b4breeding

This is the second in the series I’m doing looking at New Zealand Harness Jewels fields in terms of their breeding.

This time I have gone back to the first “Jewels” held in 2007.  These winners then are now 11yo broodmares, and probably at a fairly critical point in their broodmare career when there are 2 or 3 foals of racing age. About now, breeders have their fingers crossed that something will have shown or start to show some real potential, as this makes the prospect of future breeding more likely to at least bring in some decent return on investment (if they are breeding to sell) or some optimism (if they are breeding to race themselves).

Just a quick recap, the Harness Jewels is a great day of races over 1 mile at the end of the New Zealand racing season, where horses who have won the most stakes racing in New Zealand that season compete for honours in their age/sex category. Mile racing is still relatively rare in New Zealand compared to 1700, 2200, 2400, 2600 etc racing, so the day provides a great opportunity for records to be set and big money to be won – both of which sets a mare up nicely for a later career as a broodmare.

Once again, the mares are listed in order of their placings in the “Jewels” race, but Gth Aveross was a speedy upset on that day. The favourite was Bachelorette, who got an awful run three wide on a hot pace before leading, and just couldn’t hang on. Holmezy and Cruzee Lass were next favourites. But it was the swoopers on the big wide Ashburton track that took out the main places – see the race here.

The sires of the field make for interesting reading: 3 by Presidential Ball, who was standing at that time for $6,000 and had earned a good reputation; 2 by Tinted Cloud, a son of In The Pocket standing for only $1,500 that season and even then carving a niche as a sire of tough fast older horses (including Smoken Up even then) but not really a commercial sire; Badlands Hanover and Holmes Hanover, well respected sires who had nothing left to prove; Sands A Flyin, never top of the pops but always likely to throw a very good older horse like Monkey King (who won the Harness Jewels 4yo Emerald later that same day); and some sires who were not picked up much at all by NZ breeders – Albert Albert, Union Guy and home-grown Ermis.

The only Christian Cullen in that field was Cruzee Lass. These 4yo mares were from his 4th crop of foals and the next year the numbers had almost doubled and grew in dominance for many years after that – so his presence was felt more in subsequent years.

In terms of potential mares, one of the saddest things is the death of Bachelorette before she could do anything as a broodmare.

Of the mares in that 2007 4yo race , Cruzee Lass has so far forged one of the most impressive record as a broodmare,  with a total of 6 foals on the ground – first one a hack now, then two winners (Rocknroll Lass by Rocknroll Hanover and Sweet Art by Art Major), followed by a 2yo Grinfromeartoear filly Jubilee Princess who came second in her only workout in March this year behind nice filly The Agent Orange – and being a Grin she should only improve with a wee bit more age.  After that there is another yearling filly by Rock N Roll Heaven called Rocknroll Princess, and finally a colt by American Ideal called The Lone Ranger. So Stonewall Stud have quite rightly given Cruzee Lass every opportunity to make it as a broodmare. Rocknroll Lass, now 4yo mare, has been given astute training placement to get her wins, lately in the Waikato/Manawatu/Taranaki rural circuit, but last year at this time you would have thought she had found her feet at at a higher level. There could well be issues I am not privy to, and her own breeding will stand her in good stead later you would think.

Stonewall Stud has also continued breeding from Cruzee Lass’s dam Shivna, but with little luck of late. However 5yo gelding Freespin (by Real Desire) did a good job here and has carried on with it in Australia, with a total now of 9 wins and over $83,000 to his name. Stonewall Stud also sent Cruzee Lass to Real Desire the same year to get Cruzee Girl, now a hack, so it shows how nothing is certain in breeding. These are the risks we face, which is why breeders need some ongoing recognition (preferably financial) where a successful horse is bred.

The other eyecatcher is Luckisaladytonight who has her first foal rating 2 starts/2wins currently with Cullen Keefe by Christian Cullen, and has a line up of foals by Panspacificflight (beautiful maternal lines), American Ideal, Well Said, and Rock N Roll Heaven to come. The mare herself is by Presidential Ball who has been forging a very solid record as a quality broodmare sire here.

As my blog asks, what happened to Lucy Thundercloud? Exported to North America and appears to have done very well there, but I don’t have access to what she has done as a broodmare.

Use the HRNZ Info horse website to find out the details of these progeny and follow them.

2007 4yo Diamond

1  GTH Aveross

Breeder: R E Pettitt,Mrs A G Pettitt

Breeding: Badlands Hanover – Allstar Ana – Soky’s Atom

Mare’s age: 11yo

Mare’s race record: 62 starts, 4 wins, 14 places  $134,560

Mare’s breeding record: 4 foals of racing age, 1 Australian winner

Best progeny: Aveross Mac (5yo colt by Bettor’s Delight)  41 starts, 9 wins, 10 places to date $34,951

Mare last served by –

2  Luckisaladytonight

Breeder: Enviro Stables Breeding Ltd

Breeding: Presidential Ball – Delightful Chance – Butler BG

Mare’s age: 11yo

Mare’s race record: 71 starts, 7 wins, 23 places  $151,249

Mare’s breeding record: 2 foals of racing age, 1 winner

Best progeny: Cullen Keefe (3yo colt by Christian Cullen) 2 starts, 2 win to date  $8,822

Mare last served in 2013 by – Rock N Roll Heaven

 

3  Lucy Thundercloud

Breeder: Miss B G Rae (although apparently Lucy Thundercloud was bred by Alan Scobie’s daughter and son in-law Jan Marie and Karl Pyle after stable driver Bernie Rae lent the couple her mare to breed from.)

Breeding: Tinted Cloud – Take My Tip – Smooth Fella

Mare’s age: 11yo

Mare’s race record: Exported to USA and apparently raced very successfully.

Mare’s breeding record: Exported to USA. Can anyone track her record and foaling in America?

Best progeny: Not known.

Mare last served by – Not known.

 

4  Time To Fly

Breeder: G A Iggo

Breeding: Sands A Flyin – Limuru – Oblivion II

Mare’s age: 11yo

Mare’s race record: 64 starts, 8 wins, 14 places $158,418

Mare’s breeding record: 1 foal of racing age (2yo filly) (3 live foals to date)

Best progeny: None raced as at 15 June 2014

Mare last served by – Rock N Roll Heaven

 

5  Zitura

Breeder: M L Law

Breeding: Union Guy – Santa Damiana – Falcon Seelster

Mare’s age: 11yo

Mare’s race record: 61 starts, 9 wins, 19 places $114,990

Mare’s breeding record: 1 foal of racing age (3 live foals to date)

Best progeny: Livura (2yo colt by Live Or Die), 6 starts, 1 place $5,813 to date

Mare last served by – Changeover

 

6  Holmezy

Breeder: G H Cowie

Breeding: Holmes Hanover – Stampezy – Stampede

Mare’s age: 11yo

Mare’s race record: 76 starts, 7 wins, 14 places  $83,421

Mare’s breeding record: 1 foal of racing age, 1 winner (2 tries to Christian Cullen for no return)

Best progeny: Holm Three (3yo filly by Mach Three) 21 starts, 1 win, 3 places  $11,081 to date

Mare last served by – Washington VC

 

7  Anna Livia

Breeder: Mrs K G Parsons, J F Parsons

Breeding: Tinted Cloud – Abbey Rose – Sandman Hanover

Mare’s age: 11yo

Mare’s race record: 47 starts, 9 wins, 12 placings  $62,831

Mare’s breeding record: 3 foals of racing age, 1 qualified

Best progeny: Anna Laziza (3yo filly by Mach Three), qualified March 2014

Mare last served by – Bettor’s Delight

 

8  Montel

Breeder: D P Dwyer

Breeding: Presidential Ball – Dillon Dawn – Tuapeka Knight

Mare’s age: 11yo

Mare’s race record: 69 race starts, 7 wins, 14 places $90,506 (was exported  to Australia 2007)

Mare’s breeding record: 1 live foal (mare has slipped or missed 4 other times)

Best progeny: Montelisa (2yo filly by Modern Art), 3 race starts to date

Mare last served by – not known yet for 2014

 

9  Bachelorette

Breeder: S Holloway

Breeding: Albert Albert – Gretna’s Girl – B G’s Bunny

Mare’s age: Died 2010

Mare’s race record: 61 starts, 10 wins, 16 places $187,408

Mare’s breeding record: First foal (Art Major) – mare and foal died

 

10  Cruzee Lass

Breeder: Stonewall Stud

Breeding: Christian Cullen – Shivna – Holmes Hanover

Mare’s age: 11yo

Mare’s race record: 39 starts, 9 wins, 6 places  $99,544

Mare’s breeding record: 4 foals of racing age, 2 winners

Best progeny: Rocknroll Lass (4yo mare by Rocknroll Hanover), 31 starts, 8 wins, 4 places $43,217 to date

Mare last served by – American Ideal

 

11  Slick Lavra

Breeder:Kypros Kotzikas

Breeding: Ermis – Lavra Rein On

Mare’s age: 11yo

Mare’s race record: 91 starts, 15 wins, 21 places  $143,026 (Exported to Australia 2008)

Mare’s breeding record: None recorded yet on Australian Harness website – finished racing in 2010.

 

121  Blackbird Fly

Breeder: Norwegian Wood Breeding Syndicate

Breeding: Presidential Ball – Maikona – Soky’s Atom

Mare’s age: 11yo

Mare’s race record: 30 starts, 7 wins, 7 places  $77,004

Mare’s breeding record: 2 foals of racing age, 1 winner (Looks like she is hard to get in foal)

Best progeny: Jennalee (4yo mare by Art Major) 13 starts, 1 win, 5 places  $8,248 to date

Mare last served by – Changeover