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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. 
Tasmania Cup winner
Gotta Good Reason, the longshot winner of the $100,000 Tasmania Cup, was bred in Queensland by Peter Poulsen and is raced and trained in Tasmania.
An eight-year-old gelding by the Victoria Cup winner For A Reason, and one of his first crop, Gotta Good Reason has a wealth of breeding on his dam’s side, being out of the Christian Cullen mare My Jane’s Cullen, a member of the prolific Violet M family.
My Janes Cullen (1:57.6), a winner of eight races including three at Albion Park, produced others in the Albion Park winner Hadley (1:54.7), Whatta Good Reason (1:55.7) and Cee Cee Norman (1:58.3).
My Jane’s Cullen was a half-sister to the NZ country cups winner Paddy O’Brien 1:57.4 ($110,851), the Gloucester Park victor Sir Willy’s Boy (1:58.8) and to the unraced Badlands Hanover mare Ballymenna, dam of the dual-gaited Scarrymcleary 1:52.3 ($230,780).
Their dam, Highview Jane was a Talk About Class mare from Hello Stranger, by Lordship from Chances Are, by Light Brigade from the U Scott mare Passive, who founded one of NZ’s most successful families of trotters.
Cup graduate
One of the most capable young pacers racing in Victoria at present is Hi Manameisjeff, who has quickly won his way to the top flight.
The five-year-old posted his seventh win from 15 starts when he easily accounted for a smart field in the $50,000 City of Melton Plate last Saturday.
Hi Manameisjeff has a wealth of blood to back up his claims to further promotion, being by Art Major from Honour Lady, by Bettor’s Delight from Ladona Franco, by Falcon Seelster from Lotta Talk, by Talk About Class from the noted producer Lotta Class, by El Patron from the multiple NZ Group winner Lancia.
Honour Lady, a race-winning mare, was a half-sister to five winners including the Harold Park victor Laughing Franco (2:00), dam of the good Menangle winner Double Laughter (1:54.5).
Ladona Franco was a half-sister to a fine racemare in Letitia Franco 1:51.4 ($212,603), a feature winner in NZ and later in North America.
In the back removes of Hi Manameisjeff’s pedigree are pacers of the calibre of the Victoria Derby winner Lotsnlots, Late Bid (Aust. 3YO of the Year), Arms Of Angel (1:49.5), Ohoka Arizona (NZ 2YO Colt of the Year, Franco Ledger ($667,966), the dual Oaks winner OK Rock and She’s Pukka (1:50.4).
Unbeaten three-year-old
Hiranya, who will be a contender for the mainland derbies, won the $40,000 Tasmanian Derby at Hobart and is undefeated in two starts on Australian soil.
Last season he won twice in New Zealand – including a 1:56.5 effort at Addington – and was placed four times from 11 outings.
Hiranya, who was bred by Paul and Pauline Renwick, of Christchurch, was sired by Bettor’s Delight from the Courage Under Fire mare Holme Fire (1:58.8) whose dam, Northern Franco, was by Falcon Seelster from the El Patron mare Natural Appeal, a half-sister to the dual Inter Dominion heat winner Panyan.
Northern Franco left a grand stayer and NZ Free-for-all winner in Pembroke Benny.
Bettor’s Delight, the sire of Hiranya, also sired the winner of the 2019 Tasmanian Derby in Max Delight.
Group 1 winner by Skyvalley
Mumpaysthebills, who is proving herself a star juvenile trotter, has won two of her four starts this season including the $50,000 Vicbred Platinum Home Grown Classic at Melton.
She is a three-year-old by Skyvalley, sire of the millionaire trotter Tornado Valley, and out of Gavlenn Jo Al, a lightly raced Yankee Paco mare from Ruff Road, by Keystone Salute from the Pernod Eden mare Emily Eden, a half-sister to the Inter Dominion trotting champion Delft.
Emily Eden ranks as the dam of the VSTA Cup winner and dual Group placegetter Josephine Jones and the Victorian provincial winners Tiger Tuff and Eleanor Eden.
Mumpaysthebills’ pedigree has some real background with a strong staying influence behind it.
Tassie Oaks winner’s family background
The three-year-old filly Relentless Me is proving a splendid advertisement for the Art Major horse Restrepo, a grand pacer himself and who stood for a time at the stud in Victoria.
Relentless Me was a convincing end-to-end winner of the $40,000 Tasmanian Oaks at Hobart at only her second start this season. Last season she won twice and was a finalist in the Vicbred and Breeders Crown series.
Ballygeana, the dam of Relentless Me, was only lightly raced but she has left three winners from three foals of racing age in Thermal Reactor (1:57.9), Miranda May (1:58.5) and Relentless Me. She was by Presidential Ball from Modest Stacey, by Golden Greek from Dianthus Dot, by Proud Baron from Neat Riki, by Pipiriki from the Tarport Kid mare Neat Dillon, a half-sister to a brilliant but unsound pacer in First Dillon, and tracing eventually to The Brat, a mare by the thoroughbred Young Diomedes.
Others from this family have been Expensive Ego (1:48.6), Lightning Dan (APG Gold Bullion), the Vicbred champion Tough Tilly, Centenario (2YO of the Year), Art’s Treasure and so on.
Top three-year-old trotter
When he won the $50,000 Vicbred Platinum Home Grown Classic at Melton, Hes A Hammer scored his third success on end, and he is entitled to be rated Victoria’s top three-year-old trotter this season.
A week earlier Hes A Hammer won the faster of the two heats at Bendigo. In the Final, he outsprinted his rivals in a career-best 1:58.1 for 1720 metres with the last 800 in 59.6.
He is a colt by Andover Hall (son of Garland Lobell), out of a dual Trotters Oaks winner in She’s An Image 1:57.4 ($233,824), who ranked as a half-sister to the Tatlow winner Gentle Image 2:00 ($202,230), a cup class trotter in Godofthunder ($98,530), the Melton winner I Choose and to Joyce’s Image, dam of the Queensland Listed placegetter Shegotsass.
Their dam, Joyce’s Choice, won only one race but she left six winners. She was by the unraced Meadow Skipper horse Samadhi from Miss Manoriki, by Meck Hanover (by Tar Heel) from Manoriki, by Royal Dollar – a predominantly pacing family.
Hes A Hammer was bred by Ballarat couple Chris and Haley Lang, who are offering a Father Patrick half-brother at the Nutrien Equine sale at Oaklands Junction on April 3.
Bathurst Gold Crown hopeful
Petracca, an impressive heat winner of the Bathurst Gold Crown on debut, is a Captaintreacherous colt from the same family as that which produced a top Victorian pacer in Ride High.
An $80,000 Nutrien Equine Sales purchase in 2021, Petracca is out of the Breeders Crown champion Lovelist 1:53.2 ($222,889), by Always A Virgin from Lifeline, by Classic Garry from the Windshield Wiper mare Larrakeyah Lady, who left the Hunter Cup winner Safe And Sound, The Good Times, Massarua, Gold Rocket and so on.
Lovelist, a half-sister to the Southern Cross winner Punch Line (1:54.2), left earlier winners in Treachery 1:57.3 ($174,919), a full sister to Petracca and a dual Southern Cross winner, the Melton winner Beach Life (1:54.4) and Adapt (1:53.7).
Petracca was bred by Bruce and Craig Cameron.
Fire Fox in 1:49.6
The NZ bred five-year-old Fire Fox has joined the growing list of horses to enter the 1:50 list in Australia. He recorded 1:49.6 when he was successful in a heat of the Autumn Gift at Menangle.
By the Yankee Cruiser horse Sweet Lou – a world champion – Fire Fox is from Fire Dancer, by Courage Under Fire from Shania, by New York Motoring from Davenport, by the Johnny Globe horse Lordship, a dual NZ Cup winner and one of the finest pacers bred in the Dominion.
Fire Fox, a half-brother to the exported Foxy Dame (1:52.8), has strong strains of colonial blood but he is none the worse for it.
A star from Tricky Styx
A star two-year-old in WA so far this season is Zephyra, who was bred and is raced and trained by Jesse Moore.
A filly by Sweet Lou, she is out of a top flight racemare in Tricky Styx 1:54.1 ($460,548) and the first of her produce to race. She came from last to win at Gloucester Park last Friday and looks a two-year-old with the potential one would expect of her breeding.
Well related two-year-old
A top two-year-old in NSW this season – he has won twice including a Bathurst Gold Crown heat from four starts – is Naturally Gifted, a close relative of the former smart NZ racemare Juice Brogden 1:54.6 ($146,689).
Naturally Gifted is a gelding by Sweet Lou from Perfectlyimperfect (1:58), by Bettor’s Delight from the Australian Pacing Gold winner Mach And Me (1:58.4), the dam also of Luvumum 1:54 (Vic. Sapling Stakes) and Luvyacookie (1:58.7), both now at the stud.
Naturally Gifted is the first foal of his dam. He was bred by Benstud Standardbreds and knocked down for $30,000 at the inaugural Nutrien Equine sale in 2021.
