Just a quick reminder – these updates of the U7 family descendants in Australia and New Zealand are not meant to be examples of how any U7 family descendant is somehow capable of performing breeding miracles! We all know how hard it is to breed successfully, even from well-credentialed mares and good families, especially if they are not part of the strongest branches. The idea is to share some interesting stories and give us some younger mares or progeny to follow in their careers on the track and in the breeding barn over the next year or so.
Trilogy Franco / Glenisla & Balcatherine
This family traces back to Three Diamonds and the Adora/K Nora branch of the U7 Miss Duvall family, via Touche Franco and her dam Trilogy Franco and grand-dam Tropez Lobell, a Brittany Farm USA mare and daughter of Three Diamonds. It looks like Wayne Francis bought and imported Trilogy Franco to New Zealand as a young mare, tried her a few times at the races for ok results, then retired her for breeding. (Her half-brother Franco Terminator was imported from USA to stand at stud in Australia in the early 2000s – for not much result.)
Wayne Francis died in 1999 and Trilogy Franco continued to be bred from by his Nevele R partner Bob McArdle. Trilogy Franco’s first foal was Touche Franco (b2000) by Holmes Hanover. She had 6 starts for 1 win and then also went to the broodmare paddock. Trilogy Franco had a number of foals (including Twice Again Franco and Triple Franco whose breeding results you can track in the Australian Harness website), and more recently another clutch of filly foals for the Harrisons in Timaru, which will be interesting to follow.
But back to Touche Franco – after not much success for her first foals, she was sold by Bob McArdle to Brent and Sheree McIntyre (Macca Lodge) in 2008 and their subsequent breedings have been very successful. Of particular interest for the breeding future are her two daughters Glenisla (by Panspacificflight) and Balcatherine (by American Ideal) – two sires who also descend from good branches of the U7 family. As racemares currently in Australia, they have turned in some excellent results, including a Group 1 for Balcatherine late 2020.
Read the story in more detail on Macca Lodge website.
Glenisla end her racing career with 19 wins and $86,402, while 5yo Balcatherine is still racing and has chalked up 10 wins from 24 starts and $208,048.
Glenisla’s breeding career has got off to a slow start with one dead foal and one missed breeding. But both of these representatives of a wonderful branch of the U7 Miss Duvall family will be interesting to follow in their future breeding career.
Next time – Tasmcmanian
b4breeding 
Hi Bee, good to see you are back… enjoyed reading your blog on Balcatherine..
I am still sending my horses to Gary Hall in Perth. Master Publisher has been going really well until June this year when he was working with Balcatherine but injured his leg a week before first race in a new campaign. Gary phoned last week to say his leg had healed but won’t bring him back to work until January.
He did a tendon in front leg… Gary wants to pursue with MP as he believes he will be a cup horse and could come back better… fingers crossed.
I have a full brother Lord Publisher with Mark Smolenski, he rates LP more than MP. Interesting breeding… Neverland franco with A Rocknroll Dance.
The problem I have is Neverland is nearly 17 and I don’t have a filly from her … And with A Rocknroll Dance unavailable in NZ im not sure which stallion I should go to… Neverland was sent to Captain Crunch and will have a foal soon….she missed to Captaintreachous twice. I am thinking of going to Lazarus this coming breeding season…your thoughts?
NOTE: The Publisher did a good job in Perth until he died on the training track.
Les whiteside