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.
Queen Elida – the best
The Love You mare Queen Elida achieved yet another moment of glory in a brilliant career when she sent her stake earnings over the $500,000 mark.
Her superlative success in the Carlotta’s Pride Free-for-all at Melton boosted her earnings to $510,285, making her the richest trotting mare racing in Australia today.
Queen Elida won in the manner of a true champion, overcoming the outside gate and sitting parked throughout to score by open lengths.
Summing up the race, her driver Chris Alford said: “When I asked her to go she changed into overdrive like a real good care. She seems to be getting better. She’s always been fast but she’s got stronger.”
Queen Elida began racing as a two-year-old, placing once from two starts. As a three-year-old she took the Victoria Oaks, Breeders Crown and the Need For Speed.
One of her most memorable wins as a four-year-old was the La Coocaracha, and at the same age she won the Breeders Crown and a heat of the Inter Dominion at Shepparton. She look her lifetime mark of 1:53 winning the Macarthur Mile at Menangle in May.
Queen Elida has won 24 races and been 13 times placed from 42 starts.
By the French champion sire Love You, and from his first commercial crop ‘down under’, Queen Elida is out of the Group 3 winner Queen Kenny, by Monarchy from Nice One Kenny, by Sundon from Frances Jay Bee, by Pointer Hanover.
This is the family which produced the millionairess One Over Kenny, Ultimate Stride (The Redwood), One Over Da Moon, One Over All, One Under Kenny and Kenny’s Dream, all trotters of some worth.
Serg Blanco wins Italian Cup
The most important race held at Melton last weekend, the Italian Cup, was won by the Bettor’s Delight gelding Serg Blanco, who downed the hot favourite Like A Wildfire and Inter Dominion runner-up Torrid Saint in a three-way photo.
Serg Blanco, who was bought in New Zealand as a four-year-old, has won six races on Australian soil and has worked his way back to a NR104 mark.
A five-year-old gelding, Serg Blanco is out of Ca Cest Lamore, an unraced mare by Live Or Die from the good producer Les Payzen Star, by Payson’s Brother from the New York Motoring mare Interchange, the dam of the Inter Dominion and A. G. Hunter Cup winner Elsu and the NZ Sires Stakes champion Revonez.
Serg Blanco ranks as a half-brother to the export Aramis (1:53.2).
Up and coming youngsters
Three smart young horses to win at Albion Park last Friday were the New Zealand bred three-year-olds Rocknroll Hammer and Aroda and the NSW bred Arkin Wicked. They will all be well in line for next month’s $150,000 Queensland Derby.
Rocknroll Hammer, who has won four of his seven starts on Australian soil, is a three-year-old gelding by the Rocknroll Hanover horse A Rocknroll Dance, now at the stud in Queensland.
Rocknroll Hammer looks certain to take a tight mark and as a sprinter he has a bright future. He ranks as a brother-in-blood to the champion pacer King Of Swing, being out of Twist And Twirl, by Artsplace from Giveitawhirlgirl.
This family has consistently produced a number of good winners over the years. A close relative of Rocknroll Hammer in Australia is Mach Dan, who is out of Bettor Give It, a half-sister to Twist And Twirl, the dam of Rocknroll Hammer.
Aroda, who is rated by experienced judges as one of the leading local hopes for the Derby, is owned by prominent Queensland identity Greg Mitchell, who also races Arkin Wicked. Both look to have terrific potential.
A half-brother to the outstanding NZ four-year-old Akuta, Aroda is a colt by Art Major from the Christian Cullen mare Adore To Our Dreams, while Arkin Wicked, also by Art Major, is out of the Village Jasper mare Ark De Jeanne, a granddaughter of the 2008 Australian Broodmare of the Year Ark Maree.
Four on end for Fiamma
Fiamma (Bettor’s Delight), a decisive wire-to-wire winner at Melton, has now won eight of her 16 starts including her last four on end and is regarded as one of the best young mares in the country.
Bred and raced by the Johnson family of The Rock (NSW), she ranks as a four-year-old sister by Bettor’s Delight to the dual Inter Dominion Final placegetter Flaming Flutter and the Listed winner Two Times Bettor.
Their dam, Twice As Hot (1:59.6), an In The Pocket mare from Twice As Good (1:56.5), by Butler B G from the American-bred mare Princess Nandina, has proved a most successful broodmare. She is also the dam of Mister Whittaker (1:54.9), Habanero (1:59.5) and Wicked Nights and the second dam of the Group winner Cyclone Banner (1:50.8), Zahven Banner (1:50.3) and Yankee Ideal (1:52.7).
Twice As Hot, who won five races, was a half-sister to the dual Gawler Cup winner Mark Dennis (1:51.4), the NZ Group/Listed winners Waitfornoone (1:55.7) and Fight Fire With Fire (1:56.6) and a cup class pacer in St Barts (1:57).
This has been one of the most successful branches of the Lady Ajax family, Twice As Good being a half-sister to a top flight American filly and Breeders Crown champion in Pacific 1:53 ($871,550).
Surfers Delight is well bred
Surfers Delight, who won the $50,000 Max Treuer Memorial at Bankstown – Total Diva and The Black Prince filled the placings behind him – is a five-year-old expected to graduate far beyond his present rating.
By the Cam’s Card Shark horse Bettor’s Delight, Surfers Delight is out of Surfin Swift (1:58.6), by the NZ champion Christian Cullen. Surfin Swift left earlier winners in Wyatt Waller (1:57.5) and Pro Surfer.
Surfin Swift was out of Crying Game, by Butler B G from Show Some Emotion, a Soky’s Atom mare from the Polly (by Hood’s family).
Surfin Swift was a half-sister to the Gloucester Park winner Surfin Superstar (1:59.8), the Albion Park victor Surfin Cees (1:55.9) and the exported Surfin (1:53). Their dam, Crying Game, was a half-sister to Mo Emotion, who won five races in NZ and later took a record of 1:52 in America.
The Hood’s Polly family had a terrific influence on NZ breeding through several branches.
Star four-year-old by Betterthancheddar
A bright future is being predicted for the Betterthancheddar four-year-old Roarforroscoe, whose success at Melton was his seventh winning run from 19 starts. He also finished second to Catch A Wave in the Vicbred 3YO Final.
He has a good deal in his favour on the score of blood. Apart from being by Betterthancheddar, a 1:48 son of Bettor’s Delight, Roarforroscoe is out of the Courage Under Fire mare Sayalittleprayer, a half-sister to the Inter Dominion champion Boncel Benjamin, being out of Alleluia Lombo, by Christian Cullen from Lombo Light Speed, and tracing back eventually to the celebrated matron Parisienne.
The Vicbred champion Kinda Arty Lombo, Hosier Lane (1:51.7), Illawong Maestro (1:53.1) and others belong to this branch of the Parisienne tribe.
NSW Trotters Foundation winner
The NSW Foundation Final, for three-year-old trotters, one of the features of the NSW trotting calendar, was won by London To A Brick, the pacing bred gelding by Bettor’s Delight from I’m Justforyou.
Bettor’s Delight, a son of Cam’s Card Shark, has been the leading sire of pacers in the Commonwealth for the last decade. He has also some useful trotters including On Thunder Road, a winner of 38 races, Emerald Stride, Royal Glenferrie and Drop The Hammer, winner of the 2018 edition of the Foundation Trot.
I’m Justforyou (1:55.3), the dam of London To A Brick, was by Christian Cullen, who also distinguished himself as a sire of pacers, from Just An Angel, by Artiscape from Almost An Angel, by In The Pocket.
I’m Justforyou, who won six races as a pacer, left the pacer Sugar For My Honey 1:56.5 (9 wins to date) and the trotter Unspoken Love.
Mildura winner by Cracker Black
Beaudacious, a winner at Mildura recently and now the winner of eight races, is by the Courage Under Fire horse Cracker Black, a Gore Cup and Menangle winner who was later mainly used as a private sire in NSW.
From 29 foals, Cracker Black has been represented by 10 starters and five winners including four in 2:00.
Bred by Kevin Pizzuto (of Tiger Tara fame), Beaudacious is out of the Presidential Ball mare Miss Presidential and is her first produce to race.
by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink