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.

Max Delight wins Victoria Cup

The most important race of the spring calendar, the $300,000 Victoria Cup at Bendigo, was won by the Bettor’s Delight five-year-old Max Delight, who downed the hot favourite King Of Swing. Both will be aimed at the Sydney Inter Dominion series next month.

Max Delight, who was bought for a record $245,000 at the Australian Pacing Sydney sale in 2017, has earned $665,840 from 21 wins and 12 placings in 48 starts. It was his fourth success at Group 1 level, having won the NSW and Tasmanian Derbies and Breeders Crown as a three-year-old.

Bettor’s Delight, the sire of Max Delight, sired earlier Victoria Cup winners in Bettor’s Strike (2009), Caribbean Blaster (2012), Lazarus (2017) and Tiger Tara (2018).

Bred by Richmond (NSW) breeder Peter Lewis, Max Delight is out of Lady Euthenia 1:53.3 ($461,285), a top flight racemare by Art Major, an Artsplace horse who sired the 2013 Victoria Cup winner For A Reason.

Lady Euthenia, the winner of five Group 1 races including the NSW Breeders Challenge and Oaks, was from Reggae Miss 2:00.3 ($123,087), also a NSW Breeders Challenge winner and by Maple Lane’s Strike from Girl Next Door, by What’s Next from Lady Ex and tracing to the taproot Flee Step (foaled in NSW in the 1930’s).

Max Delight is the best winner from this family in recent years, but in an earlier decade a top racemare in Jamin (1:55.9), who won 37 races and $280,193 in stakes including the NSW Golden Mile, the Ballarat Cup winner My Gal Sal and the dual Oaks winner Mayfield Scott.

Ladies In Red top three-year-old filly

There was never much doubt that Ladies In Red was the season’s top rating three-year-old filly as she was the previous season at two years, and she duly confirmed her class by winning the Victoria Oaks.

Actually Ladies In Red was a class above her rivals, and she scored by almost two lengths after overcoming a difficult barrier draw and a wide passage.

Her sire, Mach Three, has now sired two Victoria Oaks winners – Charlotte Brew (2010) and Ladies In Red – and he is also the damsire of two winners in Shez All Rock (2018) and Dr Susan (2020).

Ladies In Red is out of the American-bred Kabbalah Karen B (1:52.8), by Western Terror from Mib Hanover (1:55.6), by Tyler B (son of Most Happy Fella) from Mighty Impressive, by Harold J. Kabbalah Karen B, the dam also of the Victorian Derby winner and dual Breeders Crown champion Our Little General 1:49.8 ($736,431), was a half-sister to a top American pacer in Cammibest (1:50), a leading sire in Queensland for many years.

This is the family which produced such winners as Noble Ability 1:49.2 (Canadian Pacing Derby), Not Enough 1:49 ($1.3 million), Warrawee Koine (1:50), Carnivore (1:50.6) and others.

 

Act Now is well bred

Act Now, a good looking Somebeachsomewhere colt, is rated Victoria’s top three-year-old this season, particularly after his success in the Group 1 Victoria Derby, one of the season’s major three-year-old classics. He has won four and four times placed from 11 starts.

In the Derby, he was never really extended in running out the 2650 metres in 3:09.3, a mile rating of 1:55, the last 800 in 55.7 and the final 400 in 28.7.

Act Now has an all-American breeding background and one which has been most successful. By Somebeachsomewhere, he is out of the unraced American Ideal mare Molly’s Ideal and her first produce to race.

Molly’s Ideal, who was bred at Ballarat by Bruce Edward, was out of Molly’s Lucky Star (1:54.4), by Bettor’s Delight from Pacific Destiny, by Artsplace from One More Kiss, a noted producer by Big Towner from Easy To Love, a daughter of the champion American racemare Pammy Lobell, dam of the successful Victorian sire Paulsboro.

Molly’s Lucky Star, who won 15 races and $96,700, left others in the WA Diamond Classic winner Askmeilltellya 1:54.8 ($140,006), Pin Stripes (1:53.7), Our Jaguar Star (1:57.4) and War Dan Star (1:59.3).

It is an interesting fact that there is a double strain of Matt’s Scooter blood in Act Now, through both his sire Somebeachsomewhere and maternal sire American Ideal.

Vicbred Home Grown Classic winner

Soho Dow Jones is proving himself a smart two-year-old – he has won three of his six starts to date including the Group 2 $50,000 Home Grown Classic – and could develop into one of the best his age this season.

A gelding by American Ideal (grandson of Western Hanover), he is out of the Group 1 placegetter Soho New York 1:57.2 (10 wins), who ranked as a sister to the Gloucester Park winner The Kraken 1:55.6 ($110,592).

Their dam, Before Night Falls, won 12 races including the WA Diamond Classic and $169,279 in stakes. Before Night Falls had a record of 1:58.1, and was a Safely Kept mare from Crazy Cam, a noted producer by Lucky Cam from Regina Rowan, by Romeo Hanover and descending to the taproot Boudrie (by Blackwood Abdallah).

This family has produced some useful pacers over the years. Soho New York left an earlier winner in Soho Sinatra (1:56.1), a winner of seven races to date.

Hat trick for The Croupier

The Croupier, who won the Group 3 Country Club Final at Menangle, after appearing to be hopelessly out of it at one stage, has now won 11 races – including his last three on end – and is rated one of the brightest prospects in his class. He ranks as a six-year-old half-brother by Roll With Joe to a brilliant pacer in Freyberg 1:51 ($422,590), a multiple Group and Listed winner.

Sam’s Beach Babe (2:01.5), the dam of The Croupier and Freyberg, was a Beach Towel mare from Most Happy Patch, by Smooth Fella from Moody Patch and has proved a most successful broodmare. She is also the dam of Vanhalem 1:58.4 (12 wins and $102,548) and Black Rock Babe.

Sam’s Beach Babe was not of much account herself but she was a half-sister to the Globe Derby Park winner Im The Last Samurai (2:01.4) and Knot A Patch (2:01.1), the grand-dam of Kinky Boots 1:59.9 (8 wins to date) and Jimmy Mack 1:56 ($153,247), a winner at Globe Derby on the same night as The Croupier won.

This has been one of the most successful branches of the First Water family, Most Happy Patch being a half-sister to the Moonee Valley winner Captain Arnledite and the exported Smackwater Jack (1:59.8) and Sissy Bogart (1:59.8) and to Classic Patch, the dam of the Gloucester Park victor Oh What A Classic (1:59.3) and the Globe Derby winner Great Balls Of Fire.

Group winner by Alta Christiano

The tough win of Alta Engen in the Group 3 The Kersley at Gloucester Park further demonstrated the loss of Alta Christiano to breeders.

Alta Engen, who was bred and is part-owned by Trevor Lindsay, is one of the second crop of the thrice Group winning Christian Cullen horse. With his oldest stock only five-year-olds, Alta Christiano has sired 81 winners from 105 starters and they have amassed $3.6 million in stakes including Group and Listed winners in Mighty Ronaldo, Fake News, Techy’s Angel, Will The Wizard, Im Sir Blake (1:49.4) and Al Guerrero.

Alta Engen is out of the Million To One mare Its Karma (1:59.3), whose dam, Liberty Lombo, was by Hilarion from Annie May, by Smooth Fella from the Scottish Hanover mare Roydon May. Liberty Lombo left a capable pacer in Baylan Jett 1:54.2 ($170,907) – her 13^th foal.

Close relatives win at Gloucester Park

Two of Western Australia’s star youngsters at present, and both winners on the same night at Gloucester Park last weekend, are Otis and Paul Edward. Both bred and raced by Steve Johnson and trained by David Thompson are very closely related.

Otis, a three-year-old colt by Sweet Lou, is out of Janet Gai (1:58.6), an Art Major mare from Endless Journey, by Die Laughing from the Embrace Me mare Hold Tight.

Paul Edward, a two-year-old colt by Always B Miki, is from the good producer Like A Dame, a Golden Greek half-sister to Endless Journey, the grand-dam of Otis. Like A Dame, who won three races, is also the dam of the Fremantle Cup and dual Vicbred champion David Hercules 1:52.7 ($1.2 million) and the Gloucester Park winners Hugh Victor 1:54.9 ($144,034) and Kerrin Joseph 1:52 ($133,060).

Hold Tight was a half-sister to the Australian Pacing Gold and dual Derby winner Albuquerque 1:58.6 ($322,630).

Holmfield winner has strong bloodlines

Mufasa Metro, winner of the Group 2 Holmfield at Bendigo, who had previously shown marked ability in New Zealand, is a three-year-old trotter of some potential.

He belongs to one of NZ’s most successful families, being by the champion sire Father Patrick out of the Safely Kept mare Paris Metro, who won a string of races in NZ including the Group 1 National Trot. Paris Metro, who was bred in the Canterbury region, was out of Transport Jo (4 pacing wins), by Transport Chip from Dalrae Jo, by Sir Dalrae from Amy Jo, by Armbro Hurricane from Douce, who founded a noted branch of the Topsy family.

Other trotters further back in this pedigree have been I See Icy Earl, No Early Spark, Gentleman Jim and Keystone Rule.

Although Safely Kept, the damsire of Mufasa Metro, raced as a pacer, he sired a number of top flight trotters including La Coocaracha, Our First Jewel, Save A Sixpence and Code Of Honour.

Mufasa Metro ranks as a half-brother to National Trot winner Massive Metro 1:59.8 ($232,826), the exported Commander Paris 1:54.2 ($104,607) and the Albion Park trotting winner The Pearl Of Paris.

‘Beach’ influence at Kentucky sale

Champion sire Somebeachsomewhere had an overriding influence on the results of the recent Kentucky Selected Yearling Sale.

Four of the top six pacing stallions based on average price were sons of the twice premier American sire. Captaintreacherous led all pacing sires with an average of $133,040 for 50 lots, followed by Downbytheseaside, third on the list, with 23 head sold at an average of $77,783.

Stay Hungry (fifth) achieved an average of $61,593 for 27 lots from his first crop, while Huntsville rounded out the top six with 24 head selling for an average of $58,167.

By Peter Wharton for Harnesslink