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.

APG Gold Bullion 2YO winner

The $400,000 APG Gold Final, one of the major two-year-old fillies’ classics of the season, run at Menangle, was won by Eye Believe, a filly by Captaintreacherous who was making only her fourth appearance.

Eye Believe belongs to one of Australia’s top families, being by Captaintreacherous from Now Eye See (1:55.8), by Bettor’s Delight from the Perfect Art mare Grace Robinson, who established a great winning line for the late John Gibson.

She left nine winners – all inside 2:00 – including Group 1 winners in Two Eye See 1:52.4 ($306,703), Eye See Diamonds 1:51.6 ($284,875) and Hardhitter 1:51.4 ($175,430) and the Listed winner Oh Eye See 1:54.5 ($101,705).

Several daughters of Grace Robinson have bred on with real distinction. Zoey Zoey left six winners including the SA Kindergarten winner Eye See Double 1:57.9 ($103,060) and the exported Seeuinnashville 1:51.1 ($193,146), Oh Eye See was the dam of four winners including Private Eye (1:50.3), Eye Betta Fly produced the NSW Pink Bonnet victor Eye Can Run 1:52.8 ($168,105), Hava De Grace became the dam of four winners including the NSW Breeders Challenge winner Rockin Marty 1:50.8 ($303,536) and Now Eye See (dam of Eye Believe).

Grace Robinson, who was unraced, was the last foal of the outstanding juvenile of the 1980’s, Jasmarilla, a winner of 50 races and $503,000 in stakes and who established an Australian two-year-old mile record of 1:57.3 in a time trial.

Jasmarilla was a sister of Carome Julie and a half-sister to Floreat, who won the 1988 and 1993 Victoria Oaks respectively.

Gold Bullion to Buddy

War Dan Buddy (Art Major), who downed a useful field in the $400,000 APG Gold Bullion, the richest two-year-old classic of the season, gives the impression that he could develop into one of next season’s top three-year-olds.

Bought for $60,000 at the 2022 APG Sydney sale, War Dan Buddy is a well developed colt by Art Major from Lettucedance (1:58.7), the dam of the NSW Canola Cup winner Redbank Cooper (1:54.2) and the good Albion Park victor Lettuceroll (1:56.8).

Their dam, Lettucedance, was a Western Ideal mare from African Dancer (1:57), by Safely Kept from Queen Of Peace, by Adios Vic from a fine racemare in Paula Morley, by Paulos Hanover. 

It is an interesting fact that the first five dams of War Dan Buddy are winners. African Dancer, Queen Of Peace and Paula Morley all won on metropolitan track and Sheffield Morley, his fifth dam, won the 1972 SA Oaks.

The champion trotters La Coocaracha and Dance Craze, the Kilmore Cup and SA Derby winner Globe Score, Sheffield Score (SA Guineas) and Cocosfella (1:50.8) are among many good winning members of War Dan Buddy’s family, which has produced both top pacers and trotters.

War Dan Buddy was bred by Paul Kahlefeldt, of Redbank Lodge Standardbreds, Wagga.

APG Gold Bullion winner from good broodmare

Sweetheart Bart, a Sweet Lou three-year-old colt and the winner of the $100,000 APG Gold Bullion, is out of Shezacullen, a capable racemare with a record of 1:58.9 who is proving a very successful broodmare.

Shezacullen is also the dam of the Listed winners Ideal Tyson 1:52.8 ($316,646), winner of the WA Western Crown, and Beale Street (1:53.4), Form Analyst 1:55.3 ($110,273), Heaven In Locksley (1:53.3) and Artistic Angel (1:59.6), dam of last year’s top Tasmanian juvenile Rock Artist (1:56.4).

Shezacullen was a Christian Cullen mare from Averil’s Atom (1:57.1), by Soky’s Atom from Quest For Glory, by Clever Innocence from the Lumber Dream mare Averil’s Dream and tracing to the thoroughbred mare Topsy, ancestress of Eye Believe, a winner on the same card as Sweetheart Bart won.

Shezacullen was a half-sister to Averil’s Quest (1:57), who won nine races and $113,374, the recent Albion Park winner Alexia Rose (1:56.3), Fizzi zzi (1:58.1) and Shezaball (1:56.2), dam of the Listed winner Rockaball 1:55.1 ($133,608), the NZ Leonard Memorial victor Play Philly (1:56.6) and this year’s Cardigan Bay Stakes winner Cold Chisel (1:57.7).

Another half-sister in Magnifico Denario, an unraced Art Major mare, left the Group placegetter Magnifico To Watch (1:55.1).

Their dam, Averil’s Atom, who won twice, ranked as a half-sister to a grand stayer and five-time Group winner New Age Man 1:56.1 ($155,599) and the exported Cool Age Man (1:55.2).

From family of Christian Cullen

Bet The House, who won the $50,000 Champagne Classic, main event of the Allwood Stud night at Gloucester Park, is a two-year-old Betting Line gelding from the same family as that which produced a champion NZ pacer and sire in Christian Cullen.

Bet The House, who was having only his second start, was bred by Trevor Lindsay out of the lightly raced Katesplace, who left earlier winners in Rock The Joint (1:59.2) and Rocknroll Dreams.

BET THE HOUSE REPLAY

Katesplace, who took a record of 2:00.9, was by the American sire Artsplace from a fine racemare and Auckland Cup winner in Kate’s First 1:57.2 ($624,023), by Holmes Hanover from Pleasant Franco, dam of the mighty Christian Cullen 1:54.1 ($1.2million) and who established a most successful branch of the Pride Of Lincoln family.

Other members of this family have been Rockstar Angel ($438,053), Heez Or Black (NZ Welcome Stakes), the Vicbred champion Without You, More The Better (1:49),Doc Holliday (WA 4&5YO Championship) and Bets Western (NZ Great Northern Oaks).

Won APG 3YO Gold Bullion

A placegetter in the NSW Breeders Challenge as a three-year-old last season, Peaceful (Sweet Lou) downed the top three-year-olds in the $100,000 Gold Bullion at Menangle, including a top ranking three-year-old in Jewel Melody, who finished second.

Peaceful has earned a cheque in 12 of her 13 starts and has proved herself a young pacer of great ability.

Bred by Dianne and Bernie Kelly, who also race her, Peaceful is by the Yankee Cruiser horse Sweet Lou out of the great racemare Frith 1:50.1 ($1.1million), by Four Starzzz Shark from Jackie Kelly, by Albert Albert from Miss Paula, who left the Derby winners Greg Kelly and Albert Kelly and the Vicbred champion McRae’s Mate.

Breeding feat for Charles

Rather a notable breeding feat was credited to Perth couple Kevin and Annette Charles at Gloucester Park last Friday, when they bred three winners on the 10-race card.

The winners were Star Lavra (Captaintreacherous-Lavra Florence), a good type of colt, Middlepage (Tintin In America-That’s The Spirit) and American Bullitt (Tintin In America-Just Visiting).

That’s The Spirit is also the dam of Patricktheprinha (Four Starzzz Shark), a winner in 1:50 at Plainridge Park, Massachusetts one night earlier.

Siblings quinella at Bendigo

Two of Victoria’s star trotters at present, and who quinellaed the Group 3 Bendigo Trotters Cup, are the siblings Ultimate Stride (Love You) and One Over All (Angus Hall). Both promise to be a force in the major trotting races later in the year.

Both bred by Lex and the late Heather Williams are out of One Over Kenny, a top trotter herself, and who has left other straight-out trotting winners in One Over Da Moon, One Over Da Son and One Over Da Skye. 

One Over Kenny was by the Arndon horse Sundon from Frances Jay Bee, by Pointer Hanover from Lady Afton, by Lordship.

Queensland trotter has strong bloodlines

Agent Black, winner of the $125,000 APG Gold Bullion Final at Menangle, and is undefeated in two starts, is a two-year-old trotting colt of some potential.

He has an all-international breeding background and one which has been most successful. By the Swedish bred world champion Sebastian K, he is out of the Fling It mare Black Mamba Cheval, dam of the Canberra Trotters Cup winner Critter Boy (1:57.6).

Black Mamba Cheval, bred by Cold Mountain Stud, was out of the American-bred mare Aspenglow, by Conway Hall from the top Canadian mare Shipp’s Belle, by the USA Trotter of the Year Jazz Cosmos and tracing to a noted foundation mare in Esther.

There have been many good trotting winners all along the line from this family, Black Mamba Cheval, being a half-sister to Cold Sister TT1:57.2 ($262,321), a multiple Group winner in Victoria, the American stakes winner Dancing Filly 1:56.4 ($425,863) and Yankee Sister, dam of Aldebaran Selena.

Agent Black was bred by Trump Bloodstock.

Half-brothers win at Melton

It was no mean feat for the half-brothers Byrneside Boom (Sportswriter), who took out the $40,000 APG Gold Bullion 2YO Consolation, and Arggghhh (Rock N Roll Heaven) to win on the same night at Melton. Another half-brother in Shaq (by Mach Three) scored at Kilmore two days earlier.

In all, Kateeshar has left seven winners from nine foals of racing age.

All bred by Melbourne enthusiast Kevin Clark are out of the unraced Grinfromeartoear mare Kateeshar, whose dam, Nemeeshar 1:58.2 ($331,230) won four Group 1 races and was the top filly of her year.

By Village Jasper, Nemeeshar was from the What’s Next mare What A Novice, a half-sister to five winners and to Inamorato, an Embrace Me mare who produced a string of winners including the top WA pacer Chivalrous Fella 1:55.5 ($271,809).

by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink