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.

Catch A Wave top Victorian three-year-old

There was never much doubt that Catch A Wave was the season’s top rating three-year-old in Victoria as he was the previous season at two years, and he duly confirmed his class by winning the $125,000 APG Gold Bullion Final at Melton.

Actually he was a class above his rivals, and was not seriously tested in running out the 1720 metres in 2:01.2, a mile rating of 1:53.4.

His sire, Captaintreacherous, has now sired six APG Gold Bullion winners – Lightning Dan (2021), Captain’s Queen (2021), Captain Ritchie (2022), Jewel Melody (2022), Catch A Wave (2022) and Tough Tilly (2022).

Catch A Wave is out of Coppagoodone (1:57), by Christian Cullen from the dual Oaks winner Copper Beach (1:58.6), by Beach Towel from Les Payzen Star, by Payson’s Brother from Interchange, by New York Motoring.

Coppagoodone, the dam of three winners including the prolific Perth winner Bettor Copagoodone 1:54.5 ($101,044), was a half-sister to a fine racemare in De Lovely, who won six Group 1’s. This is the family which produced such winners as Elsu (Inter Dominion),   Sirletic, Revonez, Queen Shenandoah, Beltane and others.

Catch A Wave was bred by Benstud Standardbreds and Sydney couple Peter and Zilla O’Shea.

Mister Hunter makes the grade

Bought for $45,000 and now a winner of $98,320, Mister Hunter became the season’s latest two-year-old classic winner when he won the $150,000 APG Gold Bullion Final at Melton, rating 1:55.3 for 1720 metres.

Mister Hunter, who has won three of his five starts, is a colt by the Somebeachsomewhere horse Huntsville, who stood a single season at the stud in Victoria before returning to North America.

Huntsville has made a spectacular start as a sire. From his first crop he has sired 14 individual winners and they have earned more than $400,000 including a top colt in Tardelli, a winner of four of his five starts including the Bathurst Gold Crown, and a smart filly in Flametree, winner of the APG Gold Bullion Final and the WA Solid Gold Bracelet.

Mister Hunter is out of Moremi Miss (2:00.6), by Blissfull Hall from Botswana, by Albert Albert from Lourenco Marques, by Thor Hanover and tracing to Miss Tommy, founder of one of Australia’s greatest classic-winning families.

Botswana was the dam of a grand stayer and Inter Dominion champion in Lennytheshark (1:49.2), a winner of 39 races and $3 million, the Breeders Crown winner Led Suitcase 1:55.8 ($261,395) and the Group 2 victor Blissfull Boy 1:54.3 ($241,970).

Botswana was a half-sister to the Australian Oaks winner Newbold Penny, the exported Lord Marques (1:52.8) and to the dams of the Victoria Legends winner Penny Veejay, Burling Game (APG 2YO Final) and Pacific Charm.

Max Delight’s sister strikes Gold

Major Delight, a sister to the Victoria Cup winner Max Delight, proved much too seasoned for her two-year-old rivals in the $150,000 APG Gold Bullion Final at Melton. She led from end to end and at the line had three lengths to spare over Keayang Blue Jeans (by Sweet Lou) and Paradise Valley (by Sweet Lou).

Major Delight was bred and is raced by Penrith enthusiast Peter Lewis.

Major Delight is a filly by the Cam’s Card Shark horse Bettor’s Delight from the top racemare Lady Euthenia 1:53.3 ($461,285), by Art Major from the NSW Sires Stakes winner Reggae Miss, the dam of the Melton and Menangle winner San Domino, who later took a record of 1:49.2 in America.

Reggae Miss is the second dam of the Bathurst Gold Crown winner Castalong Shadow 1:54.6 ($180,907), Gracie Taljuice (NSW Breeders Challenge Regional Final) and Mymatethomo (SA Whyalla Cup).

APG Gold winning line

The $125,000 APG Gold Bullion winner Just Hope is a daughter of Queen Of Pop, who won the APG Gold herself and was a half-sister to the Gold winner Musical Delight, the dam of this year’s Sydney APG Gold winner Ripp.

Just Hope (by Bettor’s Delight), who was bred by Bill and Anne Anderson’s Lauriston Bloodstock, has won nine of her 19 starts for $320,587 in stakes. As a two-year-old she won twice including the Bathurst Gold Tiara, while at three years she has won seven races to date highlighted by the NSW Oaks and the Gold Bullion.

Queen Of Pop, the dam of Just Hope, is an Art Major mare from a fine racemare in Top Tempo 1:56.5 ($225,513), by In The Pocket from the Holmes Hanover mare Kliklite 1:56.7   ($156,213). Besides Queen Of Pop and Musical Delight, Top Tempo produced the Breeders Crown and Vicbred champion Speak No Evil 1:50.9 ($354,300), the Albion Park winners That’s How Weroll (1:52.9) and Countdown (1:53.1) and the NZ victor Better Klik (1:57.9).

Top Tempo was a three-quarter sister to a capable pacer in McKay 1:55.7 ($236,445) and the Tasmanian Breeders Plate winner Winewomenandsong.

Last foal from La Coocaracha

The Locomotive, the convincing winner of the Group 1 $50,000 Vicbred Platinum Homegrown Classic for two-year-old trotting colts, is the 13^th and last foal of a champion trotter and six time Group 1 winner in La Coocaracha.

By the Muscles Yankee horse Muscle Mass, the colt was bred by Yabby Dam Farms, Ballarat, of Pat Driscoll.

La Coocaracha is also the dam of Dance Craze 1:55.6 ($551,780), the winner of 24 races including the Great Southern Star and Australian Trotting Grand Prix, the Breeders Crown champion Reina Danzante (1:57.1), the exported La Grange (1:54.2) and the NZ Group winner Mataderos.

An unraced three-year-old filly by Quaker Jet is currently in training.

Las Coocaracha was a Safely Kept mare from Poetry, by Kentucky from Morley Doll, by Royal Dollar from the Sheffield Globe mare Sheffield Morley, a SA Oaks winner. She was a half-sister to a useful pacer in Blake Castle (1:53.2), the Moonee Valley winner Pentameter and Meredith Castle, the dam of the cup class trotters Iona Grinner (1:55.1) and Garland Greene (1:56.8), a winner at Albion Park recently.

NSW Trotters Derby winner

The $50,000 NSW Trotters Derby, one of the features of the three-year-old trotting calendar, was won by Harry Stamper, a NZ bred gelding by Majestic Son from Dwindle Mist.

Majestic Son, a son of Angus Hall, has been the leading sire of trotters in Australia and NZ for the last six years. He has sired such winners as Majestuoso, Majestic Man, Glenferrie Typhoon, Majestic Player and Illawong Helios.

Dwindle Mist (2:00.8), the race-winning dam of Harry Stamper, was by Sundon, who also distinguished himself as a sire of trotters, from Iris Pointer, a mare of all-NZ blood who left two high class square-gaiters in Young Pointer 1:55.2 ($209,799) and Sun Of Iris (10 wins and $105,338).

This has been a most successful family, as Rosanna Hest, a half-sister to Iris Pointer, won a swag of races at Moonee Valley and Harold Park in the 1990’s.

Siring feat to Alta Christiano

Rather a notable siring feat was credited to the deceased Christian Cullen horse Alta Christiano at Gloucester Park when he sired three winners including Swingband, the commanding winner of the $50,000 3YO Pearl Classic.

He was also represented by While They Pray, winner of the Free-for-all, and the New Zealand-bred Heez Our Perseus.

Alta Christiano’s oldest stock are six-year-olds and they include Im Sir Blake 1:49.4 (now racing successfully in America, Fake News, Alta Rhett, Collina Kay Jay, Eva Mateo and Sheez Our Hope.

Alta Christiano was one of the first sons of Christian Cullen to stand stud and he had an amazing score of having sired 90 individual winners from 118 Australian bred starters at an average of $40,800 per starter.

Group 1 winner by Father Patrick

When she won the $50,000 Vicbred Platinum Homegrown Classic Final at Melton last Saturday, Valerie Lane scored her third success from as many starts, and she is entitled to be rated the season’s top two-year-old trotting filly.

One of the third frozen crop sired by the world champion Father Patrick, Valerie Lane has a wealth of breeding on her dam’s side, being out of the Elsu mare Valsue, a member of the Carlotta The Great family.

Valsue, who won four races, was a sister to the Tatlow winner Prescient and a half-sister to a top trotter in Lord Of The Gym 1:59.6 ($262,090), a winner of 21 races including The Redwood and two Derbies, and the Group 3 victor Lord Chancellor.

Their dam, Chancery Lane, a Moonee Valley trotting winner, was out of Streets Of London, a Menangle pacing winner by Caroldon Lehigh from the unraced Carla Hanover, who left a string of fine trotters including the Vicbred champions Maori Skipper and Carla Kiwi and High Carl, who, at one stage, held at the Australian mile record for trotting geldings at 2:00.8.

The most distinguished member of this family was Carlotta’s Pride, who won three Trotters Cups in NSW and the V. L. Dullard Cup twice and established mile records in both Victoria and SA.

Bred and owned by WA identity Graeme Searle, Valerie Lane is the first produce of Valsue, and being by Father Patrick, she would have more in her favour than most to extend the record of this noted family.

by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink