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.

Better Be The Best is NSW’s top three-year-old

The Shoobees Place colt Better Be The Best is NSW’s top three-year-old to date this season. He has won nine races with a second from his 11 starts – an early miscue putting him out of the race at his other appearance at Bathurst.

In one of his winning appearances – at Menangle – he took out the $200,000 NSW Derby beating the best three-year-olds in the country. He has won his last six starts and will look to further extend his record in the $150,000 NSW Breeders Challenge Final at Menangle on Sunday.

Better Be The Best is by the Artsplace horse Shoobees Place, a smart youngster himself and now at the stud in Western Australia. Shoobees Place is out of the Jate Lobell mare Shoobeedoaday, a member of the noted Golden Miss tribe, which has produced a host of top sires including Rocknroll Hanover, Panorama, Grinfromeartoear and Safely Kept.

BETTER BE THE BEST REPLAY

On his dam’s side, Better Be The Best has something in his favour. His dam Patch Maguire (1:57.9), by Bettor’s Delight, was a sister to the prolific Albion Park and USA winner Lachie Maguire 1:50.4 ($641,196), the Perth winner Better Scoot 1:57.3 ($133,844) and the top Tasmanian mare Jessie Maguire and a half-sister to a cup class pacer in Mikey Maguire 1:56 ($158,802).

Their dam, Miss Jubilee, was a half-sister to the Bendigo Cup winner Sammy Maguire 1:57 ($199,354) and the good Menangle winner JB Maguire (1:54.5).

This is the family which also produced the Inter Dominion champion Tiger Tara, Power Of Tara (Fremantle Cup), Stingray Tara, Matthew Lee (NZ Easter Cup), the dual Interdom heat winner A G’s White Socks and the Breeders Crown champion Tango Tara.

Group siring double

The Alabar Bloodstock stallion Always B Miki took the siring honours at Gloucester Park with a Group 3 double last Friday.

Mister Smartee, a NZ bred three-year-old, led throughout in the $50,000 Western Gateway to make it four wins from as many starts on Australian soil, while the four-year-old Taking The Miki won the $50,000 The Schrader for fillies and mares.

Mister Smartee is the second foal out of the unraced Stonebridge Regal mare Luna Danza, a daughter of the top racemare Lento and thus a member of the same family as Whanau (Nevele R Fillies Series), Strauss (Nyah Cup), Vintage Cheddar, Followthewind, Our Toto and so on.

Taking The Miki, a WA Oaks winner, was bred by John Coffey and is from the Bettor’s Delight mare All American Dream (1:58.7) and the first of her produce. All American Dream, a winner of four races, ranks as a half-sister to the Perth winner Trois Fontaine, being out of River Valley Dream, by Artsplace from Maheer Queen, by Holmes Hanover and tracing to the taproot Polly (by Hood’s).

Star four-year-old by Bettor’s Delight

My Ultimate Ronnie (Bettor’s Delight), who is WA Golden Nugget bound, won a semi-final of the NSW Breeders Challenge for four-year-olds at Menangle with a good deal to spare and looks the one to beat in Saturday night’s $50,000 Final.

A placegetter in the Breeders Challenge at two and three, My Ultimate Ronnie has really come into his own this season, winning seven of his 15 starts and $232,173.

A strongly built entire by Bettor’s Delight, possessing both speed and stamina, My Ultimate Ronnie is a particularly ‘easy going’ young pacer and was bred by Ron and the late Kay Littler of Orchard Hills (NSW), who knocked down for $60,000 at the Australian Pacing Gold Sydney sale in 2020. His total stake earnings are $358,135.

My Ultimate Ronnie’s dam, Gifted Bliss (1:54.5), was a useful mare, being by Blissfull Hall from Lotus Lobell (2:00.2), also a handy pacer, and by the Bret Hanover line stallion Jeremy Lobell, sire of the 2004 Inter Dominion champion Jofess.

Gifted Bliss, who won 10 races, also produced the Listed winner Little Bliss 1:51.2 ($211,406). She was a half-sister to the Hondo Grattan and Tamworth Cup winner Better Than Max 1:51.5 ($178,217), Major Statement 1:54.9 ($116,534) and the Menangle victor Jenelles Tristar (1:53).

Mach Da Vinci in 1:49.4

Mach Da Vinci (Art Major) has joined the growing list of horses to enter the 1:50 list in Australia. He recorded 1:49.4 when he was successful in the Kevin Robinson Free-for-all at Menangle last Saturday.

MACH DA VINCI REPLAY

By the Artsplace horse Art Major – a champion pacer and sire – Mach Da Vinci is from Mach’s Love (1:58), by Mach Three (son of Matt’s Scooter) from the Live Or Die mare Love To Live, dam of Terror To Love, a triple NZ Cup winner and one of the finest pacers bred in NZ.

Mach Da Vinci was bred by Christchurch identity Terry McDonald.

Tatlow Stakes winner

One of the most promising young trotters racing in Victoria is Kyvalley Maven (Tactical Landing), bred and owned by Melbourne businessman Jim Connelly. A two-year-old gelding, Kyvalley Maven won the $30,000 Tatlow Stakes at Melton last weekend and before that the $50,000 Vicbred Platinum Home Grown Classic.

Kyvalley Maven has a background of trotting blood second to none. His sire, Tactical Landing, has left this year’s Hambletonian champion Tactical Approach and other American stakes winners in Mommamia Volo, Karl, Mambacita and Tactical Mounds.

His dam, Kyvalley Paris, is by Majestic Son, the leading sire of trotters for many years. Kyvalley Maven ranks as a half-brother to the Vicbred champion and country cups star Kyvalley Finn.

Kyvalley Paris, who was only lightly raced, was a half-sister to the top trotters Kyvalley Boomerang and Flash Kyvalley and others in Kyvalley Topcat and Kyvalley Roy.

The family, which traces to Polly (by Hood’s), has produced a string of top flight square-gaiters including the Dominion Handicap winner Chiola Cola, Indette, Inda Bank, Continental Auto, Maximiser and Chissy, all Group winners.

Siblings win at Albion Park

It was no mean feat for the half-brothers Blacksadance (A Rocknroll Dance) and Awaywego (Sunshine Beach) to win on the same night at Albion Park last Saturday. Blacksadance has now won 26 races and $358,373 in stakes, while Awaywego has totted up 11 wins and $160,768.

Both were bred by northern NSW dairy farmer John Polson.

Washington Lass (1:55.6), the dam of Blacksadance and Awaywego, was a Washington VC mare out of Supreme Duchess, by Son Of Afella from Sparkle Bret, by Knowing Bret and tracing eventually to the celebrated matron First Water.

A half-sister to the Gloucester Park winner Julius Supreme, Washington Lass, who won nine races, also produced the dual QBred Triad victor Big Wheels 1:52.1 ($307,112) and this season’s APG Gold Bullion and QBred Triad heat winner Attachment (1:56.5).

A star from Arms Of An Angel

A star four-year-old mare in Victoria so far this season is Nonparreil, who was bred by Alabar Bloodstock.

A mare by Always B Miki, she is out of a top racemare in Arms Of Angel (1:49.5) and the first of her produce to race. She won the Vicbred Silver at Bendigo and a race for fillies and mares at Melton.

Nonparreil, who is owned by Ladbroke’s Racing Club Sydnicate and trained by Jess Tubbs, looks a very smart racemare.

Leading sire’s absence a loss

Aldebaran Dexta’s (Aldebaran Eagle) convincing win in The Lang Trot at the Geelong Cup meeting further demonstrated the loss of Aldebaran Eagle to breeders.

With only a few representatives racing, the Muscle Hill horse has sired Rockinwithattitude, a dual Derby and Oaks winner, Aldebaran Jensen (APTS Sales 3YO Classic), Dichotomy, who has won three races and looks one of the best young trotters in the country, Aldebaran Boyd and Aldebaran Stiles.

A four-year-old and one of Aldebaran Eagle’s first crop, Aldebaran Dexta has won nine of his 18 starts to date.

In all, Aldebaran Eagle progeny have won almost $680,000 at an average of a healthy $26,100 per starter.

by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink