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.

Bulletproof Boy star sprinter

Bulletproof Boy advanced strong claims to being one of the best sprint pacers in Australia today when he scored a thrilling win in a new lifetime mark of 1:52.2 in the $50,000 Smoken Up Sprint at Bendigo.

It was his second win from his last three starts. A fortnight earlier he disposed of Mach Dan and others in the Gammalite Free-for-all at Ballarat, and before he finished a close third in open company at Bendigo.

Bred in South Australia, Bulletproof Boy has been a model of consistency throughout his career. In five seasons of racing Bulletproof Boy has won 29 races and has been 21 times placed from 104 starts for $243,075 in stakes.

By the Art Major horse Art Official, he is out of My Riviera Girl (1:58.7), by Red River Hanover (a Western Hanover brother-in-blood to Rocknroll Hanover) from the Holmes Hanover mare Dance Trix, a sister to the NSW Oaks and Breeders Crown winner Dancingonmoonlight 1:53.2 ($375,674), dam of the Popular Alm Free-for-all victor Moonrock 1:52.3 ($220,422) and Miss Moonlite 1:54.7 ($184,249), who left the Queensland Derby winner Master Moonlite.

Breeding feat to Victorians

Rather a notable breeding feat was credited to the Victorian breeders Bill and Anne Anderson, of Lauriston Bloodstock, when they bred the winners of both heats of the Victoria Oaks at Bendigo in Ladies In Red and Beach Music.

Both belong to top ranking standardbred families.

Ladies In Red, who has now won 12 of her 13 starts, is a Mach Three sister to the Victoria Derby winner and dual Breeders Crown champion Our Little General 1:49.8 ($736,431) and a half-sister to the good Melton winner Kasbah Kid 1:53.1 ($185,520), being out of the American-bred Kabbalah Karen B 1:52.8 ($285,098), a half-sister by Western Terror to the Dan Patch Invitational winner Cammibest 1:50 ($1 million), a successful sire in Queensland.

Their dam, Mib Hanover (1:55.6), won four races and left 12 winners. She was by the Most Happy Fella horse Tyler B from Mighty Impressive (1:56.6), by Harold J and tracing eventually to the noted foundation mare Venus (by American Star), foaled in 1865 (reference: classicfamilies.net).

Beach Music, a filly by the deceased Somebeachsomewhere and one of the second last commercial crop of the Mach Three horse, is out of a fine racemare in Musical Delight 1:53.1 ($248,910), by Bettor’s Delight from the Group winner Top Tempo 1:56.5 ($225,513), by In The Pocket from the Holmes Hanover mare Kliklite 1:56.7 ($156,213), a dual NZ Winter Cup winner.

Musical Delight, whose 11 successes included the Australian Pacing Gold and NSW Raith Memorial, is also the dam of the Melton winner Young Rooster 1:58 ($112,419) and this season’s two-year-old winner Ripp (1:58.6), a brother to Beach Music.

Musical Delight ranks as a half-sister to the thrice Group 1 winner Speak No Evil 1:50.9 ($354,300), the APG winner Queen Of Pop 1:55.6 ($204,527) and others in Countdown 1:53.1 ($135,410) and That’s How Weroll 1:52.9 ($126,991).

Won Stratton Cup

Perfect Major, who came from last to win the $50,000 J. P. Stratton Cup, the main race at Gloucester Park last Friday, is an Art Major gelding from the same family as that which produced a top Victorian pacer in Ride High.

Perfect Major, who was a Group 2 winner in Perth as a four-year-old last season, has only been comparatively lightly raced, but he has shown up as a very useful pacer, and it was a strong field he beat at Gloucester Park.

By the Artsplace horse Art Major, he is out of the Live Or Die mare Perfect Life, whose dam, Secret Life, ranked as a half-sister to the Breeders Crown winner Lovelist 1:53.2, $222,889 (dam of The Allwood winner Treachery) and Punch Line 1:54 (Southern Cross 3YO), their dam, Lifeline, being a half-sister to the A. G. Hunter Cup hero Safe And Sound, The Good Times, and so on.

Perfect Major was bred by Peter Gleeson and Bruce and Craig Cameron.

Derby heat winner’s deeds

Blitzern is proving himself a three-year-old of some worth in Victoria and during the spring racing he numbered a heat of the Victoria Derby among his successes, beating a very good three-year-old in American Dealer (by American Ideal) and Bondi Lockdown (by Somebeachsomewhere).

It was Blitzern’s fourth win on end and his seven in a 19-start career. He is a very good youngster.

By Western Terror, and one of the second last crop of the American horse to race in Australia, Blitzern is out of the Listed winner Blitzsuzy (1:57.4), by Blissfull Hall (son of Cambest) from Suzy Albert (1:59.2), by Albert Albert from the New York Motoring mare Miss Suzy, a half-sister to the Moonee Valley winnewrs Seinfield TT1:55.1 ($126,082) and Lomu.

Menangle winner from top racemare

Our Cowgirls N Lace, a Bettor’s Delight four-year-old and a winner in 1:52.1 at Menangle when having only her second start on Australian soil, is out of Cowgirls N Indians, a Group 1 winning mare with a record of 1:56 and a $323,735 bankroll who is proving a successful broodmare.

Cowgirls N Indians is also the dam of the Menangle winners Cowboys N Indians (1:52.2) and his full brother Cowboys N Aliens (1:53.7), Cowgirls N Angels (1:57) and Cowboys N Bandits (1:57.5), who has won five of his six starts in WA.

Cowgirls N Indians was a Real Desire mare from Barn Dance Betty (1:59.4), by In The Pocket from the multiple Group 1 winner Party Party 1:53.2 ($251,236), by Mister Hanover II from the Butler B G mare Bee Gee’s Dream, a Listed winner and NZ Broodmare of the Year Award winner.

Barn Dance Betty was a half-sister to the NZ 2YO Championship winner Hoss Cartwright 1:51.8 ($352,878), the Menangle victor Strike Up The Band 1:52 ($206,548), Christian Party 1:58.9 (dam of Group 3 winner Keayang Jackie 1:52.7) and Our Super Party (dam of the WA Western Crown winner Marcotti 1:57.9).

Their dam, Party Party, who won 13 races and left five winners. She was a half-sister to the A. G. Hunter Cup winner Another Party 1:56.3 ($888,678) and the Queen of the Pacific winner Champagne Party 1:56.3 ($152,445), who became the dam of the NZ Sires Stakes 3YO Final winner Democrat Party 1:54.9 ($254,688) and the WA Mares Mile winner Im Elsa (1:56.2).

Other ‘black type’ members of this family have been the Listed winner American Boy 1:50.4 ($617,834), this year’s Redcliffe Cup winner L L Cool J (1:52), Waylade (WA 4YO Championship), Democracy 1:50 and the WA Lord Mayor’s Cup victor Livingontheinterest 1:53.2 ($266,940).

Hat trick to Deux Ex

Deus Ex, a former New Zealand pacer who is undefeated in three starts at Albion Park, and has graduated to an NR94 mark, is regarded as one of the best young pacers in Queensland.

He is a five-year-old gelding by the In The Pocket horse Changeover, a NZ Cup winner who is now standing at Burwood Stud. Deus Ex is out of El Diva, an Elsu mare who left an earlier winner in Wolfenstein (1:59.9), who won three.

El Diva, who was unraced, was from Dillon Diva, by Direct Flight (son of Direct Scooter) from the good producer Dillon Diane, by Gaines Minbar from the Gentry mare Birdie, who founded one of the strongest branches of the noted Harold’s Rest tribe.

Birdie left nine winners including a grand stayer and NZ Derby winner in Dillon Dean 1:58.5 ($713,130) and the former NZ 2YO of the Year Dillon Dale 1:59.1 ($142,035) and was the ancestress of top horses the calibre of Elusive Chick (Harness Jewels 4YO), Elmer Gantry,     Bettor Be The Bomb, Torrid Saint, the Australian two-year-old mile record holder Divine State (1:51.6), Risk (1:48.4), Hero and Highest Honour.

Up-and-coming trotter

One of the most promising trotters racing in Victoria is Revelstoke, bred and raced by Ballarat enthusiast Pat Driscoll. A two-year-old, Revelstoke has won twice with an unlucky third in four starts.

Revelstoke has a background of trotting blood second to none. Her sire, Quaker Jet, has left the star Australian trotting mare Im Ready Jet, and other smart trotters in Cracker Jet, Imamaorijet, Dizzysjet and Night Whisperer.

Her dam, Miss Manitoba, is by Angus Hall, the leading sire of trotters in America for many years.

Miss Manitoba, who was unraced, ranks as a sister to the Melton winner Hudson Bay and a half-sister to the Vicbred champion Vincennes 1:56.3 ($266,811), Showmethecash (1:58) and Mydan (1:59.2).

Their dam, Showmethemaori, was by the American sire Lindy Lane from the dual Vicbred champion Maori’s Glory, by Red Coach Glory from the Kentucky mare Maori Mia.

The family, which traces to the Lincoln Yet mare Dot, produced a champion trotter in Maori’s Idol (1:59.3), who won 40 races, including 24 in succession, and other top trotters in Sumthingaboutmaori, who won 31 races including the Inter Dominion, Noopy Kiosk, Danny Bouchea, Blitzthemcalder, Tennotrump and Pink Galahs.

Ryley Major’s half-sister

Baby You A Song, a two-year-old half-sister by Sweet Lou to the top Tasmanian pacer Ryley Major, made rather an auspicious debut in the Evicus Prelude at Hobart. The filly led from the outset and won by open lengths.

Shez Ryleymak, the dam of Baby You A Song and Ryley Major, took a record of 1:56.2 and won 23 races and $270,688 in stakes and was one of Tasmania’s best racemares in the 2000’s. She also won at Group 1 level at Moonee Valley.

By Totally Western (son of Western Hanover), Shez Ryleymak was out of the Granny Smith winner Rosary (1:59.2), by Ticket To Heaven from Rosewood Treasure, by Out To Win. This family has produced some useful pacers over the years. Rosewood Treasure also left the Matron Stakes winner Rosewood Robust (1:59.5), who won 10 races.

By Peter Wharton for Harnesslink