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 to Catch A Wave 

Australia’s premier race for four-year-olds, the $250,000 Chariots of Fire, run at Menangle, was won by the Captaintreacherous gelding Catch A Wave, who wore down the pacesetting Captain Ravishing (also by Captaintreacherous), rated the top four-year-old of his year, in a new lifetime mark of 1:49.1. 

He has now won three of his four starts this season; Captain Ravishing has won one of his two starts this term. 

Bred by Benstud Standardbreds and Peter and Zilla O’Shea, Catch A Wave was sold for $82,000 to the late Richard Matthews at the 2020 Australian Pacing Gold sale in Melbourne. He was a grand type of yearling and has developed into a beautiful four-year-old. 

Coppagoodone, the dam of Catch A Wave, was Christian Cullen mare from the dual Oaks winner Copper Beach, by Beach Towel from Les Payzen Star, by Payson’s Brother from Interchange, by New York Motoring, 

Coppagoodone (1:57), who won twice, left earlier winners in Bettor Copagoodone 1:54.5 ($103,51) and a smart three-year-old in Yambukian (by Bettor’s Delight), who took a record of 1:55.4 at three and has banked $131,850 to date. 

Coppagoodone was a half-sister to the NZ and Australian Oaks winner De Lovely (1:54), who won six Group 1 races and $613,355, and the country cups winner Zadaka 1:54.4 ($203,066). 

CATCH A WAVE REPLAY

The most distinguished member of this family was a champion pacer in Elsu, who won at Grand Circuit level on both sides of the Tasman. Elsu was a champion in his own right – he won 27 races and $2,030,796 in stakes including the Inter Dominion Grand Final, A. G. Hunter Cup, Auckland Cup (twice), Chariots of Fire and the NZ and NSW Derbies. 

Others from this family included Revonez, a smart pacer who won the NZ Sires Stakes Championship as a two-year-old, a multiple Group winner in Sirletic, Queen Shenandoah and Beltane (1:51.4). 

Newcastle Mile winner 

The Mach Three gelding Mach Dan, who overcame a torrid passage to win the $100,000 Newcastle Mile for the second time, is the first qualifier for the $1million Garrard’s Miracle Mile at Menangle on March 4. 

Mach Dan has won 22 races including 10 at Group level and $781,585 in stakes and there is no doubt that he is in the top bracket among the free-for-all pacers in this country. 

Bred by Parwan (Vic.) couple Shannon and Meaghan Nixon, Mach Dan is a six-year-old gelding by Mach Three from a fine racemare in Bettor Give It 1:57.4 ($138,061), by Bettor’s Delight from the grand producer Giveitawhirlgirl, by Jenna’s Beach Boy. 

Bettor Give It ranks as a half-sister to the NZ Sires Stakes 3YO Championship winner Twist And Twirl 1:56 ($283,258), dam of the thrice Miracle Mile winner and dual Horse of the Year King Of Swing 1:47.9 ($3.3million) and the outstanding racemare Bettor Twist 1:52.1 ($605,437). 

She is also a half-sister to the dual Group 3 winner Feels Like Magic (20 wins and $261,728), who took a record of 1:51 in America, and others in Spandau Ballet (1:58.9), Flying Loose (1:59.5) and Double Twist (1:59.7).  

Tilly too tough 

Tough Tilly (Captaintreacherous), who is Queen Elizabeth II Mile bound, cemented herself in the top bracket among the mares in the country when she won the $50,000 Robin Dundee Stakes at Menangle. 

It was her seventh Group success and her mile in 1:51.1 was put up when she had nothing in her favour, drawing the outside in a field of 10 and having to sit parked throughout. She is a very good mare. 

Tough Tilly, who has won her way back to an NR120 mark, has run up an outstanding record, having won 16 races with 11 placings from 33 starts for $590,883. 

By Captaintreacherous from the Art Major mare Beninjurd, she is a grand type of mare who was bred and is part-owned by one of Australia’s leading trotting nurseries, Benstud Standardbreds.  

Beninjurd left a top ranking juvenile in Centenario 1:53.4 ($332,520), the APG Gold Bullion 2YO winner Lightning Dan 1:52.6 ($164,182) and Somedan 1:55.9 ($182,790). She was a sister to the top pacer and dual Inter Dominion winner Philadelphia Man, a winner of six races in Group company.  

Five wins on end 

Valentines Brook, a son of the American sire Rock N Roll Heaven, who stands at Alabar Bloodstock, has been one of the stars of the summer racing at Gloucester Park. 

He won five consecutive races varying from 1730 metres to 2536 metres. His winning run over 1730 metres in a mile rate of 1:53.3 was a new lifetime mark. 

Valentines Brook is a half-brother to the former Australian 2YO and 3YO Colt of the Year Our Waikiki Beach 1:50.4 ($1million), who won his first 19 starts as a two and three-year-old, and the Group winning WA three-year-old Bechers Brook 1:48.2 ($376,549). Both later competed with real distinction in North America. 

Valentines Brook is by Rock N Roll Heaven from Cyclone Betty, by Bettor’s Delight from Princess Kenru, by Albert Albert from the Windshield Wiper mare Matt’s Claim, dam of the five-time Group 1 winner Chandon and the WA Derby winner Sallinger. 

Cyclone Betty, who won nine races, was a half-sister to the Melton and Gloucester Park winner Shifting Sand 1:54.7 ($102,953) and from the same family as the WA Diamond Classic winner Before Night Falls, Soho Dow Jones (Vicbred Homegrown 2YO), Soho Sinatra (1:51.8), Out To Kill, Eclectic and the prolific Gloucester Park winner Elteei. 

NSW Oaks heat winners 

Two outstanding young fillies to win heats of the NSW Oaks were Soho Seraphine (Betting Line), from Victoria, and the NZ filly Kahlua Flybye (Bettor’s Delight), both belong to top ranking NZ families. 

Soho Seraphine, who won the Allied Express Classic as a two-year-old, is a filly by the Little Brown Jug winner Betting Line, and one of his second crop. She looks certain to be a force in the major three-year-old classics. 

Bred and raced by Robert Watson, she is the first foal out of the multiple Group placegetter Angel Bromac NZ (1:56.9), a Mach Three mare from Amaretto Bromac, by Falcon Seelster from Arma Class, by Talk About Class from the prized matron Ar Miss. 

This family has produced a number of good winners over the years. Honolua Bay, winner of the A. G. Hunter Cup, the Nutrien Equine 2YO Classic winner Somethin Bout Eily and Spankem (NZ Taylor Mile) are recent winners from it. 

Kahlua Flybye, who is rated by experienced judges as one of the best fillies in the Dominion, is raced by NZ’s leading Standardbred nursery Woodlands Stud, who bred her. She looks to have terrific potential. 

She is a three-year-old by Bettor’s Delight from Ideal Flybye (1:58.1), dam also of the NSW provincial winner Ideal Sports Girl (1:56.2). Ideal Flybye ranked as a sister to the exported Ivana Flybye (1:49.8), being an American Ideal mare from Cathy’s Flybye, a Caprock mare from the noted Wild Rose II family. 

By Rock N Roll World 

Rock N Roll World, a well performed Rocknroll Hanover horse from a champion racemare in Worldly Beauty, by Artsplace, and who died last year after only three seasons at the stud, was recently represented by his first Australian winner in the two-year-old colt Maximum Rock. 

He came from last at the bell to win at his third start at Albany.  

Before going to Australia, Rock N Roll World was only lightly used at the stud in America and he has had very few runners.  

Maximum Rock, who is the first foal of the Gloucester Park winner Life To The Max (1:59.2), a half-sister to the Group placegetter Jesse Allwood, is a well developed colt and promises to be a very good stayer. 

Common Courtesy bred to be good 

Common Courtesy, who has won twice in metropolitan company at Melton this season, is a Tintin In America mare from the same family as that which produced a smart Victorian mare in Ideal Lifestyle, who later won in America. 

Common Courtesy, a Vicbred finalist as a four-year-old, has been a difficult horse to produce at her peak owing to feet problems, but she has shown up as a very useful pacer, and it was a handy field she beat at Melton. 

By the McArdle horse Tintin In America, now at the stud in the NSW Riverina, Common Courtesy is out of Helens Paradise (1:59.5), by Metropolitan from the Albert Albert mare Trebla Trebla (1:58.5), who left six in 2:00 including Ideal Lifestyle 1:50.3 ($320,318), Bettor Downunder 1:53.2 ($134,067) and last year’s The Graduate winner and Vicbred and Breeders Crown finalist Khafaji 1:54.4 ($124,470). 

Trebla Trebla, who won 12 races, was a sister to the Harold Park winner Dash Of Class 1:55.8 ($175,997), being out of Norwood Topsie, by New York Motoring from Tabella Topsie, by Windshield Wiper from a fine racemare in Gyressa, dam of the Victoria country cups ‘king’ Its Motor Power. 

by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink