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.
Never Ending unbeaten three-year-old
The Sweet Lou gelding Never Ending firmly established himself as the top Western Australian three-year-old of the season when he won the $50,000 Pearl Classic at Gloucester Park.
It was Never Ending’s ninth success from as many starts and his mile rating of 1:56.6 was put up when he had nothing in his favour, drawing the outside of the front line and being several lengths from the leaders in the back straight. He is a very good youngster.
Bred by Steve Johnson, Endless Journey was knocked down for $75,000 at the APG sale in Perth in 2021. He has now earned $320,223.
NEVER ENDING REPLAY
Never Ending is by the Yankee Cruiser horse Sweet Lou (sire of Spirit Of St Louis, etc) from Endless Journey, a lightly raced placegetter. She produced earlier winners in Isaiah Artois 1:58.3 ($117,351), who won the Pearl in 2014, Mandy Joan 1:54.9 ($168,564), Dibaba 1:54.1 ($112,486) and Janet Gai (1:58.6), dam of the brilliant but injury plagued Otis 1:55 ($108,063).
Since producing Never Ending in 2019, Endless Journey has left a yearling filly by Art Major and a weanling colt by Capt Midnight. She is carrying a positive test to Sweet Lou, sire of Never Ending.
Endless Journey was by the Woodrow Wilson winner Die Laughing from Hold Tight, by Embrace Me from the top racemare Stormy Port, by Tarport King from Mehitable, by Stormyway and tracing to the taproot Royal Empress.
This is a long-established NZ family and an earlier outstanding pacer belonging to it was the ‘mighty atom’ Caduceus, who won 82 races in four different countries including the 1960 Inter Dominion Grand Final and who held the NZ mile record for some years at 1:57.6.
NSW Regional Championship double
Gordon’s Bay, a son of the boom American sire Captaintreacherous, whose frozen semen is available from Empire Stallions, has become the first horse ever to complete the NSW Metropolitan and State Championship double.
He led throughout in both $100,000 Finals run over 2300 metres from the mobile barrier, rating 1:57.2 in the Metropolitan race and 1:56.6 in the State Final.
Gordon’s Bay is closely to an earlier smart pacer in I’m Corzin Terror, who won a string of country cups in Victoria.
Gordon’s Bay is by Captaintreacherous from Corzan Effect, by Jereme’s Jet, a Western Hanover horse out of the millionaire dollar winner and US Broodmare of the Year Ohyouprettything.
Corzan Affect, a Menangle winner, was out of Corzanello, winner of two races and by Totally Ruthless from Rear Window, by Mister Hanover II and tracing to a noted foundation mare in Miss Poole.
Corzanello was the dam of I’m Corzin Terror (1:52.2), a winner of 21 races and $513,219 in stakes, the Gloucester Park winner Corza Commotion (1:56.3), For The Corz (1:58.9) and All My Dreamz, a Cambridge winner and who became the dam of the good NZ and Victorian winner Bettor My Dreamz (1:55.6).
Gordon’s Bay was bred by Doug and Janet Moore, of Brooklyn Lodge stud, near Bathurst and was sold for $26,000 at the APG sale at Warwick Farm in 2019. He has now earned $185,357.
Artillery in 1:50.4
Artillery (Art Major), who won the Free-for-all in 1:50.4 at Menangle, after appearing to be hopelessly out of it at one stage, has now won 19 races and $195,113 and is rated one of the brightest prospects in his class. He ranks as a five-year-old brother by Art Major to the top flight South Australian pacer Culture King.
Culture King has won 17 races so far in SA, NSW, Victoria and Queensland.
Tessace, the dam of Artillery and Culture King, was an Aces N Sevens mare from Tessa Franco (1:59.2), by Holmes Hanover from Tenisha, and has proved a most successful broodmare.
Tessace (1:56.6), a Menangle and Harold Park winner, was a half-sister to the Moonee Valley victor Mascarpone (1:58.8), dam of Big Time Hustler (1:54.8), a winner of 13 races, and Nelly Bigtime (1:54.5).
This has been one of the most successful branches of the Moor Chimes family, Tessa Franco being a half-sister to the Franklin Cup winner Rider On The Storm 1:56 ($188,342), the Group 3 WA winner The Perfect Storm 1:52.8 ($227,128) and the exported Irak Attack 1:50.4 ($414,826) and Humminbird 1:51 ($200,962) and a sister to Tisha, who left a swag of winners including Jaccka Taurus (Bathurst Gold Crown) and Franco Tinman ($114,865).
Rising star from Onlyforyou
A three-year-old to win at his Australian debut at Melton was Ok Boomer (Bettor’s Delight), who was bred by Ken and Karen Breckon, of Breckon Farms.
A gelding by Bettor’s Delight, he is out of the Group 1 juvenile Onlyforyou 1:55.8 ($347,900), who produced earlier winners A Bettor You (1:54.3), winner of the Harness Jewels, and On A Roll (1:55.4).
Ok Boomer peeled off a flying 55.7 seconds final half and looks a three-year-old with the potential one would expect of his breeding.
Springfield Affair improved
One of the most improved pacers in Victoria this season is Springfield Affair (Shadow Play), from Margaret Lee’s Terang stables, and the five-year-old put some ‘black type’ on his pedigree when he won the $30,000 Vicbred Platinum Pace Final at Melton.
Earlier in the season he took out the Mount Gambier Gold Cup and from 17 starts this season he has won five and been seven times placed.
Springfield Affair is a Shadow Play gelding from a useful racemare in Flamingo Rose NZ, by In The Pocket from the Vance Hanover mare Regent Guest and descending to New Guest, who has founded an outstanding family of winners including the NZ Derby and Oaks winner Hilarious Guest.
Springfield Affair ranks as a half-brother to the Group 2 winner Marika Springfield and the metropolitan winners Springfield Tattoo and Springfield Desire.
Ultimate Machete quinella
The two-year-old fillies’ race at Gloucester Park was a triumph for the Bettor’s Delight horse Ultimate Machete as the sire of Bazaar Package (1st), Miss Hepburn (2nd) and Grand Couteau (5th) – rather a notable siring feat.
Ultimate Machete, a former NZ 3YO and 4YO of the Year, stands at Cobbitty Equine Farm in NSW and his oldest stock are only two-year-olds.
Another son of Bettor’s Delight in Betting Line has made rather a sensational start as a sire in Australia, having been represented by the NSW Oaks quinella pair Windy Hill Tara and Soho Seraphine, the Albion Park Gold Final winner My Ultimate Levi and the Group winners Saint Veran and Sovrana.
Well related three-year-old
On Deadline, a three-year-old colt by Sportswriter from Justsoyouknow, by Washington VC from Chepstow, by Sands A Flyin, showed ability as a two-year-old last season when he clocked 1:56.1 at Auckland.
But the Forward colt has proved himself to some purpose in his three-year-old racing, and he hoisted a fresh lifetime mark of 1:52.6 for the flying mile at Menangle.
It was On Deadline’s third success on end and his seventh from 11 starts this season.
On Deadline’s second dam, Chepstow, who was unraced, was a half-sister to the country cups winner Wideford Hill 1:58.4 ($160,811), the Albion Park winners Cleeve Hill 1:57.3 ($153,512) and Sheldonian (1:57) and to Janet Quill, dam of the Australian Pacing Championship winner Dartmoor 1:55.8 ($427,357).
Top mare wins Leigh Plunkett
Miss Papenhuyzen (Sweet Lou), winner of the Alabar Leigh Plunkett at Launceston, continues to prove herself in the top bracket among the mares in Tasmania. At her previous outing she finished second in the George Johnson.
Bred and part-owned by Troy Hillier, Miss Papenhuyzen is a member of one of NZ’s most successful families, being a four-year-old Sweet Lou mare from a handy racemare in Robyn Scherbotsky (2:00.6), dam also of Lily Rocks (2:00.7).
Robyn Scherbotsky was out of Reincarnation, by Holmes Hanover from Jessica MacFaber, a noted producer by El Patron from Jill MacFaber, a Lopez Hanover mare from the Miss Kate tribe.
Jessica MacFaber produced a high class mare in Kliklite (1:56.7), a winner of 12 races and $156,213, the Gloucester Park winner You Can Talk (1:58.7) and the Victorian winner Lite Justice.
But the second generation of Jessica MacFaber’s family has bred on with the same distinction as she did. She figures as the grand-dam of the NZ Derby winner The Court Owl 1:57.6 ($476,785), the classic-winning NZ juveniles The Midnight Owl 1:52.4 ($343,578) and Top Tempo 1:56.5 ($225,513) and McKay 1:55.7 ($236,445).
Jessica MacFaber also ranks as the third dam of the APG winners Musical Delight and Queen Of Pop, former Australian 2YO Filly of the Year Sensational Gabby and the recent Bendigo and Cranbourne Cups winner Major Meister
Breeding of Elitlopp winner
The French trotter Hohneck, who won the prestigious Elitlopp in Sweden, is a six-year-old son of Royal Dream and the Ready Cash mare Caranca, whose dam, Sanawa, was a Group 1 winner in France.
He carries a 3×4 cross to the 1996 Elitlopp winner Coktail Jet through his grandsire Love You and his grand-dam sire Jeanbat Du Vivier.
by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink