Weekly spotlight on breeding

$1 million The Nullarbor winner

Western Australia’s richest race, the inaugural $1 million The Nullarbor, was won by Betterzippit, a highly fancied harness racing gelding by Betterthancheddar from Nile Star.

Bettezippit was back in his field in the early running but raced to the front two laps from home and finally won decisively from Spirit Of St Louis, Jumpingjackmac and Steel The Show.

Bred by Alabar Bloodstock, Betterzippit began racing in New Zealand as a three-year-old with Tamahare horseman Sean McCaffrey, winning four races with three placings from 13 starts. He won once at four years before being sold to prominent NSW owner Mick Boots.

Betterzippit has won six of his seven starts in Australia for a whopping $628,851 and has taken a mile mark of 1:48.6 at Menangle. He is one of the success stories of Australian racing.

BETTERZIPPIT REPLAY

He is a five-year-old gelding by Betterthancheddar, a Bettor’s Delight horse who sired winners in NZ, Australia and America, from the unraced Nile Star, by Mach Three from New York On Sunday, by New York Motoring from Soky’s Sunday, by Soky’s Atom and tracing to the taproot Mona R.

Betterzippit ranks as a half-brother to the prolific Albion Park winner Targaryen 1:51.9 ($129,661), their dam, Nile Star being a half-sister to the exported Asoka 1:53.4 ($205,008) and to the Australian winners Boy From Ipanema (1:59.8), Gottaluva Sunday (1:58.6), Yellow Taxi (1:58.8) and White Pointer (1:59.5).

Other members of this fine family have been the NSW Simpson Sprint winner Niobium (1:58), Davy Maguire (WA Winter Cup), Harrison Maguire (Whyalla Cup) and the WA Golden Slipper victor Mitch Maguire (1:50.2).

More Sass unbeaten two-year-old filly

Brisbane trainer Shannon Price, who has a grand record in producing star juvenile pacers and trotters, produced a grand two-year-old filly at Albion Park in More Sass.

She stretched her unbeaten winning sequence to three when she effortlessly won the $50,000 APG Gold Bullion in 1:57.8 over 1660 metres.

By Sweet Lou, and one of the largest crop of the Yankee Cruiser horse, she is out of Ideally American, a lightly raced mare by American Ideal from Snug Harbor, by Bettor’s Delight from Erin Brockovich, a sister to the mighty Courage Under Fire.

More Sass is the first produce of Ideally American, who ranks as a half-sister to the Group 3 winner Redbank Addi 1:51.4 ($222,414) and the exported Three Of The Best 1:50.2 ($268,759).

Gold Bullion to Iron Clad

Iron Clad, who won the $50,000 APG Gold Bullion, the first classic for two-year-old colts and geldings for the season in Queensland, gives the impression that he could develop into of next season’s top three-year-olds.

A $40,000 purchase at the 2022 APG Sydney sale, Iron Clad is a well developed colt by Art Major from Ima Mystery Girl, a winner of 16 races including two at Group level and $202,923 in stakes

Ima Mystery Girl, who was bred by Riverina horseman Billy Evans, was a Village Jasper mare from Magic Ways (1:59.1), by Jeremy Lobell from Leewang, by Insubordination. It is an interesting fact that there is a double strain of Abercrombie blood in Iron Clad, through both Art Major Village Jewel (dam of Village Jasper) and a strain of No Nukes blood through Jate Lobell (also via Village Jasper).

Ima Mystery Girl was a half-sister to the Albion Park winner Takalookatmenow (1:55.7).

By Terror To Love

A bright future is being predicted for the Terror To Love six-year-old Sly Terror, whose success in the $30,000 Country Clubs Championship Final at Melton was his third winning run from four starts on Australian soil.

He has a good deal in his favour on the score of blood. Apart from being by the thrice NZ Cup winner Terror To Love, and one of his first crop, Sly Terror is out of the Bettor’s Delight mare Betterbesly, whose dam, Sly’s Girl, was a half-sister to the NZ Sapling winner Knight Fox, the Moonee Valley winner Cunning Atom and to Sly Soky, dam of a top NZ pacer in Sly Flyin and grand-dam of the millionaire Smiling Shard, now siring winners in Australia.

Sly’s Girl, who was unraced, was a Sands A Flyin mare from Sly Tabella, by Saigon (a son of Strike Out) from Sly Kiwi, by Sly Yankee and tracing to the King Harold mare Harold’s Rest, whose family today is one of the best in the NZ stud book.

Recent winners from it include the Tasmanian Cup victor Wheres The Gold, Mach Shard (1:49.7), Simply Shaz (WA Empress Stakes), Titian Raider (Hondo Grattan Sprint) and Torrid Saint (Smoken Up Sprint).

Kingmaker in 1:49.9

Kingmaker has joined the growing list of horses to enter the 1:50 list at Menangle. He recorded 1:49.9 when he was successful in a $20,400 race last Saturday.

By the Matt’s Scooter horse Mach Three – a champion pacer himself – Kingmaker is from Paddy Brown (1:57.7), by Christian Cullen (a son of In The Pocket) from Braeside Star, by Soky’s Atom from a top flight racemare in Tuapeka Star, dam of the NZ Cup and Miracle Mile winner Iraklis.

KINGMAKER REPLAY

This family from bred from extensively over several generations by the Cummings family of Lawrence, NZ and includes top horses the calibre of the dual NZ Cup winner Monkey King, Blue And Royal (NSW Carousel), O Baby (NZ 3YO Filly of the Year) and the dual Derby winners Brad Adios and Lavros Star.

Miss Froufrou is well bred

Miss Froufrou (Warrawee Needy), who won the $65,000 APG Gold Bullion for three-year-olds, showed ability as a two-year-old last season when she captured a heat of the NSW Breeders Challenge.

She has opened her three-year-old season on a winning note with three successes from five starts and will be well in line for the major juvenile classics.

Miss Froufrou is a filly by the E Dee’s Cam horse Warrawee Needy (1:46.8) from Miss Mini Lombo, dam also of Teddy Starr (1:59.1).

By Modern Art, Miss Mini Lombo is out the champion racemare Lombo La Fe 1:57.1 ($654,493), by Troublemaker from Lombo La Paree, by Classic Garry from the Windshield Wiper mare Paris Player and tracing to the celebrated matron Parisienne.

Bred by Yirribee Pacing Stud, Miss Froufrou has earned $91,148, a worthwhile return on the $12,000 paid for her at the APG Sydney yearling sale in 2021.

Speak The Truth top four-year-old

Speak The Truth, a $50,000 buy at the APG Sydney sale in 2020, outstayed a smart field including Tims A Trooper, who finished second, in the APG Gold Bullion 4YO Final at Albion Park.

A black gelding by Bettor’s Delight, Speak The Truth has a wealth of breeding on his dam’s side, being out of the Art Major mare Private Bronski, a member of the Blythbank Del branch of the prolific Our Star family. Bronski Delight, a sister to Speak The Truth, won in 1:56.8 at the Albion Park midweek meeting.

Private Bronski, who had a record of 1:55, was a sister to the Group winners Admiral Bronski 1:51.6 ($303,866) and General Bronski 1:53.7 ($160,729), the exported Brigadier Bronski 1:51 ($377,177) and Major Bronski 1:56.1 (now at stud in Tasmania) and a half-brother top Bronski Mackenzie 1:51.6 ($213,515).

Their dam, Bronski Gorgeous 1:57.3 ($210,622), a dual Group winner, was a half-sister to the APG 3YO winner Esprit De Kayjay 1:51.6 ($586,976) and former Australian 3YO of the Year Sir Galvinator 1:56.8 ($516,723).

This has been one of Queensland’s most successful families over a long period. Others descending to Blythbank Del include the dual QBred Triad champion Benefactor, Girl From Oz (NSW Pink Bonnet), Miss Ex and Tin Tin Jo (NSW Raith Memorial).

King Tiger impresses

The four-year-old King Tiger is proving a splendid advertisement for the Bettor’s Delight horse Tiger Tara, a grand pacer himself and who is standing at Darren Reay’s Medowie Lodge, near Newcastle.

King Tiger was an end-to-end winner at Menangle recently and graduated to an NR83 mark in the process, winning eight of his 16 starts to date.

Truly Sue, the dam of King Tiger, left an earlier winner in Bobby Fabulous (1:55). She was a half-sister to the exported Dolcezza 1:54.8 ($152,508), being by the Inter Dominion champion Elsu from Truly Goldie, a NZ bred mare by Holmes Hanover.

by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink