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.

Chariots of Fire prospect 

Heza Son Of Agun (Art Major), a Victorian four-year-old, stamped himself as a genuine candidate for the Chariots of Fire when he defeated a top field in the Group 3 Paleface Adios Stakes at Menangle in 1:50.7. 

It was his 10th success and lifted his lifetime bankroll to $281,040. 

Bred by Melbourne couple Tony and Pam Coniglio, who also race him, Heza Son Of Agun is an entire, being by Art Major from the smart racemare Itz Nosurprisesthere (by McArdle), a winner of three Oaks classics. She left earlier winners in Itzamajor Surprise (1:56.1), a brother to Heza Son Of Agun, who won the Breeders Crown 3YO Silver, and Itz Longtall Sally (1:57.5). 

Itz Nosurprisesthere is out of Itz Queen Of Newyork, by New York Motoring from the Clever Innocence mare Itz Regal, a half-sister to the one-time NZ mares’ mile record holder Itz Magic (TT1:55.6). 

Itz Nosurprisesthere was a half-sister to the exported Itz Cherry Ripe 1:51.4 ($573,127) and to Itz All About Me, dam of the NZ Kindergarten Stakes and Franklin Cup winner Itz Bettor To Win 1:54.3 ($218,092). 

Sibelia Stakes winner 

The Bettor’s Delight mare Braeview Kelly, the brilliant end-to-end winner of the $50,000 Sibelia Stakes at Menangle, is the latest qualifier for the $200,000 Queen Elizabeth II Mile on February 25. 

Braveview Kelly has won eight of her 11 starts in NSW including six inside 1:52 – she holds a lifetime mark of 1:49.6 – and there is no doubt that she is a young mare of considerable potential. 

Bred by Katie Carville, she is a five-year-old mare by Bettor’s Delight from Idolise, by American Ideal from Imprint (1:58.4), by Life Sign from the grand producer Impish (1:54.9), by Falcon Seelster. The family, which traces to the decorated American mare Jessie Pepper, produced a champion pacer in King Of Swing (1:47.9), who won 44 races, including three Miracle Miles, two A. G. Hunter Cups and $3.3million, and other top pacers in the dual Oaks winner Bettor Twist, Mach Dan (1:50.6), Am Opulent and Feels Like Magic (1:51.). 

An interesting feature of Braeview Kelly’s pedigree is that it has a double strain of the blood of the USA Hall of Fame mare Three Diamonds through her damsire American Ideal and grand-dam sire Life Sign. 

Won The Knight Pistol 

The $50,000 The Knight Pistol, a leg of the Aurora Australis series for trotters held at Melton, was won by the Majestic Son gelding Plymouth Chubb, whose career was in doubt last year because of a fractured hind pastern. 

Plymouth Chubb enjoyed a saloon passage throughout and finally won decisively from Sleepee, Majestic Man and Mufasa Metro. 

Bred and owned by Gary Benson, Plymouth Chubb is a four-year-old gelding by Majestic Son, an Angus Hall horse who is a leading sire of trotters, from Pocket Fantasy, by In The Pocket from the Group 3 trotting winner Kim’s Fantasy (20 wins), by Smooth Falcon – a predominance of straight out trotting blood. 

Plymouth Chubb is the ninth foal of Pocket Fantasy, whose family includes such trotters as Dublin Chubb (Tatlow Stakes), My Skypocket ($132,768), Edge Hill (1:55.6), Garston Girl (1:57.3), Speedy Naomi and Kimmywho, all trotters of some worth. 

Sixth win on end 

The New Zealand bred five-year-old Outlaw Man (Sweet Lou) won his sixth race on end when he led throughout in intermediate company at Melton. He is by the Yankee Cruiser horse Sweet Lou, sire of a top Grand Circuit pacer in Spirit Of St Louis. 

Outlaw Man is out of the In The Pocket mare Eagles In My Pocket (1:59.1), who was sister to Sky Beauty (1:58.4), dam of the NZ 2YO Colt of the Year and triple Jewels champion Sky Major 1:50.4 ($825,538) and a half-sister to Eagles Together 1:52 ($333,541), a Thames Pacing Cup winner who later competed successfully in America, the Albion Park winners Regal Eagle 1:54.4 ($153,680) and Galactic Eagle 1:54 ($150,890) and this week’s Newcastle winner Sky Diamond (1:54.3). 

Outlaw Man ranks as a half-brother to the talented North Island pacer New York Minute (1:56.3), a winner of 11 races to date and $118,649, and Busy Being Fabulous (TT1:57). 

King Of Swing’s half-brother 

An interesting member of Luke and Belinda McCarthy’s Cobbitty team is a three-year-old half-brother by A Rocknroll Dance to the champion pacer and thrice Miracle Mile winner King Of Swing in Rocknroll Hammer. He won in 1:52.4 at his second start at Menangle. 

He is a big, well grown three-year-old and was knocked down at auction for $90,000 at the 2021 Auckland yearling sales. 

The A Rocknroll Dance was the subject of widespread interest because of the fact that he was a half-brother to King Of Swing and also the dual Oaks winner Bettor Twist and Extreme Stride. 

WA Group 3 winner from good broodmare 

Bettor Get It On, winner of the Group 3 $50,000 The Laurie Kennedy at Gloucester Park, continues to prove herself in the top bracket among the mares in WA. 

BETTOR GET IT ON REPLAY

A six-year-old by Bettor’s Delight, she is out of the Art Major mare It’s All On, dam also of the Group 3 Higgins Memorial winner Mr Fantastic 1:56.3 ($105,380). It’s All On, who won twice, is a half-sister to the Morrinsville Juvenile winner Sound Of Thunder 1:57.4 ($134,841) and Presido 1:56 ($153,575), being out of Rare Class, by In The Pocket from Rare Gift, by Lordship from Halter Prize, by Mark Lobell from the Lucky Hanover mare Lucky Lea. 

Rare Class was a half-sister to the WA Derby winner Ace Of Spades 1:56.5 ($135,620), the Moonee Valley victor Mighty Rare and to Rare And Smooth, dam of the NZ Listed winner  Flask 1:53.4 ($133,873). 

Other members of this family, which was founded in NZ by Goosey, were the NZ Cup winner Homin Hosed, Kiwi Ideal (1:50), Majestic Kiwi, Knightly (Rotorua Cup), McBeth’s Boy (Gore Cup) and the top NSW trotter On Thunder Road. 

A star from Frith 

A star filly in NSW so far is Peaceful (Sweet Lou), who was bred and is raced by Wagga couple Bernie and Dianne Kelly. 

A filly by Sweet Lou, she is out of a champion racemare in Frith 1:50.1 ($1.1million) and the first of her produce to race. She won three races as a two-year-old last season and at only appearance this season at Menangle and looks a three-year-old with the potential one would expect of her breeding. 

First winner 

The American Ideal horse My Hard Copy, a dual WA Pacing Cup winner who died last year at the outset of his stud career, was represented by his first winner when the two-year-old Copy Cat Queen was successful on debut recently at Narrogin. 

COPY CAT QUEEN REPLAY

My Hard Copy was only lightly used at the stud in WA and has had very few runners. 

Bred by Bill Hayes, Copy Cat Queen is out of the Jet Laag mare Luvya Maddy Lombo whose dam, Magic Maddy Lombo, left several useful winners including a top ranking pacer in Suave Stuey Lombo (1:49.6), a winner of 33 races and $587,032. 

ASBA annual meeting  

A proposal from the WA Standardbred Breeders Association to return to the rotation system for the Inter Dominion Championships was one of the key points of the annual meeting of the Australian Standardbred Breeders Association held recently. 

WASBA delegate Jeanine Diederich indicated that the rotational Inter Dominion provided encouragement to local participants in each state and with over 9,000 individual starters in Australia in a season, significant funding would be available if something as simple as $100 per season per horse was introduced. 

ASBA stated that it will support the concept and work with WASBA. 

Delegates agreed that the system relating to stallion certificates needed to be upgraded to an online system with stallion proprietors updating the stud book database electronically. 

John Mooney, the Executive Manager of the NZ Standardbred Breeders Association, was the special guest at the meeting. He addressed a range of topics including the change of the racing season, the need to improve fillies and mares racing opportunities, the decline in funding of the industry from the NZ TAB, animal welfare, transport regulations and standards and practices, racing numbers, and consultation with clubs and participants needs serious effort from all leaders. 

by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink