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.

Waverider unbeaten two-year-old 

A two-year-old colt to take a high ranking in WA is Waverider, one of the second crop sired by Downbytheseaside, who is standing at Woodlands Stud in Auckland.

He has won his only two starts to date for $66,204. He won the $100,000 APG Sales Classic in runaway fashion in the smart time of 1:55.4, and appears every bit as good as the Sandgropers rate him. 

Waverider is out of Premium Copper, by Major In Art from No Copper Left, by Fake Left from a useful racemare in Copper Strike (1:58.8), by Maple Lane’s Strike and tracing back to the taproot Lady Criterion.

Copper Strike, a WA Sires Produce winner, left the WA Pearl winner Willowleaf Boy, Strike North (17 wins) and Red Hot Copper, dam of the Group 3 winner Copper Beach Girl 1:56.2 ($156,851) and grand-dam of the exported Bettor Be Oscar 1:52.6 ($247,089). 

The Pearl winner The Miki Taker 1:55.6 ($153,529), Caveman (1:51), Strike Team and the Free-for-all pacer Copagrin 1:54.7 ($241,352) also belong to this family.

Waverider was bred by prominent Perth breeder and hobby trainer Mike Howie, of Copper Lodge.

Melton winner from good broodmare

Courageous Saint, a Courage Under Fire eight-year-old and a very impressive winner at Melton, is out of Torridon, a capable racemare who is proving an exceptional broodmare.

Torridon is also the dam of Torrid Saint 1:51.7 ($442,210), a Free-for-all winner who finished second in last year’s Inter Dominion Final, the Tontine winner Saint Flash 1:52.3 ($285,368) and others in Saint Stormy (1:57.2), Four Star Saint (1:57.8), Saint Grace, Saint Tommy and Saint Win. She has since produced the three-year-old Sunshine Saint, a yearling colt by Rock N Roll Heaven and a filly foal by Vincent

They were all bred and raced by Swan Hill enthusiast Noel Watson.

Torridon was a Safely Kept mare from Lauder Lass, by Armbro Aussie from My Double Birdie, by Birdie Hanover from the celebrated Gentry mare Birdie.

Lauder Lass, who won four races, was a half-sister to a top NZ and Victorian pacer in Two Under 1:53.2 ($221,695) and Boom Boom Birdie, dam of the SA Kindergarten winner Hugo Jack, the Albion Park winner Boom Boom Hall (1(1:54.2) and the Melton victor Indigo Bay (1:55.1).

Cheyella bred to be good

Cheyella (Heston Blue Chip), a powerful winner at Melton last weekend and the latest member of the ‘$100,000 Club’, continues to prove herself in the top bracket among the mares in Victoria.

Bred by Ballarat breeder Verna El-Khishin, who also races her, Cheyella is a member of one of NZ’s most successful families, being a five-year-old Heston Blue Chip mare from the handy racemare Chiquita Bromac (1:58.7), a McArdle mare who has produced others in the Vicbred finalist Chirripo (1:56.5) and the Menangle winner Celerina (1:57.5).

Chiquita Bromac was out of Classic Blue Jeans, a noted producer by Camluck from the American-bred mare Oh Please, by Albatross. Chiquita Bromac ranks as a sister to the Manea Classic winner Crown Bromac 1:54.1 ($139,878) and a half-sister to the NZ Franklin Cup winner Attorney General 1:48.4 ($323,098), the Victoria Youthful winner Cullen Bromac 1:55.1 ($131,616) and to the Life Sign mare Crown Defender, dam of the NZ Cup and Free-for-all winner Cruz Bromac 1:50.1 ($1.1million), the Tasmanian Derby placegetter District Attorney (1:55.8) and the Breeders Crown Silver winner Carter Bromac (1:52.4).

Another half-sister to Chiquita Bromac in Crown Counsel (by Western Hanover) left the prolific Menangle and USA winner Our Cullen’s Crown 1:52 ($491,044).

Trotting mile record

A fresh Australasian mile record for a trotting stallion was established by the Muscle Hill horse Aldebaran Zeus of 1:52.6 – bettering the previous record of Caligula by 3/10th second – when he won the $100,000 Hammerhead Trotters Mile at Menangle recently.

Aldebaran Zeus, who has won 17 races – including five at Group 1 level – and $383,930 in stakes, is a member of the same family as the world champion Cash Hall.

Bred and part-owned by Duncan McPherson, principal of Aldebaran Park, he is a five-year-old out of Zoia Boko, a Swedish bred mare by the Italian sire Viking Kronos from Ouzo Boko, an American-bred mare by the Hambletonian winner Victory Dream.

Zoia Boko, who was only lightly raced, was a half-sister to the dual Swedish Crown champion and successful sire Yield Boko 1:54.9 ($814,031. Ouzo Boko was a half-sister to Cash Hall 1:51.2 ($554,298), a successful sire in America, Cartier Hall 1:54.6 ($363,106) and Capetown Hall 1:56.2 ($369,518), all Stakes-winning trotters.

Other members of this fine family include the Swedish Breeders Crown winners Global Badman and Global Catwalk and the top flight US square-gaiters Marseille (1:51.8) and Rome Pays Off (1:52.6).

A rising star from Roger’s Passion

A star three-year-old in Victoria so far this season is Captain Hammerhead (Captaintreacherous), who was bred by the Roger Bazley Syndicate and is owned by Domenic Martello.

A colt by Captaintreacherous, he is out of a top racemare in Roger’s Passion (1:56.6) and the first of her produce to race. He won twice as a two-year-old last season and scored at his second attempt as a three-year-old at Melton last weekend.

Captain Hammerhead looks a colt with the potential one would expect of his breeding.

Sapling Stakes to Soho Spectre

Soho Spectre (Art Major), the season’s latest two-year-old classic winner in beating a useful field in the $50,000 NSW Sapling Stakes at Menangle, gives the impression that he could develop into one of the best his age this season.

SOHO SPECTRE REPLAY

He has won at his only two attempts to date.

Bred by Perth identity Robert Watson, who also races him, Soho Spectre is a well developed colt by Art Major from Delightful Jade, the dam of last year’s Bathurst Gold Bracelet winner Soho Rhapsody 1:53.3 ($112,316).

Their dam, Delightful Jade 1:52 ($241,577), a Group and Listed winner, was a Bettor’s Delight mare from Whitby’s Solitaire, by Booth Hanover from the grand producer Fiscal Miss, by Captain Hook from 

Delightful Jade was a sister to a top WA juvenile in Bettor Bling, who took a record of 1:58.4, won 10 races and $140,115.

A champion racemare in Whitby’s Miss Penny belongs to this family. At one stage Whitby’s Miss Penny won 13 races on end and in all won 32 races including the WA Derby, Oaks, Fremantle Cup and Tatlow Memorial and $568,289 in stakes. The dual Derby winner Ace Of Whitby, Gardy’s Legacy (1:49), Ima Spicey Lombo (Aust. Pacing Championship) and Chook’s Reward are among many good winning members of Soho Spectre’s family.

Stormtide in top form

Stormtide, a son of the American sire Mach Three, has been one of the stars of Queensland racing this season. 

He has won five of his nine starts including four at Albion Park and has worked his way back to an NR70 mark.

Stormtide is closely related to the top Victorian juvenile Jilliby Nitro, whose nine successes include the Australian Pacing Gold and Bathurst Gold Crown.

A six-year-old, Stormtide is by Mach Three from Aquae Sulis, a NZ bred mare by Beach Towel who produced earlier winners in Tidal Surge (1:56.8) and Mach Diva (1:57.9). Aquae Sulis, who won three races, was out of Motoring With Janet, an unraced mare by New York Motoring from Sweet And Lovely, by Vance Hanover from the Scottish Hanover mare Equality and tracing eventually to the taproot Moonbeam (by Rothschild).

Equality was the dam of the Wellington Cup winner Machismo 1:55 ($107,731) and Go Vance 1:52.8 ($126,012), both of whom raced successfully in America, and Equalizer, a winner at Moonee Valley and Albion Park.

First winner by Ohoka Punter

The Bettor’s Delight horse Ohoka Punter, a dual Derby winner and now at Egmont Park stud in Queensland, was represented by his first winner when the two-year-old colt Just Callme Torque was successful in a heat of the SA Kindergarten Series at Globe Derby Park.

Just Callme Torque was having only his second start.

Bred and raced by Brisbane identity Ian Corazzol, Just Callme Torque is out of the Courage Under Fire mare Torque Of Courage (1:56.9) whose dam, the New York Motoring mare Hot Reaction, left several useful winners including a smart racemare in Effective Torque (1:57), dam of the good Albion Park winner Mach Torque 1:55.4 ($124,695).

by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink