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.

Catch A Wave is some youngster

Catch A Wave, who won the Group 3 $40,000 APG Gold Sovereign Final at Ballarat and is now undefeated in two outings, is regarded as one of the best youngsters in Victoria.

In the Gold Sovereign, he was never really extended winning by 12 metres in a 1:53.8 rate for 1710 metres, the last 800 in 54.6 and 400 in 26.5.

Catch A Wave has a background of blood to back up his claims to further promotion, being by Captaintreacherous from Coppagoodone (1:57), by Christian Cullen from the NZ and Victoria Oaks winner Copper Beach 1:58.6 ($179,794), by Beach Towel from the Payson’s Brother mare Les Payzen Star.

Coppagoodone, a Menangle winner, produced earlier winners in Bettor Coppagoodone (1:54.5), who won twice at Gloucester Park, and Yambukian (1:57), a winner of four of his five starts and rated a genuine Victoria Derby candidate.

Since producing Catch A Wave in 2018, Coppagoodone has left only one other foal, a yearling filly by American Ideal which realised $30,000 at the Nutrien Equine Standardbred Sale in April.

Coppagoodone was a half-sister to the former NZ 3YO of the Year De Lovely 1:54 ($613,355), winner of six Group 1 races and dam of the NZ Sapling Stakes winner Cole Porter (1:52), now racing successfully in America, and to the Ararat Cup victor Zadaka 1:54.4 ($179,131).

This has been one of the most successful branches of the Bell Aurore family, Copper Beach’s dam Les Payzen Star being a half-sister to a grand pacer and Inter Dominion winner in Elsu, the NZ 2YO Championship winner Revonez and to the unraced Indigo Beach, who was the ancestress of the Melton winner Dan Fernando and Group 2 winner Sirletic 1:52.3 ($217,193), a winner at Ballarat on the same night as Catch A Wave won.

Catch A Wave was bred by Benstud Standardbreds and Sydneysiders Peter and Zilla O’Shea.

Top three-year-old fillies meet

While Tough Tilly has equalled the three-year-old track record at Melton, Ladies In Red beat her decisively in the Argent Classic at Ballarat when they met, and Ladies In Red is now rated Australia’s top three-year-old filly so far this season. She is unbeaten in her two starts.

Tough Tilly, who was resuming from a spell, captured the $350,000 Australian Pacing Gold Final and the Garrard’s Victoria Gold Chalice earlier in the season.

Ladies In Red is a well developed Mach Three filly and was bred and is raced by Bill and Anne Anderson, of Lauriston Bloodstock. She is out of the imported Western Terror mare Kabbalah Karen B (1:52.8), a smart racemare herself and who is proving a successful broodmare having left others in the Victoria Derby winner and dual Breeders Crown champion Our Little General 1:49.8 ($736,431) and the good Melton winners Kasbah Kid 1:53.1 ($185,520) and Beautiful Woman (1:56.4).

Boncel Benjamin is well bred

Boncel Benjamin, who won the Group 3 race at Menangle last Saturday, is a six-year-old brother by Grinfromeartoear to the Melton winner and dual Vicbred finalist Illawong Maestro 1:53.1 ($137,089) and a half-brother to Ubetcha (1:56.7).

They are out of the lightly raced Alleluia Lombo, by the NZ bred horse Christian Cullen from Lombo Light Speed (2:01.3), by Troublemaker from the Group 1 winner Lombo La Paree 2:01.4 ($112,085), by Classic Garry, a Victorian bred horse by Garry Rowan.

Lombo La Paree, a Victoria Sires Stakes champion at two, was a most successful broodmare, being also the dam of the outstanding racemare and Inter Dominion Consolation winner Lombo La Fe Fe 1:57.1 (654,493), the good Moonee Valley victor Diamond Trinity 1:57.5 ($241,606) and the SA Botra Pace winner Bastille Crest.

Alleluia Lombo was a half-sister to the Vicbred 2YO champion Kinda Arty Lombo 2:00.8 ($120,305), the Melton winner Lombo Flashlight 1:56.9 ($118,257) and to Fluorescent Lombo, the dam of the metropolitan winners Hosier Lane 1:51.7 (Menangle) and In The Frame Lombo 1:54.5 (Albion Park).

Siblings on the double

Two of Australia’s star pacers, and both winners last weekend who promise to be a force in the upcoming feature events, are Turn It Up (by Courage Under Fire) and Narutac Prince (by Art Major).

Both bred by Bruce and Vicki Edward are out of the American-bred mare O Narutac Bella 1:51.2 ($154,536), a smart racemare herself, and who has left other ‘black type’ performers in Treasure 1:54.9 ($161,402), winner of the SA Southern Cross and Victoria Sapling Stakes, and the multiple Group 1 placegetter Perfect Sense 1:55.5 ($143,530).

O Narutac Bella was by the Western Hanover horse Western Ideal (a leading sire in America) from Yankee Venice, by Life Sign from Yankee Velvet, by Direct Scooter from Adored Yankee (1:56.4), a half-sister by Nero to two high class pacers in Choice Yankee 1:52.8 ($732,442) and Mostest Yankee 1:56 ($484,248) and a close relative of the North America Cup winner Yankee Cruiser 1:49.6 ($1. Million), sire of the world champion and now successful sire Sweet Lou 1:47 ($3.4 million).

Trotting mile record

The American-bred Aldebaran Revani carved a niche for herself in Australian trotting history when she put up successive miles in 1:53.9 at Menangle recently. She has now won five of her six starts on Australian soil, all in 1:57 or better.

Owned by prominent Melbourne breeder Duncan McPherson, the principal of Aldebaran Park stud, Aldebaran Revani, the winner of seven races and more than $50,000 in stakes, is a member of one of America’s most successful families of trotters.

Foaled in 2017, she is a daughter of the Hambletonian winner Donato Hanover (a leading sire of trotters) from a fine trotter in Coffeecake Hanover, who took a record of 1:52.8, won 13 races and was 18 times placed for $422,981 in stakes.

Coffeecake Hanover was by the Speedy Crown line sire Cantab Hall (also a champion sire) from CR Calendar Girl (2:00.6), by S J’s Photo from CR Seminole Sister, by Royal Troubador and tracing to the taproot Mamie (by Star Almont).

Besides Aldebaran Revani, Coffeecake Hanover, a Stakes winner at 2 and 3, left the Stakes winner Battenberg (1:55.8) and the current two-year-old Highgate (1:57.4).

Coffeecake Hanover was out of CR Calendar Girl, who left Marion Gondolier 1:53.8 ($346,865), Christiana Hanover 1:53.8 ($279,266), winner of the Moni Maker who became the dam of three sub 1:57 winners, the John Simpson Memorial winner Cavill Hanover 1:53 ($247,780), Contested Hanover (1:55.6) and the Tompkins Geers winner Big Bang Hanover (1:56). All were trotters of some worth.

CR Commando and Fiftydallarbill, both Breeders Crown champions, Somollison ($1.5 million) and CR Kinetic (Zweig Memorial) are a lineup of top trotters from this family.

Breeding feat to Tasmanian

Rather a notable breeding feat was credited to the northern Tasmanian breeder Shane Hawes at Hobart last weekend when he bred the winners of both $20,000 finals of the Tasmanian Sweepstakes 2YO Series.

Mickey Oh, a gelding by the Adios Stake winner Racing Hill, and one of the first crop of the Roll With Joe horse, took out the colts and geldings’ division, while Mays Place (by Shoobee’s Place) made it three wins on end in the fillies’ division.

Both belong to top ranking Tasmanian standardbred families.

