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.

Sherlock is Derby material

The Real Sherlock (Vincent), who won the Alabar 3YO Classic at Auckland earlier in the season and has won two of his three starts on Australian soil, is regarded as Victoria Derby material of the highest order.

The Real Sherlock led from go to whoa at Melton last weekend, cutting out the last two quarters in 28.8 and 25.6 to easily keep his rivals at bay.

Bred by Spreydon Lodge, the gelding is by the Art Major horse Vincent and the best of his progeny to date. He is out of the American Ideal mare After Party, who ranks as a sister to the NZ Sires Stakes 3YO Final winner Democrat Party 1:54.9 ($254,688) and a half-sister to the WA Mares’ Mile winner Im Elsa 1:56.2 ($112,754).

Their dam, Champagne Party (by Soky’s Atom), was a half-sister to the A. G. Hunter Cup winner Another Party 1:56.3 ($888,678), the NZ 2YO Filly of the Year Party Party 1:53.2 ($251,236) and to the dams of the top performers American Boy 1:50.4 ($813,351), LL Cool J (Redcliffe Cup), Hoss Cartwright (NZ 2YO Championship), Coachellabound (1:49.2) and Democracy 1:50 ($435,760).

The Real Sherlock looks every inch the blood he represents.

Treachery is top mare

Treachery, who won the Tailamade Lombo at Melton, is a five-year-old mare by Captaintreacherous from Lovelist, a smart racemare who took a record of 1:53.2.

She ranks as a sister to Petracca, who annexed the $150,000 Vicbred 3YO Final a week earlier, and a half-sister to the Melton winner Beach Life (1:54.4) and Adapt (1:53.7).

Lovelist, a winner of three Group races and $222,889 in stakes, was an Always A Virgin mare from Lifeline, by Classic Garry from the broodmare gem Larrakeyah Lady, by Windshield Wiper.

Besides Lovelist, Lifeline, who was unraced, left the SA Southern Cross 3YO winner Punch Line (1:54.2), dam of the Hobart Pacing Cup winner He’s Ideal 1:54.7 ($111,160), the good Moonee Valley victor Secret Life (1:58.6), Royal Crime 1:55.7 ($100,753) and Modern Life, dam of the Group winner Ample Power 1:53.6 ($165,797).

The Larrakeyah Lady family has earned a place all of its own in producing racemares such as Treachery, Rocknroll Magic, Starburst Girl, The Good Times, Beauty Secret – all Group 1 winners – and colts in the same class such as Safe And Sound, Ride High, Major Secret, Out To Play, and others.

NSW Carousel winner

A bright future is being predicted for the Art Major four-year-old Our Cosmic Major, whose success in the time-honoured $50,000 Carousel at Menangle was his third winning run from as many starts in Australia. He has won six of his 10 lifetime starts and $147,294 in stakes.

He has a good deal in his favour on the score of blood. Apart from being by Art Major, Our Cosmic Major is out of the smart Bettor’s Delight mare Rozelski 1:57.3 ($174,746), a half-sister to the NSW Listed winner Loubowski (1:52.8), being out of Highview Hazel (1:57.5), by Holmes Hanover from the Smooth Fella mare Smooth Mystery.

The family descends to the Wildmoor mare Millie C, a family which has produced a number of top pacing winners over the years. Recent winners from it include Bainbridge (Bathurst Gold Chalice), Shez The Reason (NSW Pink Diamond), Ever Art (QBred Breeders Classic 2YO), Himself (WA Golden Nugget), the WA Derby winner Tricky Miki and the trotter Love N The Port (Rowe Cup).

Bred by Ken Breckon, who part-owns him, Our Cosmic Major ranks as a brother to Dragon Tattoo, a 1:55 Menangle winner three days after Our Cosmic Major won.

Dainty’s Daughter winner by Vincent

Turn The Page (Vincent), who won the $50,000 Dainty’s Daughter Classic at Gloucester Park – Castella Dellacqua and Zephyra filled the placings behind her – has made smart progress through the classes. She has won five of her six starts since being imported from New Zealand.

Turn The Page is a grand stayer and the best racemare left by the Art Major horse Vincent, who has sired top colt pacers of the calibre of Sherlock, Vinke B, Vessem and Staroftheshow. 

Bred by Alabar Bloodstock, Turn The Page is a three-year-old filly from the unraced Sheza Monkee, by Sands A Flyin from Tuapeka Vale, by Smooth Fella from the broodmare gem Sakuntala, by Armbro Del – a pedigree with some real background with a strong staying influence behind it.

Smoken Ace unbeaten two-year-old

The Sportswriter colt Smoken Ace, who came from near last to win at Melton last Saturday and is now unbeaten in five starts, is Breeders Crown bound.

On a cool night and required to race several sulkies wide, he carved out the final 800 metres in 56.9 seconds and looked to have something in reserve.

A compact youngster, possessing both speed and stamina, Smoken Ace is a particularly ‘easy going’ juvenile and is one of the smart team trained by former Kiwi horseman Kyle Marshall.

Smoken Ace’s dam, Smoken Su, was only a moderate, being by Elsu from Rose Mathias, who was unraced and by the pacing standout Il Vicolo, a dual NZ Cup winner and Horse of the Year.

Rose Mathias was out of Dynamic Lady (1:58.8), by Midshipman (son of Meadow Skipper) from a mare by Mark Lobell, sire of the 1978 Inter Dominion champion Markovina.

Smoken Ace is a brother to the recent Auckland winner Whooshka (1:56.5) and a half-brother to the Melton winner Smoken Shazza (1:56.9) and Magilligan Point (1:56).

Trotters Carousel to Constantinople

The $25,500 Trotters Carousel, one of the features of the spring racing at Menangle, was won by Constantinople, a highly fancied gelding by Trixton from the pacing mare El Scorcho.

CONSTANTINOPLE REPLAY

Trixton, a son of Muscle Hill, has been one of America’s top sires of trotters in recent years, while in Australia and NZ he has a high percentage of winners-to-foals. He has sired such winners as Arcee Phoenix (Vicbred 4YO Final), Van Sank, Tradie Lady (Nutrien 3YO Classic), Victree Hill, Aldebaran Vera and other smart trotters.

El Scorcho, the dam of Constantinople, was by Megamind (a son of Jate Lobell) from the Even Odds mare Phicai, a sister to the brilliant but injury plagued Exhilarator (Vicbred 2YO Final) and a half-sister to The Legends winner Allwood’s Chief and the top Tasmanian pacer Ulos.

This has been a most successful family, as Saraburi, another half-sister to Phicai, was the dam of the prolific Perth winner On The Agenda and the second dam of the recent Tontine winner Blake Bolac.

Constantinople was bred by Goulburn Valley enthusiast John Hallam.

Springboard two-year-old triumph

The Somerset Farms Springboard Final, for two-year-old trotters, was a triumph for My High Expectations as the sire of the winner Gait With Grace and Northern Heights (3rd) – rather a notable siring feat.

The winner of four of her five starts, Gait With Grace is out of the Malabar Maple mare Norah Jones NZ, dam of earlier winners in Norah’s Fling (12 wins) and Dextrous Dexter (5 wins).

My High Expectations, an American-bred son of the Yankee Glide horse Ken Warkentin, stands at the Medowie Lodge stud, near Newcastle, of Darren Reay.

Jug winning line

The Little Brown Jug winner It’s My Show, is a son of the Yankee Cruiser horse Sweet Lou, who won a Jug heat himself and sired an earlier Jug winner in Lou’s Pearlman.

It’s My Show’s Jug win was his ninth success from 13 starts this season for $1.06million. He was winless in eight starts as a two-year-old.

It’s My Show is out of the world champion racemare Put On A Show 1:47.6 ($2.4million), dam also of the Meadowlands Pace winner Best In Show (1:48). By Rocknroll Hanover, Put On A Show was from the millionairess Stienam’s Place (1:50.8), by Artsplace from Stienam’s Girl, by Nihilator and tracing eventually to a noted foundation mare in Medio.

by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink