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Why I’m going to the Christchurch sale

Posted in Harness racing, Pedigree matching, Standardbred breeding, tagged on February 11, 2014| Leave a Comment »

We (Isa Lodge) are selling our two colts at Karaka, the Australasian yearling sale on Monday.

That’s exciting enough.

For me, an extra dose of excitement is that I’m heading south afterwards for the next two days of the Premier sale in Christchurch.

And what excites me about that sale is that I’ll get a chance to see more yearlings from a wider range of sires and families than at Karaka.

Karaka is often regarded as the top end sale, and that can lead to a more constrained and commercially driven parade of offspring. That’s fine. But by the end of the day, I will be craving to get to Christchurch to see a

Lot 236 Christchurch by Kenneth J

Lot 236 Christchurch  a colt by Kenneth J from a Village jasper mare

Changeover or a Panspacificflight or a Shadow Play or a Gotta Go Cullect. I’ll be hungry for a Badlands Hanover, or a McArdle. I can’t wait to see The Pres yearlings and compare 9 Shark Gestures and 2 Raffaello Ambrosios. I’ll be so keen to check out the Santanna Blue Chips, and look at the only Mister Big, Kenneth J, Major In Art and Muscle Hill in the sales. I will even get to look at 3 Rob Roy Mattgregor colts and see if he stamped them in any way. There’s almost twice as many Jereme’s Jets as there are at Karaka! I’ve got 12 Art Official yearlings to look at, whereas there is not even one at Karaka.

Because at Auckland, Bettor’s Delight dominates again, and there’s a photo finish for Art Major and Mach Three, and then another photo for the first four between American Ideal and Rocknroll Hanover.

Then you drop back to only 7 from Real Desire, 6 from Rock N Roll Heaven and 5 from Christian Cullen. There’s only one Changeover yearling at Karaka, yet he was bred and trained in the north even if he now stands in the south. The rest is a smattering, flying solitary flags for their sires.

Lot 24 Changeover filly from Bettor's Delight mare

Lot 24 Changeover filly from Bettor’s Delight mare

At Christchurch there is variety and a feast of offerings from new and established sires, including those that are still trying to get a real foot-hold in the market. I know that is dangerous territory for vendors, an added risk on top of the usual risks of breeding. But some of these are very calculated risks – a thoughtful pedigree or type cross, or perhaps the willingness to put a sire out into the market.  A tip o’ the hat to those who go that route, knowing those risks. Our standardbred breeding and racing is the richer for your decisions. We will never win if we merely following in the tracks of others. Those who bred in previous years to Changeover or Shadow Play, for example, will be feeling a little chuffed, as those sires start to make a mark. It takes someone to lead, doesn’t it.

The range of damsires on offer follows the same pattern. At Karaka, new-ish damsires include only Mach 3 (lots 32, 56, 122, 127), Bettor’s Delight (lots 77, 55, 54), Artsplace who is a relatively minor sire here, for my N American readers (lots 66, 113, 123), Artiscape (lots 27, 88, 119), plus two Continentalman damsire credits for trotters (lots 49 and 81), one for Real Desire but I think imported (lot 13), and one Grinfromeartoear mare (lot 34 – hey, that’s my gorgeous mare The Blue Lotus and her first foal!).

Meanwhile down in Christchurch, you have plenty of representation from new-ish damsires – McArdle (lots 25, 79, 111, 116, 185, 186, 264, 308),  Bettor’s Delight (lots 24, 77, 132, 167, 177, 302, 312), and Life Sign (lots 39, 117, 172, 226, 249, 281, 349), plus solid representation by Artsplace, Artiscape, and Washington VC, and a few by Muscles Yankee, Mach Three, Pacific Rocket, Courage Under Fire, Red River Hanover and Badlands Hanover, and even Elsu, Earl, Rocknroll Hanover, CR Commando, Continentalman,  Julius Caesar and Tinted Cloud have at least got one credit as a damsire at the sale.

That isn’t a definitive list – I might have missed a few – but the overall point is valid.

Christchurch is where the variety lies.

Both sales are a reflection of the tough economic times (and the downturn in breeding numbers) about 3 years ago, when these breeding decisions were made.

Lot 254 The Pres colt out of Armbro Invasion mare

Lot 254 The Pres colt out of Armbro Invasion mare

We have had a couple of bank-account wrenching sales, and the impact is clear. Some breeders have consolidated to “the best to the best” and moved to a conservative position that at least might maximise their return. Others took the opportunity to get value for money and take a punt on new sires, and take a potentially lower sale price but hopefully retain a reasonable profit margin. And the market is different in Christchurch, where there are more buyers and trainers in the middle and lower market. Thank heavens!

There will be other reasons too, but this sale basically reflects the wake-up call we all got as the industry and the global economy shrank. It is just interesting to see the different responses.

Both options have good rationale. In the end the “proof of the pudding is in the eating” or as we say, “you will find out on the racetrack”.

Personally, I think going to Christchurch for the Premier Sale will be time and money well spent to widen my appreciation of current breeding. I’m really looking forward to reporting on what I find there.

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Rich N Elegant’s unraced son to stand at stud

Posted in Harness racing, Pedigree matching, Standardbred breeding, tagged , on February 9, 2014| 1 Comment »

I saw this in Harness Racing Update issue of 25 January. Given my recent blog on a yearling with double ups to the mare Rich N Elegant  in our 2014 sales, I thought this might be of interest.

Russell Hanover is by Somebeachsomewhere from Rich N Elegant, so a half to Rocknroll Hanover, Red River Hanover, Rustler Hanover et al.

A hock injury early on seems to have put paid to a racing career. Hanover Farms were patient and waited for him to get sounder, which he did but not to the point where he could be trained.

Breeding to him has been largely in-house so far, on purpose, wisely seeing how things went, and his crops have been around 25 mares. The first crop will sell at public auction in 2015 as yearlings.

Jim Simpson of Hanover Farms  says: “We are in the business of relying on genetics and I can’t think of a better bred prospect for a sire than he is. I understand that doesn’t always work out. We were devasted when he was untrainable and unsaleable. Being a Beach and a good looking individual, which he is, he would have been close to the top of our sale.”

Interestingly, Russell Hanover was an embryo transfer, and Hanover’s Farm Manager made the comment that Rich N Elegant (“Richie”) was such a good mother that had she raised the foal herself the injury may never have happened. See here for the full article (November 2012, when Rich N Elegant died).

To subscribe to the very good Harness Racing Update online newsletter go here

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Updates…

Posted in Harness racing, Pedigree matching, Standardbred breeding, tagged , on February 8, 2014| Leave a Comment »

… to my Shy Ann family article

One of the USA/Australian-bred members of Shy Ann’s family, Follow The Stars, took out the New Zealand Sapling Stakes today at Ashurton’s flying mile day in a very good 1:53.8.

The colt was bought by Mark Purdon at the APG Sales as a yearling. Link to article on the All Stars Stables website which gives the details of the breeding.

The connection is via Dateable/Tarport Martha/Adios Betty, one of the strongest branches of the family.

My article on Shy Ann can be found here or just use the Articles tab at the top of the blogsite

… to my blogs on the last foals of In The Pocket

Another interest in today’s racing at Ashburton was 5yo mare Highview Aria coming 3rd in her race, and 4yo mare Sara Holley coming 2nd in hers, after doing it tough three wide for much of the way. They are from ITP’s last and second to last crops. Twenty years after his first crop, he’s still got representatives running and doing well today. Remarkable! See my previous blogs about Sara Holley, and some dead but still with us sires.

 

Great racing at Ashburton today – highlights for me were Majestic Time’s win in the 3yo Hambeltonian Trot – didn’t he just fly! – and Ricky May’s drive on Helena Jet, talk about “threading the needle”!

 

 

 

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Female double ups at NZ yearling sales Part 3

Posted in Harness racing, Pedigree matching, Standardbred breeding, tagged , , on February 8, 2014| Leave a Comment »

The last in this series looks at Lot 231 at the Premier (Christchurch) yearling sale – a colt by Rock N Roll Heaven out of Highview Diamond, who is a Red River Hanover mare.

So that makes the colt, named Rockn Roll Xtra, 3×3 to the great producer Rich N Elegant. There are also double ups to sires – to Western Hanover 3×4, and to Direct Scooter 4x4x5. But I’m focusing on the female double up. I’m not sure the position of Rich N Elegant in the sire’s pedigree is as influential as it may appear expressed as “3×3”. I made the same comment in my Part 2 blog about Roydon Gal. Rock N Roll Heaven’s maternal line is superb, and would have much to do with his success as a racehorse and potentially as a sire. In my view, it places him well to be a sire of good fillies as well as colts.

Nevertheless, Rich N Elegant is a class act in any pedigree. I’ve blogged on Rich N Elegant before so I won’t repeat myself – see my blog of November 2012 when she died, and from there you can link to the 3-part series about her sons at stud.

Basically she has left several very, very good racehorses, and the best was definitely Rocknroll Hanover who won over $3 million. He is also the only son to etch out a second career as a highly successful sire both in North America and in Australasia. Her other sons at stud here – Rustler Hanover, Red River Hanover and Righteous Hanover – have left some good horses here and there, but not consistently top racehorses.

Still, the quality of the genes they carry from their dam’s strong pedigree and their sires could make them good propositions as damsires.

Red River anover

Red River Hanover. Photo: Nevele R Stud.

This is very much the case for Lot 231’s damsire Red River Hanover who was a million-dollar racehorse but only a very moderately successful sire. He was a tall good looking stallion, 16.2h, but from what I have heard many of his foals here were a bit ‘fizzy’ or lanky and weak –  not suited to run early – and even when given time many of them simply lacked high speed.  He was given plenty of chance at stud, having live foal crops of 127, 84, 86, 122 in his first years at Nevele R Stud, but it dropped dramatically after that and he was exported to Australia. He has left some very nice types – Garnett River and Chloe Maguire, both racing in Australia, are examples, and Drop Red won $700,000 plus in North America.

A note: Red River Hanover died in Australia of a snake bite just over a week ago. 

So let’s have a peek at Red River Hanover as a damsire so far in New Zealand. On the ground he has 19 registered foals who are 2yos or 3yos, nothing older. He also has 14 unregistered foals on the database who are not yet yearlings. Some of his daughters have had more than one foal, indicating some level of confidence in the broodmare perhaps: Qualified mare Motu Glitz N Glam has two by Real Desire; qualified mare Tiber Franco has been to Bettor’s Delight twice and to Real Desire; nice two-win mare River Belle has been to Bettor’s Delight twice; unraced Miss Elegance has been to Mach Three, Real Desire and Gotta Go Cullect; David Phillip’s Hambletonian Ltd has put unraced Cathar to American Ideal (died), Art Official, Modern Art and now Tintin In America; unraced Zoe Bromac has been twice to Falcon Seelster. There are some trends there – quite a few searching for speed and going to sires who carry another strain of Direct Scooter. And with Real Desire, the attraction may also be his maternal Golden Miss line, which Rich N Elegant also has.

Highview Diamond, however, is the only Red River Hanover mare put to Rock N Roll Heaven so far in New Zealand, to get that 3×3 double up to Rich N Elegant. In Australia, there is also an unnamed yearling filly on the same cross, being by Rock N Roll Heaven from the New Zealand Red River Hanover mare Red River Laine who was exported to Australia in 2008.

A quick check shows to date in New Zealand and Australia, mares by Rustler Hanover haven’t been tried on this cross with Rock N Roll Heaven yet, either – but Rustler Hanover’s overall record as a broodmare sire looks quite promising with the likes of Shelbyville and Glenferrie Rustler (both raced in Australia), Franco Nikau and Franco Nadal, and the successful trotter now in Australia (Our) Dolly Would whose breeding is a bit of a surprise for a trotter, being by Artsplace from a Rustler Hanover mare Dixie Darlin (who is from the same family as Courage Under Fire). Sorry just an odd aside!

Rich N Elegant’s third son at stud here, Righteous Hanover, had very few foals and only one so far has been tried as a broodmare, the 7 win Samarias Bromac who has a weanling by Falcon Seelster. There are a few more in Australia, but none using the cross to Rich N Elegant.

Another siring son Richess Hanover never stood ‘down under’ as far as I am aware.

The fourth son is the top sire Rocknroll Hanover, but of course as the sire of Rock N Roll Heaven his mares would be out of the question for that cross. However there is a 2013 colt foal in Australia who is by Rocknroll Hanover from a Red River Hanover mare (Nolarama) which would make it inbred 2×3 to Rich N Elegant, so I guess you never know what breeders might try!

Of course it is very early days for Rock N Roll Heaven as a sire, and more foals 3×3 to Rich  Elegant may turn up in future.

Looking at Lot 231 overall, it’s a family that has had some strength back a bit with the Venetian Star/Star Rhapsody branch, but other branches have not kicked on. His dam Highview Diamond is being given every chance to reverse those fortunes. The result of her first mating is a 3yo filly by American Ideal who looked okay at workouts late last year and has had only one race start to date – her name is Highview Idol. Lot 231 is her next foal, and the Strongs forked out the service fee for a top quality sire and one who throws that interesting double up to Rich N Elegant into the mix.

You can see the colt on PGG Wrightsons Sale of the Stars website – video for Lot 231. He looks a good enough type and it will be interesting to view him in person when I’m down in Christchurch.

Certainly, Rich N Elegant is a very classy mare to have twice in your pedigree!

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Female double ups at NZ yearling sales Part 2

Posted in Harness racing, Pedigree matching, Standardbred breeding, tagged , , , on February 6, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Arndon

Arndon, son of Roydon Gal and sire of the great Sundon.

Roydon Gal is the next double up I want to look at in this series of 3 blogs about lots at the NZ Yearling Sales 2014.

Lot 45 at the Premier Sale in Christchurch is a colt by Sundon (Arndon x Sungait Song) from a Sierra Kosmos mare Sierra Action. In pedigree terms this makes that colt 3×3 to the Super Bowl mare Roydon Gal. She is the dam of Arndon (world champion trotter). Roydon Gal is also the grandam of Sierra Action on the maternal bottom line of Lot 45.

It’s line breeding to Roydon Gal that Roydon Lodge has tried many times before – there are several examples in branches of the family where a daughter/grand-daughter of Roydon Gal has been bred back to Sundon to get “the best of the family blood”. The results have been mixed and not with a lot of luck in the foaling department. By far the best results of this breeding to Sundon are Aspiring Gal and Aspiring Son from Roydon Gal’s daughter Aspiring Lass, which makes them both 3×2 to Roydon Girl (and I’ll get to them shortly). The other success was the very good Sunny Action (65 starts, 13 wins, 5 seconds, 8 thirds, Lt $180,173 ) who is from Roydon Gal’s daughter All Action Gal and therefore also 2×3 to Roydon Gal, but the best she has left since becoming a broodmare is My Mum Beat Lyall who can certainly go alright when she’s in the mood but is not a standout. Other foals from All Action Gal by Sundon have also done well – All Action Son, Solar Active and All Sundon.

In the immediate family of Lot 45, his dam Sierra Action has been bred exclusively to Sundon and the end results are really still to unfold. As the advertising says, two of her foals have raced as 2yos including Rocky Mountain Son who sadly died earlier this year, and there is a 2yo filly called Sunset Peak….and then Lot 45 Alpine Sun of course.

This branch of the Roydon Gal family (from All Action Gal) is still young and forming, and certainly has potential to throw up top trotters.  A yearling from All Sunny, a Sundon daughter of All Action Gal,  is also in the yearling sale, Lot 125 at the Premier Sale in Christchurch, for Classic Equine NZ. She’s been bred to the Victory Dream sire Raffaello Ambrosio.  Arndon is Raffaello Ambrosio’s damsire, which makes Roydon Gal 4x4x3 to this yearling colt. A really in-depth look at the Roydon Gal family is well displayed in the pedigree of All Sunny who is a broodmare at Classic Equine – www.classicequine.net is their website.

The most successful branch of the Roydon Gal family is her good daughter Aspiring Lass (by Prakas) who won 8 races here and another 4 in USA for a total of over $100,000. She was a disaster at producing foals, but among the few live ones she did have were the successful Aspiring Son and then later Aspiring Gal – both by Sundon, so the breeding makes them 3×3 to Roydon Gal, just like Lot 45.

Aspiring Gal is the gem of the family. She is the dam of very talented Royal Aspirations (28 starts,  14 wins,  3 seconds,  3 thirds,  Lt $256,149 to date – and he’s only a 4yo) by Monarchy, Jinja Gal (54 starts,  6 wins,  4 seconds,  4 thirds,  Lt $107,696) by SJ’s Photo, and Triumphant Monarch (T1:59.7 $131,893) as well as several younger foals coming on – a 3yo colt by Majestic Son is showing up at the trials, and a 2yo filly by Monarchy likewise. I am a huge admirer of Royal Aspirations – he has kept stepping up and I have seen personally the commitment Fred Fletcher has to letting this lovely trotter develop.  Jinja Gal tragically died last year before she had any foals. Aspiring Gal has a yearling Lot 141 at the Premier Sale in Christchurch, a filly by The Pres (Andover Hall x Southwind Allaire). Given the strength of this branch, you would imagine a nice type of filly will be getting a very good price!

Going back to Roydon Gal, of course the question has to be asked: how strong is her own contribution in the scheme of things? It lies definitely in the massively fast if erratic Arndon, who later sired Pine Chip as well as Sundon, and also in the lines of two daughters: Aspiring Lass and All Action Gal. There has been enough respect for the family that two others have stood at stud – Roydon Boy and Simon Roydon, but the two great horses Arndon and his son Sundon are where Roydon Gal’s name really shines in siring pedigrees.

And for me, this is the interesting point. I am not convinced that where Roydon Gal sits in Sundon’s pedigree is especially influential as part of a double up, being on the siring line rather than through a maternal line. That’s just how I see things. Arndon was a precociously fast 2yo and 3yo, as was his son Sundon, and Arndon’s own sire Arnie Almahurst was a tough, fast 2yo and 3yo champion. High speed is not a trait I see coming through the maternal family or specifically through Roydon Gal. (See here for an interesting 1998 article on Pine Chip that touches on this).

However there is definitely quality in Roydon Gal’s genes. Tapping back to Sundon is probably bringing in that speed factor which is Sundon’s wonderful contribution to New Zealand trotting as a long term sire. So it is more compatibility of types: stamina and heart crossed with high speed (although I would not say manners so much with that siring line, as both Arnie Almahurst and Arndon were racehorses that tended to break, and Sundon’s progeny can be a bit keen, but that is often the flip side of high speed. Interestingly Sundon himself was a very relaxed horse, and there is merit in the belief that his progeny are often highly intelligent and acutely aware of their surroundings rather than “hot”.)

Whatever the reason, the faith in line breeding back to Roydon Gal has been rewarded now and then, particularly in the strongest female lines I’ve mentioned and with some top quality racehorses.

In his chapter on Arndon in Modern Trotting sire Lines, John Bradley describes his maternal line like this:

The Super Bowl mare, Roydon Gal is Arndon’s dam and she followed him with two more [American bred] stakes trotters, Roydon Boy 4, 1.57.3 (by Arnie Almahurst) and Aspiring Lass 3, T1.58.2 (by Prakas). She also has  a daughter named Roydon Lass, a full sister to Arndon, who has produced Roydon Lad 4, 1.56f (by Bonefish). Roydon Gal is a half sister to the stakes winner Rising Wind 4, T2.00.1 ($218,332) and is from the Miss Bertha C. maternal family. This is not one of the stronger branches; Arndon is the only major star.

I’m going to conclude with an extract of interest from The Roydon Heritage by Sir Roy McKenzie (of Roydon Lodge), published in 1978 when Roydon Gal was in foal to Arndon:
(for those who don’t know the history of Roydon Lodge and the contribution of Sir Roy and his father Sir John McKenzie, I recommend the article in the Addington Raceway timeline).

Roydon Gal in foal

Extract from page 111 of The Roydon Hertiage, and photo of Roydon Gal carrying the great Arndon in 1978.

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New sires trying to gain traction

Posted in Harness racing, Pedigree matching, Standardbred breeding, tagged , , , , , on January 30, 2014| 2 Comments »

It was hard enough competing as a racehorse. Now they are competing in an even more high risk game – being a sire.

You have to be successful, have all the right connections and be very good looking, preferably good natured in the breeding barn, highly fertile and with the ability to stamp your kids with the only your best qualities and none of your poorer ones. Ideally you should leave precocious 2yos who not only perform brilliantly but are sound enough to continue their winning way as 3yos and later become all aged champions.

As our New Zealand Tui beer adverts say, “Yeah, right.” Which translated means: Really?? Not!

We ask a lot. And some horses – remarkably – deliver.

To bring ourselves down to earth, I’ve taken a look at six sires who came on to the New Zealand scene recently, and how their progeny are performing so far – Santanna Blue Chip (see blog about his return to the racetrack but also my blog about his NZ foals), Gotta Go Cullect, Gotta Go Cullen, Ohoka Arizona and then Changeover, Shadow Play and Art Official (whose oldest race crops are only 2yos).

American Ideal

American Ideal at Woodlands Stud. (Photo Bee Pears)

And then I’ve added into the mix American Ideal, whose oldest crop is 5yos, as a bench marker, a sire that came with high recommendations but been given time to find his feet, and who has not to date been an outstanding sire of 2yos in New Zealand but is building a more secure reputation for quality and percentages.

I think we are so quick to judge new sires – and so few can deliver the multiple 2yo standouts that we desire as proof of their ability. So this blog isn’t comparing these sires in a negative way at all. I have a lot of admiration for each of them, and I have chosen a sample which I believe have potential to establish themselves.

Remember that we are only half way through our racing season and with 2yos and 3yos more are qualifying, racing, winning every week – so this is a snapshot in time. Out of date probably before I even publish it!

My point is how hard it is for a new sire to get traction – and it reflects the other side of the coin from the old sires I wrote about last time who got established, contributed hugely and are still gaining our respect, getting winners and even producing new foals, long after they have passed on.

The many reasons for early success can relate to

  • the types of mares a sire gets (ironically a very speedy sire may end up getting slower/heavier types of mare looking for an injection of speed)
  • the type of breeder/owner who supports the sire (smaller breeder/owners using less pricey sires may not feel under as much pressure to try their progeny as 2yos compared to the more commercial trainers/owners with horses bought at the yearling sales, for example), and the early development of the foal may well be managed differently even at the weanling/yearling stage
  • a sire may stamp his progeny with some precocious factors – great natural gait or the conformation, growth pattern and mental maturity that can help a horse to go early rather than needing time to grow
  • the sheer weight of numbers of foals or the lack of them.

I’ve added the breeding of these sires, as several of them are New Zealand breds and therefore will not be very familiar to some overseas readers of my blog – but these are racehorses and family lines that come with a heap of credentials “down under” and are forging a great revival in locally bred sires at the moment.  Of course they will need to sort themselves out over the next few years, but it is an extremely positive sign for New Zealand breeding. A mix of top quality sires and racehorses from overseas, plus top quality sires from our own particular breeding stock. (I’ve listed a couple of links at the bottom of this blog for those who want to know more about where the new breed of New Zealand standardbred pacing sires are coming from).

Gotta Go Cullect at Alabar

Gotta Go Cullect at Alabar

Gotta Go Cullect – Christian Cullen x Elect To Live (Live Or Die)

  • Live foals 2010 (currently 3yos) 125
  • 2011 (currently 2yos) 96
  • Qualifiers to date (approx mid season) 32 (including 4 x this season’s 2yos)
  • Starters 22
  • Winners 8

Gotta Go Cullen – Christian Cullen x Sparkling Burgundy (Butler BG)

  • Live foals 2010 (currently 3yos) 29
  • 2011 (currently 2yos) 38
  • Qualifiers to date  9 (including 2 x this season’s 2yos)
  • Starters 3
  • Winners 0

Ohoka Arizona – In The Pocket x Millwood Krystal (Falcon Seelster)

  • Live foals 2010 (currently 3yos) 84
  • Live foals 2011 (currently 2yos) 25
  • Qualifiers to date   21
  • Starters 12
  • Winners 5

Santanna Blue Chip

Santanna Blue Chip at Alabar (Photo by Bee Pears)

  • Live foals 2010 (currently 3yos) 65
  • Live foals 2011 (currently 2yos) 52
  • Qualifiers to date  24 (including 3 x this season’s 2yos)
  • Starters 13
  • Winners  4

2yo crop only:

Changeover – In The Pocket x Chaangerr (Vance Hanover)

  • Live foals 2011 (currently 2yos) 160
  • Qualifiers to date   11
  • Starters 1
  • Winners 0
Art Official at Alabar

Art Official at Alabar (Photo Bee Pears)

Art Official (Art Major x Naughty Shady Lady (Falcon Seelster)

  • Live foals 2011 (currently 2yos) 49
  • Qualifiers to date 0
  • Starters 0
  • Winners 0

Shadow Play (The Pandersosa x Matts Filly (Matts Scooter)

  • Live foals 2011 (currently 2yos) 19
  • Qualifiers to date   2
  • Starters 0
  • Winners 0

American Ideal – Western Ideal x Lifetime Success (Matts Scooter)

American Ideal has foals racing who are also 4yos and 5yos, but for this exercise I’m just focusing on his current 2yo and 3yo crops.

  • Live foals 2010 (currently 3yos) 59
  • Live foals 2011 (currently 2yos) 80
  • Current qualifiers who are 2yo and 3yo   29 (including 2 x this season’s 2yos)
  • Current starters who are 2yos or 3yos   21 (all 3yos)
  • Winners  16

On type of the sire, I would’ve expected Gotta Go Cullect to have had more foals qualifing st 2yos – he was an early runner himself and is a medium sized, athletic type. Whereas I’m interested that Changeover has had a few 2yos showing up and several trainers are commenting on the natural gait and willingness of his progeny. His yearlings looked to me to be more scopey, even rangey types that might need time, and Changeover the racehorse was certainly one that just got better and better. So he is leaving some qualities (including “gait speed”, a great asset)  that will definitely help him get traction as a sire. Those are two local sires who certainly have had the numbers on the ground and will be looking for some flagship progeny over the next 12 months. Ohoka Arizona was more of a speedy 2yo type himself and is doing okay as a sire to date, but will need to have his initial big crop really step up now as 3yos to keep attracting the mares. Shadow Play will be helped by his overseas success – and he got a much better book this year in ew Zealand. Art Official has a much larger crop of yearlings on the ground than his current 2yos, and that will give him a chance to hang his hat here. He is another that will be helped by overseas results.

The newer sires have a way to go, and it will be interesting to see what sort of credits and reputation they will have built by the end of the current season.

I’ll keep an eye on it.

The stats are all via HRNZ’s Info Horse database, but the opinions are my own.
For more information about the development of New Zealand siring lineups over recent years try this previous articles of mine (in the Articles tab at the top of the blog):

https://b4breeding.com/articles/nz-bred-sires/

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Introducing our sales yearlings

Posted in Harness racing, Pedigree matching, Standardbred breeding, tagged , , , , , on January 11, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Isa Lodge has two yearlings this year, both colts.
One is from pacing mare Zenterfold, the other from trotting mare Sun Isa.

Real Desire x Zenterfold

Thephantomtollbooth Lot 39 Real Desire x Zenterfold

yearling colt by Pegasus Spur from Sun Isa

Isaputtingonmytophat Lot 19 Pegasus Spur x Sun Isa

That makes them a half brother to Tintin In America, and a full brother to Flying Isa.

You can see photos, profiles and insights into the families and the breeding choices on the two new pages which also show as tabs at the top of my blog. There’s even some background about the names.

Of interest might also be Amazon Lily, a Bettor’s Delight yearling filly bred by The Blue Lotus Syndicate (Ken Breckon, Dom Zame, Bee Pears and Kym Kearns) and she is Lot 34 in the Breckon Farms draft.
View video on PGG wrightson Sale Of The Stars upcoming sales website.
The Blue Lotus is a daughter of Zenterfold, and a half sister to “Milo”, and was 3rd in the Sires Stakes Group 1 Final as a 3yo behind Carabella and Under cover Lover. She is currently in foal to Shadow Play.

View also the recent very good recent win from Flying Isa on HRNZ website – “Bert” is his full brother.

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Will she be a legend?

Posted in Harness racing, Pedigree matching, Standardbred breeding, tagged , , , , on January 9, 2014| 1 Comment »

You know my interest in Tintin In America. I bred him, and I think he has the potential to be a good sire.

With that in mind, I have bred a mare to him (Sophie’s Choice which I blogged about before). I have also bought a half share in a Tintin In America x A Legend yearling filly bred by Brian West of Studholme Bloodstock.

Be A Legend

Be A Legend, yearling, November 2013

She was chosen mainly on type and family, rather than specific pedigree matching. I think it is really important as a breeder not to be so caught up in any pedigree matching theory that it dominates close observation of family and type, and a clear thinking process about why you are breeding and what you want out of the result. That’s why I like Brian West’s approach to managing his fillies; he has a good process which he follows to  discover the filly’s potential and allow good decisions to be made. That’s not the same as being ruthless or rigid. It is being clear headed and thoughtful, and he’s definitely a role model for me in that regard.

I’ve included the details of the pedigree match below. The closest duplications are Niatross and Albatross in the 4th and 5th generations. Both the sire and the dam have a 5×6 Tar Heel in good places. Other than that, there is the common stack of Meadow Skipper in the background (5th generation and further).

So let’s look at type and family.

I was visiting Brian earlier last year, and wanted to see some Tintin In America weanlings. He is willing to try new sires that showed that x factor on the track, and bred to Tintin in his first and second year as a sire. (I blogged on a couple of the current foals I saw in November at Studholme Bloodstock.)

Tintin In America x A Legend

Be A Legend – head takes after her damsire Safely Kept.

In the paddock with her filly friends, this yearling filly really caught my attention. She has “a head like Betty” – “Betty” being Bettor Cover Lover (who is no relation at all). I love horses with that look. There is something tough and noble about them. This filly gets the roman nose from her dam’s side. A Legend is by Safety Kept and he has a beautifully ugly head, very much the same.

A Legend is a half sister to the top horses Bit Of A Legend and London Legend. These are both horses I’ve followed and admired.

A Legend has a more modest record of 1 win and 1 place from 8 starts but showed ability. Her win was coming three wide from the back, sitting parked and fighting on hard. I like that sort of toughness.

The yearling is named Be A Legend, and will be broken in soon and trained by Cran Dalgety, who knows the family well of course. I’m lucky to get the chance to share in this adventure.

Tintin x A Legend

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Time flies, foals grow – Thephantomtollbooth

Posted in Harness racing, Pedigree matching, Standardbred breeding on December 29, 2013| 2 Comments »

Thephantomtollbooth is a strapping yearling colt I’ve bred, by Real Desire out of Zenterfold. So he is a half brother to Tintin In America, Destination Moon and The Blue Lotus.

He’s headed for the yearling sales in February (Lot 39, Australasian Classic at Karaka).

I can look out my window now and see him in the paddock.

Time flies, it was just over a year ago when he was a wee foal born out at Breckon Farms – see my blog and photo from November 2012.

Thephantomtollbooth

Thephantomtollbooth aka Milo at Isa Lodge in early November – a half brother to Tintin In America

I liked what I saw then, as I was wanting to add a bit more height and reach to my mare’s progeny this time, so his legginess was a good sign. I had noticed how Real Desire’s progeny often have that, which is something that gives the best of his stock that uncanny speed once they get going. It’s not quick sprinty speed, like Tintin had. It’s more reach and length of stride which takes a little while to get going, but creates high speed when it does.

We are full into preparation now, and hoping to take photos soon. He is being prepared by Kym Kearns and will be one of two in the Isa Lodge draft.

But in the meantime, here’s one taken in early November – he’s not “glammed up” at all for the photo, but it shows what a nice tall, strong type he’s turning into.

It seems only yesterday he was an innocent little foal.

What’s the name all about? The Phantom Tollbooth is a brilliant book by Norton Juster, written in the 1960s and sensationally illustrated by Jules Feiffer. It is a “children’s book” but has a devoted following around the world of adults and children. It was one of my favourites as a ten year old, and still is. It’s the story of Milo, a young boy who is bored with life. One day he receives a mysterious large parcel, which turns out to be a small toy car, a tollbooth, a map – and one coin. Which he duly uses…. and finds the tollbooth is the portal to a world of adventure, friendship and the formidable task of rescuing the princesses of Rhyme and Reason.

It’s my hope that “Milo”, as my colt is nicknamed, will become a doorway to adventure and success for whoever buys him.

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Lady Ashlee Ann’s Shadow Play connection

Posted in Harness racing, Pedigree matching, Standardbred breeding, tagged , , on December 28, 2013| 1 Comment »

The latest foal from Betterthancheddar’s dam Lady Ashlee Ann (see my last blog) to hit the tracks and win is by Shadow Play, a brown colt named High Flier who was sold in the Harrisburg 2012 sale to Dr Ian Moore for $37,000. That seems quite a cheap price for a colt from such a good family?

Dr Ian Moore

Dr Ian Moore, enjoying the progeny of Shadow Play, a horse he owned and trained.

Dr Ian Moore was the owner/trainer of Shadow Play and a big fan of the horse, and ended up buying several at Harrisburg.

The most successful to date is the very good Arthur Blue Chip, which he bought for $135,000.

For those of you who have read my previous blogs about Shadow Play, I have to say neither High Flier nor Arthur Blue Chip’s dams carried any Shadow Wave in their pedigrees! Darn! lol

High Flier contested the 2013 OSS Grassroots series for an 8th, 6th and 5th result, but then went on to get his first win at Grand River Raceway, winning by over 13 lengths in 1:57.6.

Like most of the family, time will be his friend. I’ll keep an eye on his progress.

For those who, like me, missed them first time around, here are a couple of article that talk about Dr Ian Moore, Shadow Play and the progeny he bought.

Harnesslink article Shadow Plays for real! 

USTA News: Moore having fun with his Shadow Play freshmen Thursday, July 18, 2013 – by Sandra Snyder

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