Mickey Oh is the first foal out of the smart racemare and Granny Smith winner Ark Breeze 2:01.1 ($58,640), a Stonebridge Regal mare from Ark Drifter (1:59.7), by Golden Greek from the Title Holder mare Triumphal Ark, the dam of six winners and the grand-dam of the 2004 Sweepstakes victor Ark Princess.

Ark Breeze is a half-sister to the Tasmanian Sires Produce winner Drifting West 1:58.8 ($97,498) (1:58.8), the Country Derby winner Frankie Falzoni (1:58.7) and others in Aninchofhislife 2:00.2 ($92,924) and Ark West (2:00.7).

This is the family which produced such winners as the Sweepstakes winners Playing Arkabella and Ark Princess, Eleniark 1:51.8 (QBred Triad 4YO), the Inter Dominion heat winner Atomic Ark, Arkamigo (Queensland Derby), Arkareena (1:56.5), Ark Raider (Tas. Easter Cup), Monarckmac (1:53) and the Tasmanian Oaks winners Ghadastar and Arcadia Neptune.

Mickey Oh is a graduate of the 2020 Tasmanian Yearling Sale.

Mays Place ranks as a half-sister to Karalta Dazzler 2:00.6 ($181,848) and the Raider Stakes heat winner Rockandahardplace, being out of the Group winner Karalta Crown 2:01.4 ($128,351), by Jenna’s Beach Boy from Paksa Punch, by Fake Left.

Besides Karalta Crown, Paksa Punch, who won 12 races, was also the dam of Tasmanian Yearling Sale Classic winner Ge Good Jenna, Royal Knockout (1:55.9) and Promising Demon (1:57.4). She is the second dam of the New Norfolk Cup winner Musselroe Bay and the Victorian winner Priddy Easy (1:57.7).

High priced WA youngster wins

Swingband is proving himself a smart two-year-old – he has won three of his four starts to date – and could develop into one of the best his age in WA this season.

Bought for $70,000 at the 2020 APG Perth sale, Swingband is a gelding by the deceased Alta Christiano (son of Christian Cullen) out of a Listed winner in Bettor’s Gem 1:54.6 ($103,276), who ranks as a half-sister to the recent WA juvenile winner The Hope Diamond.

Bettor’s Gem, who won 11 races, was by Bettor’s Delight from Falcon’s Gem, a NZ bred mare by Falcon Seelster from the Payson’s Brother mare Payson’s Gem, dam of the Group 1 winner Ebony Gem 1:56.9 ($317,030), whose 13 successes included the Chariots of Fire and Paleface Adios Sprint, and the Victoria Derby winner Rare Gem 1:52.6 ($215,350).

Tapestry, an Albert Albert mare from Payson’s Gem, left the Melton winner Our Pontiac (1:56.5), Hez Declan (1:55.1), Hunua Honey (1:59.3) and the talented WA pacer The Notorious One 1:57 (4 wins from 10 starts).

Payson’s Gem was a sister to the prolific Moonee Valley winner Payson’s Jewel and a member of the same family as the top American pacers Hilarion, Die Laughing and Shadow Star, all successful sires in Australia.

Downbytheseaside’s rise

A feature of the North American sires’ statistics to date this year is the rise to the top of the two-year-old section by first crop sire Downbytheseaside, who is more than $500,000 ahead of the second sire, Captaintreacherous.

Sweet Lou is in third position, followed by another first-season sire, Huntsville (4^th), American Ideal (5^th) and Always B Miki (6^th).

The main contributors to Downbytheseaside’s tally are the Ohio Sire Stakes champions Sea Silk ($373,592) and Gulf Shores ($251,500), the Kentucky Championship winner Pebble Beach 1:48.8 ($209,800) and Sling Shock ($206,750).

In the two-year-old trotting sires’ section, Walner, who is represented by his initial crop, holds a $500,000 lead over his own sire, Chapter Seven. Muscle Hill is third, followed by the rookie sire What The Hill (4^th).

By Peter Wharton for Harnesslink