With New Zealand breeders having always been big sellers of their fillies and mares as racing stock for well over 100 years to both Australia and North America, a lot of the 'Blue Blood' breeding stock of New Zealand has ended up in other countries when they have finished their harness racing careers.
One of the results of all those sales is that harness racing in New Zealand has a long history of maternal families that burn brightly for a short time before burning out
Other maternal families seem to go on for generations producing quality over a long period which is partly driven in our view by the amount of New Zealand breeding stock resident off shore holding back the other maternal families from competing on a level playing field.
The late Wayne Francis of Nevele R Stud fame was one of the first to try to bring a lot of those mares back to New Zealand with the formation of the Addington and Alexandra Park breeding partnerships in the 1980s .
One of the first mares to be brought back via the partnerships was Van Glory.
She was an outstanding racemare who found her way to Australia in the 1970s after a great race career in New Zealand.
She raced and beat the best of her era such as Robalan and Young Quinn and had the breeding to match her ability, being a full sister to the outstanding age group filly in Bellajilly who won the New Zealand Derby in the early 1960s.
While failing to produce anything of her own ability at stud, the daughters and grand-daughters of Van Glory have been superb in the broodmare barn.
The JR Skipper mare Broncroft Castle produced the brilliant Mon Poppy Day 1:56.4 ($318,,558) while the Holmes Hanover daughter in Vain Franco left the champion age group filly in Under Cover Lover 1:51.8 ($864,923) while a daughter of hers in Front Cover Lover produced the millionaire mare in Bettor Cover Lover 1:53.8 ($1061,534)
The family continues to go from strength to strength and is well represented in the yearling sales catalogue each year.
One filly who has both those champion mares close up in her pedigree is Lot 130 at this years Australasian Classic Yearling Sale at Karaka on February 22nd.
Named Pop Princess, the daughter of Mach Three is the sixth foal from the racewinning Presidential Ball mare from Under Cover Lover in Affairs Of State 2:00.1 ($50,811)
Pop Princess is a full sister to the very smart Chachingchaching 1:56.6 ($118,064) and High Society Gal 1:57.7.
Her dam Affairs Of State is a half sister to (My) Exotic Lover, the dam of last seasons talented New South Wales two year old in Match In Heaven 1:53.7 ($44,324) who ran second to Waikiki Beach in the $125,000 Breeders Challenge Final at Menangle.
With two champion mares close up in the pedigree and a maternal family that continues to perform at the top level, Pop Princess would be a great addition to any breeders broodmare band.
To view the Australasian Classic Yearling Sale catalogue click here.
Harnesslink Media
