Weekly spotlight on breeding

Breeding authority Peter Wharton presents all the harness racing news on breeding from Australia, New Zealand and North America every Friday brought to you by Garrard’s Horse & Hound.

Brother and sister

It was no mean feat for the siblings Tough Tilly and Lightning Dan to win Group 1 races at the Australian Pacing Gold meeting at Melton. Tough Tilly took out the $350,000 Final for the three-year-old fillies in track record equalling time and Lightning Dan won the $125,000 Gold Bullion Final for two-year-old colts and geldings.

Both bred by Benstud Standardbreds are by the Somebeachsomewhere horse Captaintreacherous, who also sired the $50,000 APG 3YO Consolation Final winner Alby Two Chains.

Beninjurd, the dam of Tough Tilly and Lightning Dan and the brilliant but ill-fated Centenario, was out of a fine racemare in My Liberty Belle, who took a record of 1:57.5, won 19 races and $185,333. Besides Beninjurd, she was also the dam of the Vicbred and Breeders Crown champion and dual Inter Dominion heat winner Philadelphia Man 1:52.6 ($559,135).

My Liberty Belle was out of a QBred Triad winner in Sweet Liberty, who had a record of 1:57.9 and earned $102,706. One of her daughters, Sunvale (1:57.8), left the Albion Park winners Sundebt (1:57.3) and Sunopal (1:57.8).

Tasty Delight leading three-year-old

When he won the $350,000 Australian Pacing Gold Final at Melton Tasty Delight proved himself the top three-year-old of the current season.

It was his third success on end, and he comfortably defeated some of the best three-year-olds in the country in the APG Final after leading from the outset.

In 17 starts Tasty Delight has now won 11 and been five times placings for $320,020 in stakes, a worthwhile return on the $48,000 paid for him as a yearling.

Bred by Croon Bloodstock, Tasty Delight is a gelding with an all-American breeding background and one which has been most successful. By the Cam’s Card Shark horse Bettor’s Delight, he is out of the Artsplace mare Gentle Audrey, a daughter of the American millionairess Caressable (1:55.8) and a member of the Shy Ann family.

In America, Gentle Audrey left a top flight pacer in Jeremy’s Successor 1:48.6 ($889,435) and in New Zealand, the Queensland Premier’s Cup winner Gentle Western (1:55), Feel The Money (1:57.3), Bettor Love Me (1:57.4) and the Albion Park winners Junior Johnson (1:55.6) and Allaboutdreams (1:56.4).

Gentle Audrey was 19 when she left Tasty Delight.

In The Spotlight unbeaten two-year-old

In The Spotlight, who won the $100,000 WA Diamond Classic at Gloucester Park, is a New Zealand bred filly with an interesting and successful family background.

Bred by Ken and Karen Breckon, of Breckon Farms, Ohaupo, she was got by Bettor’s Delight from Goodlooking Babe (2:00.6), a winning daughter of Mach Three who left an earlier winner in Americanlover 1:57 (3 wins from 6 starts to date). In The Spotlight, who was sold at the 2020 NZ Bloodstock Auckland sale for $50,000, has earned $72,967 from three wins in as many starts.

In The Spotlight’s dam, Goodlooking Babe, a winner of three races, was by Mach Three, a Meadowlands Pace winner who proved a highly successful sire in North America, NZ and Australia.

Goodlookingbabe was out of the lightly raced Goodlookinggirl, who took a record of 2:03.5 and became the dam of a top racemare in Elle Mac 1:51.6 ($607,678), a winner of six Group 1’s, the Menangle winner Miss Streisand 1:52.6 ($167,516), Fellamongstabeauty (1:59.7), dam of recent NZ three-year-old winner Needamargarita, and Goodlooking Babe (the dam of In The Spotlight).

Goodlookinggirl was a Christian Cullen mare from Twice As Good (1:56.5), by Butler B G from Princess Nandina, by Able Bye Bye. Besides Goodlookingirl, Twice As Good, who won five races, left the dual Gawler Cup winner Mark Dennis 1:51.4 ($340,269) and high class pacers in St Barts 1:57 ($162,506), Fight Fire With Fire 1:56 ($151,657) and Waitfornoone 1:55.7 ($201,804), dam of Luis Alberto 1:50.2 ($212,275) and Windinherhair 1:54.6 ($140,476).

Twice As Good (1:59.6), an In The Pocket mare from Twice As Good, left the dual Inter Dominion Final placegetter Flaming Flutter 1:49.2 ($845,079) and the Alabar 3YO Classic winner Two Times Bettor 1:52 ($220,927), a winner at Albion Park last weekend.

Other members of this family, which was founded in NSW by the Ajax mare Lady Ajax, were Duplicated (1:49.2), Strawberry Courage (1:54.1), the dual WA Governor’s Cup winner Pacific Warrior 1:54.8 ($343,419), Zahven Banner (1:50.3) and Cyclone Banner (WA The Chandon).

Send It State Champion

Winner of the $100,000 Regional Championship State Final at Menangle last Saturday and earlier a heat winner of the Metropolitan series was Send It, who is expected to make cup class.

Only a four-year-old, he showed up last season as a three-year-old when he won a heat of the NSW Breeders Challenge and was a finalist in both the Breeders Challenge and Vicbred Super Series.

Send It is by the Western Hanover horse Western Terror from the Melton winner My Sunday Girl (1:56.5), a half-sister to the Miracle Mile winner Spankem 1:47.7 ($1.5 million) and Thumpem 1:52.6 ($449,837), being out of Crushem (1:58.5), by Holmes Hanover from Elizabeth Denover, by Lordship from the Boyden Hanover Miss Denover.

This is the family which produced such winners as the dual Southern Cross champion Saphirique (1:52.1), Lil’s Lady (Queen of the Pacific), Lenny Bromac (1:57.3), Cruzem (NZ Superstars 4 and 5YO Championship), Bruzem (1:52.3) and Him Himself.

Send It was bred by Daniel Carmody, of Lochend Stud, Maitland.

Blue blooded filly

Irish Black Label, who won the $125,000 Gold Bullion Final at the Australian Pacing Gold meeting at Melton, is a two-year-old filly who can claim some worthwhile blood.

By Bettor’s Delight, she is out of the Art Major mare Rosie O’Reilly (1:56.5), whose dam, Limerick Star (1:59.2), ranked as a half-sister to the Golden Wattle Cup winner National Gallery (1:54.4), the dam of the Melton winners Rocknroll Icon 1:53 ($169,025) and Honolua Bay (1:51.9), the exported Mach Up 1:53 ($100,304) and Looking Fabulous (1:54.7).

The next dam, Lil’s Dream (TT1:55.7), was by Smooth Fella from the good producer Miss Denover, by Boyden Hanover from the NZ Oaks winner Ar Miss, who established a very successful branch of the Lady Antrim tribe.

Irish Black Label was bred and raced by Lauriston Bloodstock, of Bill and Anne Anderson.

Half-brother to Jilliby Kung Fu

Alby Two Chains, who won the $50,000 APG Consolation Final at Melton, is a three-year-old half-brother to a Vicbred champion in Jilliby Kung Fu 1:48.8 ($529,710), now at the stud in Victoria, and to Caribbean Crest 1:56.7 ($1067,567) and The Jet Player (1:53.2).

They are out of the lightly raced mare Slip Slop Slap, by the Artsplace horse Perfect Art from the SA Oaks winner Slaps 2:00.2 ($142,344), by Tuapeka Knight from the American-bred Tabella Ace, by Slapstick, a leading son of Meadow Skipper.

Tabella Ace was a most successful broodmare, being also the dam of the Strathalbyn Cup winner Riwaka Rocket 1:56 ($119,227), Riwaka Vance 1:57.6 ($114,499), Riwaka Ace and the unraced Riwaka Dancer, the dam of the Melton and Gloucester Park winner Must Be Nice 1:53.2 ($214,710).

Slip Slop Slap was a half-sister to the Victoria Gold Chalice winner Lombo Mondoluce 2:00.4 ($145,675) and to the dam of Arrokeefe (1:52.7), who won 28 races and $199,986.

Well related filly

Jo Rocks, who won the $50,000 APG Consolation for three-year-old fillies at Melton, showed ability as a two-year-old last season when she finished third to Ladies In Red and Tough Tilly in the Breeders Crown.

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

She is a filly by the Rocknroll Hanover horse Pet Rock from the good Menangle winner Our Ruby Banner 1:54 ($101,040), and is her only foal.

Our Ruby Banner ranks as a half-sister to the Albion Park victor Mister XJ (1:54), being by Bettor’s Delight from the Holmes Hanover mare Nicola Poplar, a half-sister to the Newcastle Cup winner Atomic Saga 1:58.6 ($113,345) and the metropolitan winners Stay With Poplar (1:56) and Upstanding Poplar (1:58.3).

In the back removes of Jo Rocks’ pedigree are horses of the calibre of Shes Just A Delight (1:51), Rakarebel ($349,607), Rocknroll Emma, Heez On Fire ($287,607), Hy Royale, Rakarolla (1:50.6), 2YO of the Year Mitemptation and Frame Game (Hobart Pacing Cup).

Kash Us back tops $100,000 mark

The Changeover gelding Kash Us Back, who won the NSW Regional Championship Consolation at Menangle, is the latest member of the ‘$100,000 Club’.

Bred, raced and trained by Gemma Hewitt, Kash Us Back is out of Laughing Lilly (1:55.6), a Menangle winner by Mach Three from Craigpaula (1:59.4), by Stand Together (son of Cam Fella) from the Taurus Chip mare Taurus Ali, a half-sister to the Victorian country cups star Keyafella 1:55.2 ($200,022).

Kash Us Back is a half-brother to the NSW Breeders Challenge Regional 2YO Final winner Kashed Up (1:52.2) and the Melton winner Will I Rocknroll (1:52.8).

Group success for Marmitta

Marmitta is proving herself a three-year-old filly of some worth in NSW and last weekend numbered the $50,000 APG Consolation among her successes, beating a smart filly in Elektra (by Four Starzzz Shark).

Marmitta was an Australian Pacing Gold purchase in 2019 in Sydney, and is a filly by the Western Hanover horse Western Terror from To The Machx, by Mach Three from She Bites, by Safely Kept from the champion racemare Jasmarilla.

To The Machx, who was unraced, ranks as a half-sister to a fine pacing mare in Mesmerizing 1:57.9 ($179,221), dam of the outstanding pacer Messini 1:54.2 ($711,711), Madeeba (1:54.2) etc, and to a Group winning trotter in Gentleman Jim 2:03.6 (131,817).

Another half-sister in Sexy Lady (by Panorama) left the MIA Breeders Plate winner The Kew Legend and the good Melton victor Juliustigres 1:53.8 ($104,065).

Marmitta was bred by Phil and Denise Thurston, of Celestial Standardbreds, Forbes.

By Peter Wharton for Harnesslink