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.

Hunter Cup to Honolua Bay

The Somebeachsomewhere gelding Honolua Bay achieved yet another moment of glory in a brilliant career when he downed a top class field in the $500,000 A. G. Hunter Cup – the third leg of the Australasian Grand Circuit – at Melton.

His superlative success from worse than midfield boosted his earnings to $732,990, the result of 21 wins and seven placings from 35 starts.

Honolua Bay began racing as a three-year-old, winning five races including a heat of the Vicbred series. As a four-year-old he included among his nine successes the Vicbred Super Series Final, the Breeders Crown and the Victorian 4 and 5YO Championship.

One of his memorable wins as a five-year-old was the Popular Alm Sprint at Kilmore in a track record 1:53.4, and at the same age he won three heats of the Inter Dominion and finished fourth in the final. 

Bred by Lauriston Bloodstock’s Bill and Anne Anderson, who also race him, Honolua Bay is by the Mach Three horse Somebeachsomewhere out of the Artsplace mare National Gallery (1:54.4), a Group 3 winner who produced others in Rocknroll Icon 1:52.2 ($210,648), the inaugural Nutrien 2YO Classic winner Somethin Bout Eily (1:58.2), the exported Mach Up (1:53) and Looking Fabulous (1:54.7).

National Gallery, who won 11 races, was out of Lil’s Dream (TT1:55.7), by Smooth Fella from Miss Denover, by Boyden Hanover from the NZ Oaks winner Ar Miss, whose family today is one of the best in the NZ stud book.

It includes the NZ Cup winner Armalight, Spankem (Miracle Mile), the millionaire None Bettor (1:48.8), the derby winners Majestic Mach and Muscle Factory, Masked Crusader, Sand Pebbles and many others.

Great Southern Star winner

The $300,000 Woodlands Stud Great Southern Star, for open age trotters, one of the features of the Summer of Glory carnival at Melton, was won by Just Believe, a highly fancied gelding by Orlando Vici from Heavens Above.

Orlando Vici, a French bred stallion, has had an amazing score of winners from relatively small crops. He has sired such winners as Visionary (Vicbred 4YO), the Trotters Derby winners Cravache Dor and Xebec, Ollivici, Brandlo Prince, Adelle, Orlando Storm and other smart trotters.

Heavens Above, the American-bred dam of Just Believe, was by the Kentucky Futurity winner Like A Prayer, who also distinguished himself as a sire of trotters, from Armbro Odalisk, by Super Pleasure (son of Super Bowl) from Armbro Harem, by Joie De Vie from the champion juvenile filly Armbro Blush. 

Just Believe figures as a half-brother to the Group 3 winner Heavenly Sister 1:56.5 ($129,745), the exported Shared Interest 1:54.6 ($203,996) and Namosca (1:59.4).

Just Believe was one of three winners on the night bred by Pat Driscoll’s Yabby Dam Farms, the others being Shaunie and Im Ready Jet, who won a heat of the Great Southern Star and finished third in the Final.

Close relatives win at Melton

The Father Patrick mare Keayang Xena, winner of the $30,000 Vicbred Platinum Trotting Mares’ Sprint Championship at Melton, and the Majestic Son three-year-old filly Exalted, who won the same card, both belong to the same family.

Keayang Xena, who has won eight races and $119,990, is the first foal out of a fine racemare in Keayang Yankee (1:55.4), by Muscles Yankee from Dream Interest, by Dream Vacation from the Entrepreneur mare Maorimoon, the dam of four winners and who is responsible for establishing a most successful branch of the Maori Miss family.

Maorimoon, who was unraced, ranks as the dam of a top trotter in Master Maori, the winner of 26 races including the Vicbred 2YO Final and Tontine Series, and a smart pacer in Tricky Interest (1:57.9) and the second dam of the dual Vicbred champion Kinvara Sue 1:58.2 ($163,890), the Victoria Trotters Oaks winner Pretty Majestic 1:58.3 ($170,952) and the Breeders Crown Silver winner Rave On Hall (1:55).

Exalted, the winner of two of her four starts, is out the Sundon mare Lunar Landing, a half-sister to Dream Interest, the grand-dam of Keayang Xena. Lunar Landing, who was bred from by the late Martin Hartnett, left an outstanding racemare in Spidergirl 1:56.8 ($317,657), a Breeders Crown and triple Vicbred champion, the Breeders Crown winner Illawong Armstrong 1:56 ($231,452) and the dual Group victor Illawong Stardust 1:58.1 ($146,765).

Lunar Landing was also the grand-dam of the Breeders Crown champion Cover Of Darkness 1:55.1 ($114,860) and Illawong Moonbeam 1:57.4 (SA Pride of Petite).

The Maori Miss family had a terrific influence on Australian breeding through several branches.

Won Ladyship Cup

Victoria’s top race for mares, the $100,000 Ladyship Cup, at the Summer of Glory carnival was won by the Art Major mare Amore Vita, who became the sixth winner of the Group 2 classic sired by the Artsplace horse.

She joins Spellbound (2022), Princess Tiffany (2021), Our Golden Goddess (2018), Quick Draft (2016) and Majorly Foxy Styx (2015).

A four-year-old, Amore Vita is out of Castellina Lover (1:55.3), a Menangle winner, by McArdle, a Falcon Seelster horse who won in top company in America and belonged to the noted Esther family. Castellina Lover was out of Delizioso (TT1:56.6), by In The Pocket from Vain Franco, by Holmes Hanover from the Oaks winner Van Glory, by Van Dieman.

This family has produced some top pacers down through the years including racemares the calibre of Under Cover Lover, Bettor Cover Lover and Parthenon – all Oaks winners – Amongst Royalty (2YO Filly of the Year), My Exotic Lover and All In Baby.

Chicago Bull’s brother

Perfect Stride, an impressive winner at Menangle last Saturday, is a six-year-old brother by Bettor’s Delight to the former Western Australian pacing standout Chicago Bull.

Bought at the 2018 Christchurch sale for $190,000, Perfect Stride has banked $353,108 from 15 wins and 21 placings in 64 starts.

Chicago Blues, the dam of Chicago Bull and Perfect Stride, was a Christian Cullen mare from the American-bred mare Bluejeanbabyqueen, by Jenna’s Beach Boy from the NZ Oaks winner Pacific Flight (1:51.2).

Isthisjustfantasy Oaks material

Isthisjustfantasy, who won the $30,000 Garrard’s Horse & Hound Gold Chalice at Melton and is regarded as Oaks material of the highest order, is a three-year-old filly by Betting Line from Mistressofillusion, a useful racemare who took a record of 1:55.7.

Bred and raced by Terry and David Lewis, Isthisjustfantasy is a member of the prized Parisienne tribe. Mistressofillusion was a Jereme’s Jet mare from Whodyou Wantmetobe (1:59), by Armbro Operative from Brilliant Disguise, a top broodmare by the Toliver Hanover horse Toliver Bay.

Brilliant Disguise, a Moonee Valley winner, left the Canberra Cup winner Master Of Disguise 1:57.1 ($212,825), the Melton winner Man In Disguise (1:59.3) and Dalmont Jo, a winner of 11 races and $117,603 and dam of The Lombo winner Dalmont Rose.

Republican Party on Chariots trail

Republican Party (Bettor’s Delight), who is being targeted at the Chariots of Fire, led throughout for an effortless win in the $50,000 Hondo Grattan Stakes at his Australian debut at Menangle.

REPUBLICAN PARTY REPLAY

A member of Cran and Chrissie Dalgety’s Christchurch team, he has a good deal more in his favour on the score of blood than most. A four-year-old entire by Bettor’s Delight, Republican Party is out of the American Ideal mare Democrat Party (1:54.9), a NZ Sires Stake champion whose dam was also a top racemare in Champagne Party (1:56.3), the winner of 14 races and dam of the WA Group winner I’m Elsa (1:56.2) and grand-dam of Yankee Party 1:53.7 (NZ Robin Dundee Crown) and last season’s dual NZ Group 1 placegetter Sherlock (1:53.7).

Champagne Party, who ranked as a half-sister to the A. G. Hunter Cup winner Another Party, being out of the Butler B G mare Bee Gee’s Dream, is a member of the family founded by the NZ bred mare Hood’s Polly.

From the Bee Gee’s Dream branch of it and to which Republican Party belongs, other top performers in the 1995 NZ 2YO Filly of the Year Party Party, the Breeders Crown and Jewels winner Cowgirls N Indians, American Boy ($813,351), Democracy (1:50) and LL Cool J (Redcliffe Cup) are also members.

Jilliby Dynamite in form

A double winner at the Summer of Glory carnival at Melton was the Captaintreacherous gelding Jilliby Dynamite, who is expected to make cup class.

Only a five-year-old, he showed up last season as a four-year-old above average when he finished third to Idyllic in the Breeders Crown Graduate. 

Jilliby Dynamite is by an outstanding colt pacer and sire in Captaintreacherous, and one of the first crop of the Somebeachsomewhere horse. He is the first produce of the Australian Pacing Gold winner Jilliby Jitterbug 1:53.4 ($212,480), a Rock N Roll Heaven mare from the dual Group 1 winner Keppel Bay 1:58.3 ($416,151), by Christian Cullen from the grand producer Nickel Castle, by Butler B G.

This is the family that left the dual Vicbred champion Blatant Lie, Mr Nickel (APG 2YO and Tas. Derby), Jilliby Bandit, Veracity Red and Rhodium Castle (Vic. Youthful).

Siring feat to Majestic Son

Rather a notable siring feat was credited to the Angus Hall horse Majestic Son at the all-trotters meeting at Melton last weekend, when he sired four winners on the 10-race card.

His winners were Plymouth Chubb, who won a heat of the Great Southern Star, Ofortuna, Regency and the three-year-old Exalted.

The Alabar Bloodstock stallion was represented by three runners in the Great Southern Star Final – Majestic Man, Majestuoso and Plymouth Chubb.

by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink