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.

Siblings win at Albion Park

It was no mean feat for the half-brothers Leap To Fame (Bettor’s Delight) and Swayzee (Rock N Roll Heaven) to win opening round heats of the Inter Dominion at Albion Park. Leap To Fame won again on the second night.

Both bred by Wagga horseman Paul Kahlefeldt are out of Lettucereason 1:55.9 ($180,073), a smart pacer herself, and who also left the good NSW and American winner Maximus Red 1:51.6 ($333,027).

A sister to the Derby winner and successful sire For A Reason 1:49.4 ($1.1million), Lettucereason was by the Artsplace horse Art Major from Left For Me (1:59), by Fake Left from Our Lady Delwin, by Lordship. 

LEAP TO FAME REPLAY

Other members of this family have been the Bathurst Gold Tiara and dual QBred Triad winner Jewel Melody (1:51.2), He’s Sweert (APG Brisbane Sales Graduate), Left Tennant (1:51.5), Montana Moonlite (1:53.4) and Hot Shot Woman.

WA mare is Wonderful

The Fly Like An Eagle mare Wonderful To Fly achieved yet another moment of glory in a brilliant career when she became the second greatest stake wining mare in Western Australia.

Her last stride success in the $125,000 4YO Classic at Gloucester Park boosted her earnings to $698,870, behind only the great Tailamade Lombo ($1,354,978). She has won 30 of her 50 starts including seven at Group level.

Wonderful To Fly began racing as a two-year-old when she included among her nine wins the Westbred Classic and Gold Bracelet.

As a three-year-old she took the Westbred Classic, WA Diamond, APG Gold Bullion, Sales Classic and Country Oaks.

One of her memorable wins as a four-year-old was the APG 4YO Final, and at the same age she won the Kerry Clarke and numerous free-for-alls.

Bred by Kevin and Annette Charles, Wonderful To Fly is out of Not Now Delilah, an Allamerican Ingot mare who is also the dam of promising three-year-old Velocipede.

Not Now Delilah, who was unraced, was a half-sister to a cup class pacer in Jumbo Operator, being out of Queen Delilah, by Orange Sovereign (son of Abercrombie) from Dainty Delilah, by Rock Butler from Dainty’s Last, a half-sister to the champion WA mare of an earlier era in Dainty’s Daughter.

Miss Idaho leading SA two-year-old filly

When she won the $30,000 Southern Cross Final the Ultimate Machete filly Miss Idaho proved herself the top South Australian two-year-old filly of the current season.

It was her sixth success on end, and she soundly defeated the best two-year-olds in the State in the Southern Cross after being required to overcome a difficult barrier draw and a wide passage. Earlier in the season she won the Golden Nursery and Ladyship Stakes.

In seven starts Miss Idaho has now won six and been once placed for $48,782 in stakes for owner Frank Borg and trainer-driver Ryan Hryhorec.

She has a good deal in her favour on the score of blood. Apart from being by Ultimate Machete, and one of his first crop, Miss Idaho is out of the Courage Under Fire mare Golden Valour, a half-sister to the Listed winner Otaktay (1:56.8), being out of Goldtown Dancer, by Troublemaker from the Batman mare Classic Kate, a family which has produced a number of ‘black type’ winners over the years.

They include the Vicbred champions Royal Verdict ($537,522) and Hexham Heartbeat, Modern Girl (Vic. Sapling), the country cups winner Sports Dancer, Rule Of Thumb, Flash Jimmy and so on.

Miss Idaho was bred by Bendigo enthusiasts Garry and Melva Graham.

Southern Cross winning line

The Southern Cross three-year-old colts and geldings’ winner Lifeisbutadream, is a Four Starzzz Shark gelding from the same family as that which produced the 1989 Southern Cross winner Dream A Dream.

Lifeisbutadream’s win was his fifth lifetime success and his fourth this season. He won one race as a two-year-old and qualified for the Southern Cross.

Lifeisbutadream is out of the Holmes Hanover mare Dixie Chick Dreama (1:56.8), an SA Kindergarten winner from Lifelong Dream, by Classic Garry from the Happy Talk mare Dream A Dream, who established a great winning line for the late Andrew Gilbert. She left a top flight pacer in Friends For Life (1:57.4), a winner 30 races in SA, Victoria and Queensland including the Sunshine Sprint and $212,381.

Won Bandbox Stakes

Winner of the Evicus Stakes as a two-year-old last season, Iylac Pakaria (Betting Line) downed the top three-year-olds in the $60,000 Bandbox at Launceston, including Reely Nauti, who won the Tasmanian 3YO Championship a month earlier.

Iylac Pakaria has only been lightly raced, but has proved herself a young pacer of great ability. By Betting Line, and one of the second crop of the American horse to race in Australia, Iylac Pakaria is out of Glamour Art, by Modern Art from Any Clues, by Panorama from the Thor Hanover mare Roxanne, who left the prolific Harold Park winner Rockola.

Iylac Pakaria ranks as a half-sister to Iylac Beach, a 1:53.4 Menangle victor and runner-up in the Tasmanian Raider Stakes.

Trotting winners from same family

Two of Australia’s star trotters at present, and both winners at the weekend are Plymouth Chubb (Majestic Son) and Hammer’s Law (Lawman), who belong the same maternal line.

Both bred by Sydneysider Gary Benson are grandsons of Kim’s Fantasy, a smart trotter herself, and who left seven winners from seven foals to race.

Plymouth Chubb, who won an opening round heat of the Brisbane Inter Dominion, is out of Pocket Fantasy (5 wins), by In The Pocket from Kim’s Fantasy, while Hammer’s Law, a winer at Melton, is from Speedy Naomi (15 wins), a half-sister by Safely Kept to Pocket Fantasy.

A third member from this tribe to win last week was Kivici (by Orlando Vici), who scored at the feature meeting at Globe Derby Park. A four-year-old gelding, Kivici is out of another daughter of Kim’s Fantasy in Kimmywho 1:59.6 (10 wins) and is her first produce.

Top priced yearling scores

No Notthebuttons (Art Major), who brought the top price of $28,000 at the SA Silver Salver Yearling Sale in 2022, won the $30,000 final of the Southern Cross series at Globe Derby Park.

A two-year-old colt by Art Major, No Notthebuttons has a wealth of breeding on his dam’s side, being out of the McArdle mare Princess Fiona (1:58.4), a member of the prolific Tondeleyo family.

Princess Fiona, who won 11 races, was a half-sister to Princess Alberta (1:57.4), dam of the Queensland Premiers Cup winner Alberto Contador 1:49.8 ($702,344) and the Melton winner Duke Of Albany (1:54.4) and the grand-dam of the sensational NZ three-year-old filly Millwood Nike 1:52.7 ($690,932), who is unbeaten in 17 starts to date, the Group 3 Queensland winner Mattgregor (1:50.6) and the recent Albion Park winner Melton Beach (1:52.6).

The grand-dam, Ice Princess, was a sister to the top racemare Oaxaca Lass, a winner of 19 races including the Queensland Derby, Australian Oaks and Chariots Of Fire and $426,585, and a half-sister to the exported Star Drifter (1:52.8).

No Notthebuttons was bred by prominent Glencoe (SA) breeders Peter and Lesley Medhurst.

Tasmanian three-year-old race record

A fresh race record rate for the $60,000 Globe Derby Stakes, run at Launceston, was established by the Sweet Lou colt Nyack of 1:58.1 – bettering the previous record of 1:58.7 held by Sunny Sanz by 0.6.

Nyack, who has won 11 of his 19 starts, is a member of the same family as the former top Tasmanian pacer and dual Inter Dominion heat winner Devendra.

Nyack ranks as a brother to the 2020 Globe Derby winner Kohanah (1:58.3), being by Sweet Lou from the smart Bettor’s Delight mare Benediction (1:57.8) whose dam Queen Carey (1:56.3), a top flight racemare, was by Walton Hanover from the What’s Next mare Draw Card, who founded a great winning family for the Rattray family.

Benediction was a half-sister to Devendra (1:52), a winner of 29 races and $483,544, and a half-sister to the Albion Park winner Estevao (1:55.2). Their dam, Queen Carey, was a sister to a smart pacer in King Carey 1:57.1 ($179,671) and a half-sister to Bettor Draw 1:51.9 ($241,448) and Diva’s Delight 1:53.5 ($189,749), all ‘black type’ performers.

by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink