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.

Victoria Cup winner

Victoria’s Grand Circuit race for pacers, the $300,000 Victoria Cup, run at Melton, was won by the Somebeachsomewhere entire Act Now, who was almost scratched from the Group 1 after an incident in the birdcage.

Act Now was back in his field in the early running but mounted a paralysing finishing burst to prevail in a photo finish from Catch A Wave, Leap To Fame and Rock N Roll Doo.

Bred by Ballarat identity Bruce Edward, who races him with his wife Vicki, Act Now has been a winner at Group level every season from two to five years.

He is a five-year-old entire by Somebeachsomewhere, a Mach Three horse who is a champion sire and broodmare sire, from the unraced Molly’s Ideal, by American Ideal from the American mare Molly’s Lucky Star ((1:54.4), by Bettor’s Delight from Pacific Destiny, by Artsplace.

Act Now is the first produce of Molly’s Ideal, the dam of others in Talk Time (1:54.6) and Castella Dellacqua (1:56.5). Others from the immediate family have been the former top WA juvenile Askmeilltellya 1:54.8 ($140,006), Pin Stripes (1:53.7) and Shallow Beach.

Petracca top three-year-old

Petracca, a good looking Captaintreacherous colt, is rated Victoria’s top three-year-old for the season, particularly after his success in the $200,000 Victoria Derby, one of the season’s major three-year-old classics. He has won six of his seven starts and $222,400 in stakes.

Petracca ranks as a brother to the top flight racemare Treachery 1:52.9 ($312,949), being a colt by the Somebeachsomewhere horse Captaintreacherous from the Breeders Crown champion Lovelist 1:53.2 ($222,889), by Always A Virgin.

Lovelist, who won 18 races, was out of the grand producer Lifeline, by Classic Garry from the Windshield Wiper mare Larrakeyah Lady, who established a good winning line for Bruce and Craig Cameron, who bred Petracca, and Maryborough breeder Peter Gleeson.

Lovelist was a half-sister to the SA Southern Cross winner Punch Line (1:54.2), dam of the Group 3 winner He’s Ideal (1:54.7), and to Secret Life (1:58.6), dam of the NSW Derby winner Major Secret 1:55.1 ($464,872) and the Victoria Oaks winner Beauty Secret 1:52.4 ($425,921) and the second dam of Perfect Major, Rogue Wave and Perfect Class, who finished second in the Victoria Derby.

The Larrakeyah Lady family has had a terrific influence on Australian breeding through several branches.

Breeding of Victoria Oaks winner 

Sweet Bella, who won the $150,000 Victoria Oaks, one of the feature races on Victoria Cup night at Melton, is a Sweet Lou filly from the same family as that which produced the top New Zealand stayer Turn It Up.

Sweet Bella, who captured the Nutrien Equine Classic earlier in the season, has only been lightly raced but she has shown up as a very useful pacer, and it was a strong field she beat at Melton.

Bred by Kaye and the late Martin Harnett, she is out of Illawong Bella (1:59.6), by Bettor’s Delight from the Western Ideal mare O Narutac Bella (1:51.2), who was imported by Ballarat enthusiast Bruce Edward.

Besides Illawong Bella, O Narutac Bella, a winner of 11 races and $154,536, left the Auckland Cup and Harness Jewels victor Turn It Up 1:51.8 ($791,909), the Southern Cross winner Treasure 1:54.9 ($161,402), the Group or Listed winners Narutac Prince 1:52.6 ($167,373) and Perfect Sense 1:55.5 ($143,530).

Queen Elida the best

The Love You mare Queen Elida achieved yet another moment of glory in a brilliant career when she chalked up her eighth Group 1 win in the $75,000 Bill Collins Sprint at Melton.

Her superlative success from the front end boosted her seasonal earnings to $302,770 and her lifetime tally to $626,565.

Queen Elida won in the manner of a true champion and her mile rate of 1:54.4 for 1720 metres from behind the mobile barrier was only 1.3 seconds outside Tornado Valley’s race record.

Now in her fourth season of racing, Queen Elida boasts the enviable record of 29 wins and 14 placings from 47 starts.

Queen Elida’s dam, Queen Kenny, belongs to a noted family. She was by Monarchy from Nice One Kenny, by Sundon from the Pointer Hanover mare Frances Jay Bee, who established one of NZ’s foremost trotting families. It included such winners as millionairess One Over Kenny, One Over Da Moon, Ultimate Stride, One Over All, One Majic Kenny and One Kenny.

Rakero Rebel’s Make Mine Cullen

Rakero Rebel (Rock N Roll Heaven), the longshot winner of the $30,000 Somerset Farms The Make Mine Cullen at Melton, has now won five races in Victoria and is rated one of the brightest prospects in her class. 

She ranks as a four-year-old half-sister by Rock N Roll Heaven to the NZ country cups winner Plutonium Lady 1:54.2 ($212,464) and the exported Wah’s Fire Bug 1:51.4 ($225,214).

Timeless Perfection (1:56.9), the dam of Rakero Rebel, Plutonium Lady and Wah’s Fire Bug, was a Christian Cullen mare from the American-bred Sirius Flight (1:54.4), by The Big Dog from the NZ Oaks winner Pacific Flight (1:51.2) and has proved a most successful broodmare. She is also the dam of the Australian winners Show Me Heaven (1:55) and Time Traveller (1:58.2) and the NZ winner First Class Lady (1:57.4).

The winner of seven races, Timeless Perfection was a half-sister to the good NZ and American winner Malak Uswaad 1:49.4 ($566,058), the Menangle winner Red Moon Rising (1:52.6), Down To The Bone (1:56.9) and the unraced Lady Moonlight, dam of the multiple NSW and Victorian Group winner Blue Moon Rising 1:52.8 ($234,205).

A sister to Timeless Perfection in Miss Moonlite Shadow left the exported Mighty Mr Sharkey 1:50.4 ($282,972), the Menangle and Albion Park victor Ranger Bomb 1:50.7 ($121,125) and Teddy Baker (1:54).

This has been one of the most successful branches of the Black Watch family, Sirius Flight being a half-sister to the USA Stakes winner Droppinthehammer 1:50.2 ($323,617), the Group winning sire Flight N Irish and to Bluejeanbayqueen, grand-dam of the champion Western Australian pacer Chicago Bull.

Won James Brennan Memorial

The $100,000 James Brennan Memorial, one of the features of the spring carnival at Gloucester Park, was won by the Mach Three gelding Jumpingjackmac. He led from the pole and was not in danger of defeat over the last 800 metres.

A five-year-old, Jumpingjackmac is out of Jumpforjoy (1:55.8), winner of the NZ Southland Oaks as a three-year-old. Jumpforjoy, who left others in Somejoy (1:53.2) and Allaboutjoy (1:56.4), was by Bettor’s Delight from a capable racemare in Joyfulbelle (1:56.3), by Road Machine from Rockne Dell, by Rockne Lobell.

Rockne Dell founded a good winning branch of the Rosalie family. Others belonging to it include the Vicbred champion Joyful, Joyfuljoy (NZ Jewels), Bettor Joy (1:50.2), Majorpride (WA Diamond) and Bernie Winkle (64 wins).

Up-and-coming trotters

Two outstanding young trotters to race at the spring carnival at Melton were Shes Ruby Roo, from Myrning, and the Romsey trotter Arcee Phoenix, both closely related and both Group 1 winners.

Shes Ruby Roo, who won the $75,000 Victoria Trotters Oaks and the Need For Speed Princess, is a three-year-old filly by the Andover Hall horse Creatine, and one of his second crop.

Bred by Benstud Standardbreds, Shes Ruby Roo has won six races this season and $108,686 in stakes. She is a very smart youngster.

Arcee Phoenix, winner of the $100,000 Vicbred Super Series Final and a booming second in the Bill Collins Sprint, was bred and is part-owner by Finley (NSW) enthusiast Ashley Haynes.

He is a four-year-old by Trixton out of Justa Phoenix, by Sundon from Byrdie Num Num (8 trotting wins), by half-sister by Speed Supreme to Dodo Rocket, grand-dam of Shes Ruby Roo.

This family has consistently produced a number of top square-gaiters over the years. They include the Vicbred champions Eljaykay Phoenix and Princess Phoenix and the Inter Dominion heat winner Ofortuna.

My Sweet Sabrina is promising

One of the most capable young pacing mares racing in NSW at present is My Sweet Sabrina, who has quickly won her way to the top flight. She has won six of her last seven starts including a semi-final of the NSW Breeders Challenge and a 1:51.3 winning effort at Wagga.

My Sweet Sabrina has a background of blood to back up her claims to further promotion, being by Always B Miki from the broodmare gem Sabrina Bromac, by Live Or Die from Soho, by Sholty Imp and tracing eventually to the taproot Purple Patch.

My Sweet Sabrina ranks as a half-sister to the prolific Melton winner Smudge Bromac 1:53.2 ($460,958), the Listed winners Ardle McArdle 1:53.3 ($280,014), Slick Bromac 1:57.3 ($256,107) and Simba Bromac 1:52.8 ($229,529) and the Victoria Sapling Stakes winner Tuscan Breeze (1:56).

by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink