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Tar Heel influence in matching with Bettor’s Delight and He’s Watching

November 19, 2015 by b4breeding

I’d like to share some research and observations by Australian blog follower David Sinclair. David says: “Although I currently don’t have any horses nor am I currently breeding any I am truly fascinated with bloodlines and pedigrees, and really enjoy learning as much as I possibly can.” David emailed me with his analysis of some of the influences of Tar Heel/Volomite/San Francisco combination in current crosses with Bettor’s Delight and potentially with He’s Watching, and then with some of his thoughts on why some sires perform a huge role as damsires but struggle to leave a top siring son – and will his permission I’d like to share this exchange with you.

Addtional thoughts welcome – leave a comment at the end of the blog (although I know a lot of you prefer to email me direct at bee.raglan@xtra.co.nz). David’s comments are based on Australian statistics.

David Sinclair:

Touching on your very informative article on B4Breeding.com regarding He’s Watching, I too am very interested to see what kind of job He’s Watching is able to do at stud. I have always suspected that he would be a fine job but until the results finally come to fruition I guess he’s still a bit of an unknown.

I have actually been doing a bit of research because I have a theory regarding what type of mares he would best suit. I am very interested to hear your thoughts. The first thing that stands out to me is the 8 sources of Tar Heel in his 6th generation, 6 of those sources being unique. I have always held the view that a big part of the reason for the success of Bettor’s Delight as a sire is his affinity with Tar Heel maternally, particularly In The Pocket mares. Although I only have Australian stats to go by, I had a look at the broodmare sire of Bettors Delight’s top 50 money earning progeny to race in Australia in order to try and determine any pattern. Not surprisingly, I believe that stats validate my suspicions.

Of Bettor’s Delight’s top 50 progeny to race in Australia, the list of broodmare sires is as follow with number of foals within the top 50 listed in brackets.

In The Pocket

In The Pocket – his mares are a great cross with Bettor’s Delight. His damsire is Tar Heel.

In The Pocket (11)
Artsplace (3)
Safely Kept (3)
Christian Cullen (3)
Sokys Atom (2)
Butler BG (2)
Dream Away (2)
Albert Albert (2)
Holmes Hanover (2)
Ticket To Heaven
BGs Bunny
Camtastic
What’s Next
Walton Hanover
Troublemaker
Classic Garry
Northern Lights
On The Road Again
Silent Spring
Sands A Flyin
Seahawk Hanover
Die Laughing
Perfect Art
Make A Deal
New York Motoring
Direct Scooter
Village Jasper
Live Or Die
Save Fuel

As you can see, not surprisingly In The Pocket as a broodmare sire accounts for 11 of Bettor’s Delights top 50 progeny by earnings, a staggering 22%! However, when you look at what Bettor’s Delight brings to the table, the affinity for Tar Heel makes complete sense.

Bettor’s Delight carries:
Tar Heel/Volomite/San Francisco double through dam sire (Armbro Emerson/Most Happy Fella & Amrbro Emerson/Tar Heel), Adioo through dam sire (Armbro Emerson/Adios), Dillon Axworthy/Adioo through dam sire (Armbro Emerson/Follow Up), Kathleen double through dam sire (Armbro Emerson), through both Most Happy Fella via Good Time and through Armbro Emerson’s 9th dam who is Kathleen; Tar Heel/Volomite/San Francisco through 2nd dam sire (Albatross/Tar Heel), The Old Maid/Spinster/Kathleen through 2nd dam sire (Albatross/Dancer Hanover); Lida W through 3rd dam sire (Meadow Gene/Nutwood Wilkes) **San Francisco is out of Oniska, with Oniska bred 2×3 maternally to Lida W**; San Francisco through 7th dam sire (San Francisco).

Given Bettor’s Delights own strong connection to Tar Heel/Volomite/San Francisco/Oniska/Lida W, his ability to match so well to In The Pocket mares is not surprising, given In The Pocket is out of a Tar Heel mare. You may also note a close up connection to the Old Maid/Spinster/Kathleen blood as well through Bettors first 2 dams. Given the strong influence of Spinster, particularly through Light Brigade and Bachelor Hanover, amongst the NZ broodmare band I believe that this serves to further strengthen the connections to Tar Heel, adding a further string to the bow.

Now, considering Holmes Hanover is also out of a Tar Heel mare you may wonder why there aren’t more horses in the top 50 with Holmes Hanover as a broodmare sire. In my opinion I do not believe that Tar Heel is the main driving force behind Holmes Hanover maternally, rather it is more focused upon Margaret Parrish/Arion/Manette.

Now to go through what each of those broodmare sires brings to the table maternally.
In The Pocket – carries Tar Heel/Volomite/San Francisco through dam sire (Tar Heel);
Artsplace –carries Tar Heel/Volomite/San Francisco through dam sire (Albatross), The Old Maid/Spinster/Kathleen through dam sire (Albatross), plus Dillon Axworthy/Adioo through 2nd dam sire (Columbia George), 3rd dam sire (Duane Hanover) & 7th dam sire (Dillon Axworthy);
Safely Kept – carries Dillon Axworthy/Adioo through dam sire (Abercrombie), The Old Maid/Spinster/Kathleen through 3rd dam sire (Race Time), Dillon Axowrthy/Adioo through 4th dam sire (Shadow Wave), Helen Hanover/Dillon Axworthy/Adioo through 5th dam sire (Ensign Hanover);
Christian Cullen – carries Dillon Axworthy/Adioo through dam sire (Bo Scots Blue Chip), Helen Hanover/Dillon Axworthy/Adioo through 2nd dam sire (Overtrick)
Sokys Atom – carries Tar Heel/Volomite/San Francisco through 2nd dam sire (Tar Heel), Adioo through 3rd dam sire (Adios);
Butler BG – carries Spinster/Kathleen through dam sire (Race Time), Volomite/San Francisco maternal double through 2nd dam sire (Adios Butler);
Dream Away – carries Tar Heel/Volomite/San Francisco triple through dam sire (Forrest Skipper), Dillon Axworthy/Adioo through dam sire (Forrest Skipper), Tar Heel/Volomite/San Francisco double through 2nd dam sire (Sonsam), Dillon Axworthy/Adioo through 2nd dam sire (Sonsam), Tar Heel/Volomite/San Francisco through 3rd dam sire (Bret Hanover), Dillon Axworthy/Adioo through 3rd dam sire (Bret Hanover);
Albert Albert – carries Tar Heel/Volomite/San Francisco through dam sire (Albatross), The Old Maid/Spinster/Kathleen through dam sire (Albatross), Tar Heel/Volomite/San Francisco through 2nd dam sire (Bret Hanover), Dillon Axworthy/Adioo through 2nd dam sire (Bret Hanover);
Holmes Hanover – carries Tar Heel/Volomite/San Francisco through dam sire (Tar Heel), Dillon Axworthy/Adioo through 5th dam sire (Dillon Axworthy).**also carries Manette/Arion/Margaret Parrish through 2nd dam sire (Henry T Adios) & 3rd dam sire (Rodney), in my opinion this is the primary influence**;
Ticket To Heaven – carries Volomite/San Francisco through dam sire (Airliner), The Old Maid/Spinster/Kathleen through 2nd dam sire (Thorpe Hanover), Helen Hanover/Dillon Axworthy/Adioo through 5th dam sire (Ensign Hanover);
BGs Bunny – carries Tar Heel/Volomite/San Francisco through dam sire (Bret Hanover), Dillon Axworthy/adioo through dam sire (Bret Hanover);
Camtastic – carries Tar Heel/Volomite/San Francisco through dam sire (Albatross), The Old Maid/Spinster/Kathleen through dam sire (Albatross), Tar Heel/Volomite/San Francisco through 2nd dam sire (Tar Heel), Dillon Axworthy/Adioo through 3rd dam sire (Sampson Hanover), Volomite/San Francisco through 4th dam sire (Irish Hal);
What’s Next – carries Tar Heel/Volomite/San Francisco through dam sire (Bret Hanover), Dillon Axworthy/Adioo through dam sire (Bret Hanover), Tar Heel/Volomite/San Francisco through 2nd dam sire (Tar Heel), Adioo through 3rd dam sire (Wilmington);
Walton Hanover – carries Dillon Axworthy/Adioo through dam sire (Best Of All), Helen Hanover/Dillon Axworthy/Adioo through 2nd dam sire (Bullet Hanover);
Troublemaker – carries Tar Heel/Volomite/San Francisco through dam sire (Bret Hanover), Dillon Axworthy/Adioo through dam sire (Bret Hanover);
Classic Garry – a bit of an anomaly, does not carry any Tar Heel/Volomite/San Francisco, Dillon Axworthy/Adioo, or The Old Maid/Spinster/Kathleen maternally. From what I can tell the main influence is via Lady Marjoe and her son Jack Potts through 2nd dam sire (Kimberlene)???;
Northern Lights – carries Tar Heel/Volomite/San Francisco through dam sire (Albatross), The Old Maid/Spinster/Kathleen through dam sire (Albatross), Tar Heel/Volomite/San Francisco through 2nd dam sire (Tar Heel), Adioo through 3rd dam sire (Adios);
On The Road Again – carries Adioo through dam sire (Bye Bye Byrd);
Silent Spring – carries Tar Heel/Volomite/San Francisco through dam sire (Bret Hanover), Dillon Axworthy/Adioo through dam sire (Bret Hanover), Volomite/San Francisco through 2nd dam sire (Good Time), Kathleen through 2nd dam sire (7th dam of Good Time), Spinster/Kathleen through 4th dam (Lady Scotland/dam Spinster by Spencer whose 3rd dam is Kathleen);
Sands A Flyin – carries Tar Heel/Volomite/San Francisco through dam sire (Bret Hanover), Dillon Axworthy/Adioo through dam sire (Bret Hanover), The Old Maid/Spinster/Kathleen through 3rd dam sire (Dancer Hanover), Tar Heel/Volomite/San Francisco through 5th dam sire (Tar Heel);
Seahawk Hanover – Midnight through dam sire (Meadow Skipper), Midnight through 4th dam sire (Billy Direct), Dillon Axworthy/Adioo through 5th dam sire (Sandy Flash);
Die Laughing – Tar Heel/Volomite/San Francisco through dam sire (Albatross), The Old Maid/Spinster through dam sire (Albatross), Dillon Axworthy/Adioo through 2nd dam sire (Shadow Wave), Dillon Axworthy/Adioo through 3rd dam sire (Painter), Volomite/San Francisco through 4th dam sire (Good Time), Kathleen through 4th dam sire (7th dam of Good Time);
Perfect Art – Tar Heel/Volomite/San Francisco through dam sire (Nihilator), Dillon Axworthy/Adioo through dam sire (Nihilator), Margaret Parrish/Arion/Manette through dam sire (Nihilator), Dillon Axworthy/Adioo through 2nd dam sire (Big Towner), Margaret Parrish/Arion/Manette through 2nd dam sire (Big Towner), Volomite/San Francisco through 2nd dam sire (Big Towner), Kathleen through 2nd dam sire (Big Towner 10th dam Kathleen), The Old Maid/Spinster through 3rd dam sire (Dancer Hanover), Tar Heel/Volomite/San Francisco through 4th dam sire (Tar Heel);
Make A Deal – Dillon Axworthy/Adioo through dam sire (Abercrombie), Tar Heel/Volomite/San Francisco through 3rd dam sire (Bret Hanover), Dillon Axworthy/Adioo through 3rd dam sire (Bret Hanover), Adioo through 5th dam sire (Adios);
New York Motoring – Dillon Axworthy/Adioo through dam sire (Shadow Wave), Tar Heel/Volomite/San Francisco through 2nd dam sire (Tar Heel), Volomite/San Francisco through 5th dam sire (Volomite);
Direct Scooter – San Francisco through dam sire (Noble Victory), Kathleen through 3rd dam sire (Spencer);
Village Jasper – Dillon Axworthy/Adioo through dam sire (Abercrombie), Volomite/San Francisco through 2nd dam sire (Most Happy Fella), Kathleen through 2nd dam sire (Most Happy Fella), Tar Heel/Volomite/San Francisco through 3rd dam sire (Bret Hanover), Dillon Axworthy/Adioo through 3rd dam sire (Bret Hanover), Kathleen through 6th dam sire (Spencer), Margaret Parrish/Arion/Manette through 7th dam sire (Arion Guy), Arion/Manette though 8th dam sire (Todd);
Live Or Die – Tar Heel/ Volomite/San Francisco double source through dam sire (Temujin), Kathleen through dam sire (Temujin), Adioo through dam sire (Temujin), Tar Heel/ Volomite/San Francisco through 2nd dam sire (Romeo Hanover);
Save Fuel – Midnight through dam sire (Meadow Skipper).

 

As you may be able to see, one thing all of Bettor’s Delight’s top 50 money earners in Australia have in common, with the exception of Classic Garry & Save Fuel, is a doubling up of the primary influences of Bettor’s Delight maternally with what the broodmare sire offers maternally. Either a close up connection to Tar Heel/Volomite/San Francisco blood, Helen Hanover/Dillon Axworthy/Adioo blood, or The Old Maid/Spinster/Kathleen blood maternally, quite often in combination. But without a doubt, the blood that seems to pop up most prominently is Tar Heel/Volomite/San Francisco.

Which brings me to He’s Watching’s maternal pedigree. And please bear with me because it is very detailed.
Dam sire (Real Desire) – carries Tar Heel/Volomite/San Francisco through dam sire (Real Desire/Troublemaker/Bret Hanover), Dillon Axworthy/Adioo through dam sire (Real Desire/Troublemaker/Bret Hanover), Helen Hanover/Dillon Axworthy/Adioo through dam sire (Real Desire/Trenton/Overtrick), The Old Maid/Spinster/Kathleen through dam sire (Real Desire/Trenton/Thorpe Hanover), Adioo through dam sire (Real Desire/Trenton/Adios), Dillon Axworthy/Adioo through dam sire (Real Desire/Trenton/Sandy Flash), Spinster/Kathleen through dam sire (Real Desire/Race Time), Dillon Axworthy/Adioo through dam sire (Real Desire/Shadow Wave), Helen Hanover/Dillon Axworthy/Adioo through dam sire (Real Desire/Ensign Hanover)
2nd dam sire (Jennas Beach Boy) – carries Tar Heel/Volomite/San Francisco through 2nd dam sire (Real Desire/Jennas Beach Boy/Cam Fella/Bret Hanover), Dillon Axworthy/adioo through 2nd dam sire (Real Desire/ Jennas Beach Boy/Cam Fella/Bret Hanover), Dillon Axworthy/Adioo through 2nd dam sire (Real Desire/ Jennas Beach Boy/Cam Fella/Dale Frost), Helen Hanover/Dillon Axworthy/Adioo through 2nd dam sire (Real Desire/Jennas Beach Boy/Cam Fella/Ensign Hanover), Adioo through 2nd dam sire (Real Desire/Jennas Beach Boy/Windshield Wiper/Bye Bye Byrd), The Old Maid/Spinster/Kathleen through 2nd dam sire (Real Desire/Jennas Beach Boy/Windshield Wiper/Thorpe Hanover), Adioo through 2nd dam sire (Real Desire/Jennas Beach Boy/Windshield Wiper/Adios), Dillon Axworthy/Adioo through 2nd dam sire (Real Desire/Jennas Beach Boy/Windshield Wiper/Raider), Adioo through 2nd dam sire (Real Desire/Jennas Beach Boy /Adios), Helen Hanover/Dillon Axworthy/Adioo through 2nd dam sire (Real Desire/Jennas Beach Boy/Norette Hanover)
3rd dam sire (No Nukes) – Helen Hanover/Dillon Axworthy/Adioo through 3rd dam sire (No Nukes/Overtrick), Tar Heel/Volomite/San Francisco through 3rd dam sire (No Nukes/Tar Heel), Volomite/San Francisco maternal double through 3rd dam sire (No Nukes/Good Time), Kathleen through 3rd dam sire (No Nukes/ Good Time)
4th dam sire (Abercrombie) – Dillon Axworthy/Adioo through 4th dam sire (Abercrombie)
6th dam sire (Bret Hanover) – Tar Heel/Volomite/San Francisco through 6th dam sire (Bret Hanover), Dillon Axworthy/Adioo through 6th dam sire (Bret Hanover)
8th dam sire (Adios) – Adioo through 8th dam sire (Adios)

 

With his the 8 sources of Tar Heel in his 6th generation, 6 of which being unique, I think that He’s Watching will match up wonderfully well to Bettors Delight mares, particularly those who also carry a maternal connection to Tar Heel/Volomite/San Francisco through In The Pocket or to a lesser extent Holmes Hanover, Helen Hanover/Dillon Axworthy/Adioo through Falcon Seelster and Overtrick, or The Old Maid/Spinster/Kathleen through Bachelor Hanover or Light Brigade. I also suspect that he will match very well to Christian Cullen mares given the 5 separate maternal traces to Helen Hanover that He’s Watching possesses maternally through the first 3 dam sires (Real Desire, Jennas Beach Boy, No Nukes) considering that Christian Cullen also contains a trace to Helen Hanover through his 2nd dam sire Overtrick. Another stallion whose daughters I would not be surprised to see He’s Watching match up well with is Artsplace given his strong infusion of Dillon Axworthy maternally through his 2nd, 3rd and 7th dams.

 

Bee:

Yes the influence of Tar Heel through the maternal lines of mares has been critical to some of the success of sires. Not doubling up necessarily, but complementing. Like that blog I did on “engine room sires”, you need the guy at the wheel but you also need the guy shovelling coal in the engine.
The Tar Heel factor is so interesting, as it poses a question about how long an influence can endure through broodmare sire (as his siring line is really gone now) and why it was/is that way for so many great male horses in the end, rather than leaving siring sons. Albatross the other standout longer term example.

David Sinclair:

I completely agree with your engine room sires post, especially laying the foundation within a pedigree. I believe that Tar Heel/Volomite fit your description perfectly maternally. I am constantly amazed at how many top horses from both hemispheres who carry Tar Heel and Volomite maternally, whether they be a dam sire, 2nd dam sire, 3rd dam sire etc, or whether they appear on the maternal side of dam sires. Albatross is quickly becoming very similar to Tar Heel in that regard. I have no doubt that when we look back in 20 years time he will provide a very similar influence.

The question you pose regarding some lines being successful maternally but not producing a lasting siring line has always puzzled me. I often wonder whether they become the victim of their own success. Being such dominant sires their fillies will often become quite potent broodmares. However, it is very rare that you would put a daughter of a particular sire to a son of that same sire, therefore you often have to look for another siring line. Tar Heel, Bret Hanover and Albatross have all been breed changing broodmare sires who were well ahead of the competition, with their daughters often becoming broodmare gems. However, with those other sires being so far behind in a broodmare sire sense, their daughters, looking collectively as a whole, would be somewhat inferior.

Therefore, the broodmare band that sons of Tar Heel, Bret Hanover and Albatross had to access was inferior compared to those that other sires were able to access, given that these other sires were able to breed to daughters of Tar Heel, Bret Hanover, Albatross etc. Consequently, these lines eventually fall out of favour.

In this regard, I would not be surprised to see the Artsplace siring line and the Bettors Delight siring line to also eventually die out solely due to their success as broodmare sires.

Posted in Standardbred breeding | Tagged , , | 1 Comment »

Tintin foals, Tintin himself and a wee bit more…

November 17, 2015 by b4breeding

Just back from my hugely enjoyable trip to the South Island, where I took in Show Day at Addington, and caught up with some of my youngsters at Studholme Bloodstock (thanks to Brian West and family for a lovely time and taxi service) and Macca Lodge (thanks to Brent and Sheree McIntyre for great southern hospitality).

Highlights were seeing Tintin In America looking in fine fettle at Nevele R – thanks so much to Nikki Reed for showing me around, not just Tintin but the other sires there, all in their paddocks, covers on, a bit muddy. That’s what I love seeing – some of the best horses in the world (A Rocknroll Dance, Gold Ace, McArdle, his son Tintin In America, and the great Christian Cullen) just hanging out and being normal horses!

The day before I had caught up with the 3yo Tintin In America filly co-owned by Brian and myself, recently qualified and now having a good break at Brian’s property. Her name is Be A Legend, and she has grown into a striking filly who will get better with another 6 months of growing and strengthening up. Worth the wait.

Another highlight was when Brent McIntyre took me over the backroads of Southland to meet John and Judy Stiven of Arden Lodge fame. They are passionate about breeding and harness racing, and really thoughtful in the way they have gone about developing their band of mares. It was great seeing some of those quality offspring and learning from John about his breeding decisions. Their mare Winter Rose won the NZSBA/PGG Wrightson Broodmare of Excellence 2015 presented on the Monday night function in Cup Week. Much deserved, as she has a fine record as a broodmare – she’s the dam of Bettor’s Strike, Southwind Arden, and the newcomer Arden’s Choice (more on her in another blog) amongst others.

Of course the other highlight for me was catching up with the two mares and foals I have at Macca Lodge, that I’ve never seen before in person: Dreamy Romance and her Big Jim filly, and Nostaglic Franco and her Tintin In America colt. (Those links will take you to my blogs where I look at the match resulting in these foals). All looking great! And so good to see those mares up close and get a real impression of them, which will help me make future decisions.

Photos

Be A Legend 3yo filly Tintin In America x A Legend

Be A Legend 3yo filly Tintin In America x A Legend (Safely Kept)

Breeder Bee Pears with sire Tintin In America (NZ)

Bee reconnecting with Tintin In America at Nevele R – and no, he didn’t try to nip me!

Tintin In America

Eye-to-eye with Tintin In America

Nostalgic Franco and her Tintin In America colt foal at Macca Lodge

Nostalgic Franco and her Tintin In America colt foal at Macca Lodge

Dreamy Romance and her Big Jim filly foal at Macca Lodge

Dreamy Romance and her Big Jim filly foal at Macca Lodge

 

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Trip to see my new foals

November 11, 2015 by b4breeding

I’m taking a short break and heading down south to see this Friday’s races in Christchurch – the Free For All should be a beauty – and then head further south to visit Macca Lodge and see my newborn foals.

Can’t wait! There’s a Tintin In America colt from Nostalgic Franco who looks a cracker, and a Big Jim filly from Dreamy Romance which is also ideal because it is the mare’s maternal line and the cross with Big Jim that I wanted, so good to have a solid pedigree match to carry that line on. Nostalgic Franco has a year off, and Dreamy Romance will go to Mr Feelgood.

Along the way, I’m planning to see the 3yo filly Be A Legend, out for a brief spell at Brian West’s place after qualifying, and she’s started to turn a corner.

With any luck I’ll also visit Tintin In America himself at Nevele R.

I won’t be blogging while I’m away – just gathering up some photos and thoughts to share when I get back.

Meanwhile, closer to home, The Blue Lotus has foaled A Rocknroll Dance filly at Alabar. Will catch up with her in a week or so, but she looks lovely.

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The winner on Cup Day….

November 10, 2015 by b4breeding

I had a fantastic afternoon watching the coverage on Trackside TV. Since this was a leave day from work, my aim was to use the time between races to water the garden, tidy a few things, do the washing, you know the routine.

I was struggling before the first race even started, because the coverage was so good, so snappy yet insightful, so positive to watch, that my “between the races” was 5 minutes max.

So big kudos to the Trackside team including all those who front it, and especially those who planned and did it – and I know from my own job what sort of effort and resource would go into planning that coverage, probably from months back. You did it with real flair, and the editing for live TV was absolutely top of its class.

It was a stunning presentation of harness racing at its best, and if edited into a 40 min package for mainstream TV with some additional interviews around the “people stories”, it would make better viewing than most of the reality shows on prime time television. Passion, emotion, excellence, heart warming stories, fashion, sunshine, great looking sweaty horses, and of course the fantastic new “dashboard” showing km/hr and location on the track as well as the GoPro visuals.

Use it, don’t lose it!

Posted in Harness racing | Tagged | 1 Comment »

Breeding notes for NZ Cup 2015 – is there a sire among them?

November 9, 2015 by b4breeding

Last New Zealand Trotting Cup (for pacers) was won by the great Bettor’s Delight mare Adore Me. There were two others by Bettor’s Delight in the field – Tiger Tara and Arden Rooney.

This year Bettor’s Delight has doubled his representatives – in the field of 18 (including emergencies), he accounts for 33% of the field with 6 representatives. It is to be expected, and perhaps less than you might expect, from a sire that is so dominant and has bred so many foals in those years.

It might partly be a reflection of his own “brand” as a sire that leaves early types, adds speed, horses willing to get up and going. And sometimes the wear and tear of that in younger years can cut down the proportion of them who remain sound right through – although Bettor’s Delight has been marketed on his own soundness and bone density.

Take nothing away from the super sire, having six quality horses in the Cup is huge, and they are all winning chances. He should, and probably will, shine.

From a potential breeding perspective, it’s interesting to note that only 2 of the Bettor’s Delights remain entires – Tiger Tara (from Dream Away mare Tara Gold) and Ohoka Punter (from Christian Cullen mare Millwood Minisota). Both their immediate families are still young and relatively unproven. With Ohoka Arizona, he’s a descendant of Armalight and what a great mare she was and a Cup winner in her own right, but it is a damn hard family to  follow and overall has been more disappointing than you’d have hoped. For Tiger Tara, his dam Tara Gold is a half sister to Power Of Tara ($846,608), such a tough customer on both sides of the Tasman and in the USA. Their dam, and so Tiger Tara’s grandam, is Atomic Gold and much of this family has been in the safe hands of  Ray Anicich for many years, but after getting a Bettor’s Delight daughter of Atomic Gold (Tara’s Delight, foaling this year to A Rocknroll Dance) Anicich sold Atomic Gold to Pat Laboyrie, not far from where I live, and she has had a couple more foals. More on that another time.

I guess my point here is that these horses will need to win the Cup to really nail their credentials as a potential siring son of Bettor’s Delight. They are both wonderful colts, handsome, speedy (particularly Ohoka Arizona) and tough (particularly Tiger Tara). But as Gold Ace, another local son of Bettor’s Delight standing at stud, has found it needs more than that to capture the imagination and the analysis of breeders. Strong families and particularly consistent maternal lines are the springboard for breeding confidence in a sire as much as their individual performance. Or in my view, it should be. On that score you would tend to opt for Tiger Tara. This is also the family of Miss Jubilee, the mare the Ray and Diana Kennedy have had with some success including two Bettor’s Delight daughters Patch Maguire and Jessie Maguire who won over $50,000 and are both broodmares in Australia now.

But we are still struggling to come up with maternal lines of really solid demonstrable strength to back some of these top performing colts if they enter the “siring line”. It’s an interesting issue and one I’ll come back to.

Will Bettor’s Delight find a “downunder” bred siring successor?

Or will his legacy be as a super sire himself and great damsire?

The other colts in the field are Franco Nelson (by Christian Cullen from the No Regrets maternal line), Messini (by Art Major from Mesmerizing – this is an Australian family that looks deep and strong), Brilliant Strike (by Shadow Play, from the Woolley/Kerslake family of Tondeleyo, Adios Star, Bionic Chance et al., a great old family that has struggled to kick on in recent times until this lovely stayer came along), and finally Sky Major, (by Art Major, a stunning colt who could well win the Cup, and his dam was a good racing filly. The family may well be on the rise, or rather this branch of it, but again as a potential sire he would be relying mainly on his own merits and his sire Art Major, rather than the underpinning family record.)

Am I being harsh? Not really, it’s just the reality of how hard it is to make it as a sire even if you win the Cup. Ask Flashing Red. Or Iraklis. Or Il Vicolo. The brilliant and tough Changeover is making a good effort. Terror To Love is going to have his go.

Only Christian Cullen in recent decades has climbed that New Zealand Cup mountain and then gone on to conquer the siring peak as well.

It all adds another dimension to watching the NZ Cup tomorrow. Enjoy!

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Breeding notes for NZ Sires Stakes 3yo Final on Cup Day

November 8, 2015 by b4breeding

66-percent-green10 out of 15 ain’t bad. You can hardly fault the effort from top sire Bettor’s Delight to be represented as the sire of 66% of the 3yo colts and geldings in the field of the Sires Stakes on Tuesday (including the two emergencies).

On top of that he is the damsire of Shandale, the classy northerner.

Will he be the sire of the winner? That’s another step, although the odds are well and truly in his favour, and Chase The Dream and Lazarus will have huge support.

Mach Three has two representatives as a sire, and one (Classie Brigade) as a damsire. Art Major has two as a sire, and Jereme’s Jet one (second emergency Imola who is unlikely to get into the field). That foaling year, Bettor’s Delight had 220 live foals in New Zealand. Art Major had 49, Mach Three 94, Jereme’s Jet 57 (his last crop here).

So yes it is partly a numbers game, but it is also cream rising to the top of a lot of milk. Will it turn into beautifully matured cheese? Wait for my next blog which looks at the Cup field itself…the older stars who shine.

The 3yo race should be a cracker, with the draws levelling the field if something can cross the insiders and push the second row stars further back on the fence.

But this blog isn’t about the result – it’s a tip o’ the hat to the sires, mares and breeders who laid the foundation for the moment.

Breeders of the Sires Stakes field 2015

I want to note especially three runners bred by Breckon Bloodstock from the same family: the very good mare Megaera, a daughter of Alberfeldy, which is how the Breckon brothers first got “bitten” by harness racing. In this race there is Bite The Bullet from the Presidential Ball mare Pistol Packing Mama, and Cash N Flow from the In The Pocket mare Karen Donna (both of them are by Mach Three).

Karen Donna is the dam of Pistol Packing Mama (and also the dam of Katy Perry). So that is a dam and daughter with offspring in the race. Both of those mares descend from Ken Breckon’s foundation mare Megaera, and Megaera (a daughter of Aberfeldy) is also the grandam of another horse in this field of classy 3yos – Shandale. So big congrats to Breckon Bloodstock for having three in the race from the same family line – that is remarkable and a fitting result for a passionate and astute harness racing breeder/supporter, and also for Jan and Sandy Yarndley who were the “keepers” of that Black Watch/Aberfeldy line for so many years.

Both Karen Donna and Pistol Packing Mama were part of the “clear out” draft Ken Breckon sent to the Autumn Weanling and All Age Sale in May 2013, with Karen Donna selling in foal to Art Major for just $1000 and Pistol Packing Mama likewise for $2250, both sold to Mike Stevens. A very canny buy and a reminder about how hard it is to predict which lines will suddenly fire and which will not, and the struggles that all breeders have to get a return. The winner of most races is Hindsight.

Also I’d like to give a tip o’ the hat to damsires and especially our “downunder” Direct Scooter line. Christian Cullen is the damsire of 3 horses in the field, and Christian Cullen’s sire In The Pocket is the damsire of another 2. A quirky note – two of the damsires are sons of Jate Lobell, being Village Jasper and Caprock. What an influence that horse has become!

Here’s the full list of breeding, and breeders, for the 3yo colts and geldings Sires Stakes Final field 2015:

