winner Le Ruisseau, by Meadow Lad, a Group winning son of Meadow Vance.

Art On The Beach was a half-sister to seven winners including the Australian Pacing Gold placegetters Indisputable 2:00.2 ($127,703) and Role Model, a Torado Hanover mare who in turn, left two cup class pacers in Meet Me In Paris 1:59.8 ($115,956) and Village Warrior (1:58.2).

Three-year-old trotting mile record

A fresh Australasian mile record for a three-year-old trotter was established by the Sebastian K gelding On Advice of 1:54.5 – bettering the previous record of 1:55.1 held by Cover Of Darkness by 0.6 – when he won NSW Foundation Series Final at Menangle.

On Advice, who won the Foundation Series as a two-year-old and has now won five races, is a member of the same family as Merinai.

Bred and raced by Sydney enthusiast John Starr, On Advice is the first foal of Sunny Imperial, a sister to the NSW Foundation 2YO and Bathurst Gold Coronet winner Pegasus Elegance 1:54.6 ($128,060), being by Pegasus Spur from a Group winning trotter in Sunny Elegant 1:57.2 ($102,330), by Sundon from the champion NZ trotting mare Merinai.

Merinai won 19 of her 27 starts and $244,155 in stakes including the Dominion Handicap, Rowe Cup and NZ National Trot and was named as NZ Horse of the Year in 1998 and at the stud left a smart mare in Miss Pegasus (nine wins and $86,391), Madam Spur 2:00.9 (five wins), Wingsonahai (seven wins) and the Armbro Invasion mare Classic Armbro, dam of Sertorius 1:58.6 (10 wins and $138,723) and the NZ 2YO Trotting Filly of the Year Tailored Elegance 1:58.7 ($96,226).

Another two daughters of Merinai to breed on with marked distinction were Sun Mist and Sundon’s Babe. Sun Mist produced eight winners including the multiple Melton winners Pretty Sunday 1:57.4 ($175,182), Rosemma (1:59.9) and Sonofanearl 2:00.6 ($117,798), while her sister Sundon’s Babe left the Maori Legend victor Aldebaran Shelly.

This family was founded in Victoria in 1918 by the Directway mare Rarebell Direct. She became the dam of the Timaru and Greymouth Cups winner Isabel Derby and the Grattan Loyal mare Loyal Direct (2:11.4), the dam of the 1949 Inter Dominion champion Single Direct.

Others from the Loyal Direct branch to which On Advice belongs include the NZ Derby winner Single Medoro, the dual Rowe Cup winner Single Cash, Duchess Dulcinea (Newcastle Cup), the NZ Franklin Cup winner Gypsy Vance, Alaskan Strike 1:55.2 ($316,522) and Lord Graceland.

Won Westbred Classic

The $100,000 Westbred Classic, one of the major three-year-old classics at Gloucester Park, was won by Finvarra, a colt by American Ideal from Nuala, by Changeover. He is unbeaten in three starts this year.

Nuala (1:55.6), the NZ bred dam of Finvarra, was a top flight racemare, winning 14 races and $132,449 in stakes including the Dainty’s Daughter Classic and The Preux Chevalier. Finvarra is her first foal.

Nuala is a half-sister to Delightful Blue (1:59.5), being out of a fine racemare in Forever Blue 1:54.2 ($244,742), a winner as a three-year-old in NZ and who later competed successfully in America.

One of the many good producing daughters of the champion sire Live Or Die, Forever Blue was out of Blue Bee, by Individual (son of Fallacy) from Louginbee, by Play Bill from Game Chicken, by the Italian bred trotter Loreto.

Besides Forever Blue, Blue Bee, who won three races, left the Hororata and Marlborough Cups winner Blue Fire and Blue Holmes, the dam of the Gloucester Park winner Goldie Blue (1:58.2) and the Franklin Breeders Cup winner Robyn Blue (1:57.1), who, in turn, became the dam of the Nelson Cup winner Kendra 1:51 ($116,632) and Little Boy Blue 1:54 ($165,821), a winner of six at Gloucester Park.

Five on end

A bright future is being predicted for the Big Jim four-year-old Jimmy The Irishman NZ, whose success at Melton last Saturday was his fifth winning run from as many starts in Australia.

He has a good deal in his favour on the score of blood. Apart from being by the world champion Big Jim, and one of his last Australasian crop, Jimmy The Irishman is out of the Holmes Hanover mare Holme From The Sea (2:01.9), a sister to a fine racemare in Nick Off Holme 1:55.3 ($170,222), being out of Seafield Nicky (2:02.5), by Ok Bye from the Smooth Fella mare Seafield Holly, and tracing to Living Doll, who established a strong branch of the Dairy Maid family.

It includes The Stunning Nun (1:49.7), Mister Mystic 1:52.2 ($414,987), Seafield Inca (NZ Sapling Stakes), Miller TT1:54.9 ($109,650), Well Caught Marsh 1:54.6 ($132,277), Mister Ardee 1:56.2 ($298,121), Fake News 1:52.7 (WA Country Derby) and others.

First winner by Yankee Rockstar

The Rocknroll Hanover horse Yankee Rockstar, a Kilmore Cup winner and now at the stud in western Victoria, was represented by his first winner when the two-year-old Champagne Rockstar was successful recently on debut at Shepparton.

The filly is the first of Yankee Rockstar’s small Riverina crop to race.

Bred by a group headed by Victorian breeder Shannon Nixon, Champagne Rockstar is out of the Grinfromeartoear mare Safana (1:59.4), whose dam, Aluring was by Armbro Operative from the Kentucky mare Play The Field, who left several useful winners, including a smart racemare in Full Pleasure 2:00.8 ($106,496), the dam of the dual Oaks winner Kept For Pleasure 1:56 ($542,343).

Aluring, the grand-dam of Champagne Rockstar, was the dam of the Vicbred champion Our Femme Fatale 1:55.3 ($210,080).

Blossom Lady winner

Rockasaki, winner of the Listed Blossom Lady at Melton last Saturday, continues to prove herself in the top bracket among the female pacers in Victoria.

She is a member of an old time family which was represented by this year’s Ararat Cup winner Zadaka, being a five-year-old Rock N Roll Heaven mare from a useful racemare in Nakasaki Magoo (1:56.9), a Live Or Die mare who also produced Exalted Figure 2:00.1 (three wins to date).

Nakasaki Magoo was out of Rainey (2:02.6), a noted producer by Torado Hanover from Rain Bird, by Windshield Wiper from the Timely Knight mare Peak Time, who established a strong winning line for the late Stan Walker, of Warwick Stud, Bunbartha.

She was the ancestress of the good Gloucester Park winner Albert Ranier 2:00.2 ($108,964), Wetlands 1:59.7 (who won 12 races), the Moonee Valley winner Second Mortgage (1:58.3) and the trotter Balkan Flyer (16 wins).

Shoobee Doo in 1:49.6

The Shoobees Place entire Shoobee Doo became his sire’s first sub 1:50 credit when he won a $16,200 race in 1:49.6 at Harrah’s Philadelphia recently.

One of Shoobees Place’s first crop, Shoobee Doo, a Group winner and placegetter at two, has now won 21 races and more than $180,000 in stakes.

Shoobees Place, who stands at Kevin Spurr’s stud in WA, has sired the Bathurst Tiara Consolation winner Steph, the debut Tasmanian juvenile winner Mays Place and two placegetters from his current crop of two-year-olds.

Star four-year-old by Lincoln Royal

Bundoran, who won his sixth race from his last nine starts in the Free-for-all at Menangle, is a four-year-old Lincoln Royal gelding expected to graduate far beyond his present rating.

A member of Amanda Turnbull’s Bathurst team, he has a wealth of breeding on his dam’s side, being out of the Christian Cullen mare Mullaghmore (TT1:58.7), a member of the prolific Bright Alice family.

Mullaghmore, who won twice, was a half-sister to the exported Adsdean 1:51.6 ($275,677), the Albion Park winner Classie Seelster (1:58.8) and the Moonee Valley victor Strathalbyn (1:59). Their dam, Gowanlea, was a half-sister to a top juvenile in My Glengower (1:58.6), the winner of 13 including the Victoria Sires Produce, being out of Classiebawn (2:00.8), who won 10, and was also the dam of Braedoon, winner of the NZ 3YO Championship, and the grand-dam of the Australian 2YO of the Year Stroma 1:57.6 ($132,244), Strontain (1:59.1) and Cairnmuir (7 NZ wins).

The Victoria Oaks winner Charlotte Brew, Nek Time (1:54.7), a triple Oaks victor, and the Wagga Cup winner Chantrey 1:52.6 ($215,931) are all descendants of Classiebawn.

Siring feat

The Westsired Classic for two-year-old colts and geldings, run at Gloucester Park, was a triumph for the Art Major horse Follow The Stars as the sire of the winner Follow The Music and the third placegetter Hokulani – rather a notable siring feat.

Follow The Stars, the former NZ and Australian 2YO Colt of the Year, is standing this season at the Medowie Lodge stud, near Newcastle, of Darren Reay.

by Peter Wharton for Harnesslink