  1. Mowtown, Bettor’s Delight x Touch Of Grace – Walton Hanover (Breeder: D J Bennett, Ms L A Joyce)
  2. Franco Cristiano, Bettor’s Delight x Cherish A Franco – Caprock (Breeder: Spreydon Lodge Ltd)
  3. Bite The Bullet, Mach Three x Pistol Packing Mama – Presidential Ball (Breeder: Breckon Bloodstock Ltd)
  4. Art Form, Art Major x Highfields Diamond – Holmes Hanover (Breeder: C H Barlow, Mrs T J Barlow )
  5. Cash N Flow, Mach Three x Karen Donna – In The Pocket (Breeder: Breckon Bloodstock Ltd)
  6. Imola (E2), Jereme’s Jet x Imprint – Life Sign (Breeder: A J Johnstone)
  7. He Can Fly, Bettor’s Delight x Falcon’s Flybye – Falcon Seelster (Breeder: P G Argus, J M Argus, B Robertson, C Robertson, T Ryder, L Ryder)
  8. Kimani, Bettor’s Delight x Lizzie Maguire – Christian Cullen (Breeder: Rosslands Stud Ltd)
  9. GI Joe, Bettor’s Delight x Breath Of Life – Village Jasper (Breeder: Mrs D C Cournane)
  10. Chase The Dream, Bettor’s Delight x Christian Dreamer – Christian Cullen (Breeder: V L Devery, Mrs D L Devery)
  11. Lazarus, Bettor’s Delight x Bethany – Christian Cullen (Breeder: G Chin, Studholme Bloodstock Limited)
  12. Alta Las Vegas (E1), Bettor’s Delight x Bethany – Christian Cullen (Breeder: Alta Breeding Co Ltd)
  13. Can’t Refuse, Bettor’s Delight x Dream Offer – Dream Away (Breeder: Woodlands Stud (NZ) Ltd)
  14. Classie Brigade, Bettor’s Delight x Trigirl – Mach Three (Breeder: Miss S A Matthews, R Faulkner, Mrs C A Faulkner)
  15. Shandale, Art Major x Delightful Dale – Bettor’s Delight (Breeder: Breckon Bloodstock Ltd)

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One each way on sires that have now gone – results

October 30, 2015 by b4breeding

Update: How did I go? (See original blog below)

I kicked off the night with a Lis Mara quinella  which I actually missed in terms of putting my money where my mouth is, but for the purposes of this blog we’ll treat it as a 1ew bet on both Music (Lis Mara x Radio River) who paid $11.10 and $1.90, and Aveross Brachole (Lis Mara x Gth Aveross) who paid $4.80 for a place. Race 3, Romanite (Art Official x Roman Tear) came 2nd and paid $1.60. Race 4 Nek Time (Gotta Go Cullect x Braithwaite) hung on for 3rd and paid $2.20. I was bullish about Carrickmannon (Lis Mara x Harper Road) and Cullect A Guiness (Gotta Go Cullect x Charlotte Lea) in race 7 but 5th and 7th was there lot in a fast paced race.In race 9 my heart was with the winner (Ashton K, Grinfromeartoear x Spicey) but my 1ew bet went on Easy Rider (Art Official x Divine) and Chasing Shadows (Gotta Go Cullect x Impact’s Legacy) but they couldn’t get into the race and finished 9th and 10th.

At Alexandra Park I also started on a good note with Culinary Delight (Lis Mara x Culinary Affair) finished 3rd and paying $3.10, then in Race 2 Van Mara (Lis Mara x Van Sera) rattled home for 2nd and paid $2.60. In Race 6 Jaccka Mara (Lis Mara x Marianna Jaccka) and Tazzy’s Devil (Lis Mara x Tas’s Pocket) didn’t fire, and Wimbaliri (Gotta Go Cullect x Festina Lente) was scratched.

So all in all, I “invested” $24 and won $27.30.

Just for fun let’s compare how I would’ve gone if I had bet 1ew on all the Bettor’s Delights running at those two meetings. There were 23 starters, 9 of them paying a dividend. I would have invested $46 and collected $31.90.

So all in all, thank you to the lesser sires for taking care of me!

Original blog post:

Tonight I’m watching races in hindsight, and betting against the odds.

This breeding season in New Zealand three sires are no longer on offer, and in all cases their departure has been predictable, although in two cases it has been very low key.

Lis Mara, Gotta Go Cullect, Art Official.

All have different stories to tell. Lis Mara was initially promoted as speed, but the impression we have of the whole Cam Fella line in New Zealand is not that – and I’ve blogged on this before. So he had to make breakthrough early results that countered our intuition (like Bettor’s Delight has done was a descendant of Cam’s Card Shark) or we were always going to put him in a different category. LisMara progeny were almost always needing time, and not enough really delivered at the top end even if you did wait. For all our love with Most Happy Fella in Smooth Fella and New York Motoring etc, Cam Fella line has always struggled to get a foothold in these shaky isles.

Art Official, lovely looking and well bred, and our connection with Falcon Seelster in his maternal line should have rung happy bells – but he has struggled to get early performers (that so-high bar we set) and also he leaves a much more varied type of foal than his sire, they are not Art Major lookalikes and I think that is what everyone was hoping for – at a cheaper price.

Gotta Go Cullect, touted early on as the “heir apparent of Christian Cullen” and boy, did he look the part – athletic, proud, bred to be fast and tough. And he did get very decent books and has left some nice performers, but the clock ticked on and not enough really stood out, and suddenly he became more of a Live Or Die sire prospect i.e. genuine, but take time to strengthen, some have high speed but the actually percentages of top quality horses are not enough for a top sire. Take nothing away from what he will add to a mare’s pedigree. He will be one of those that shows up like an Adios Butler in pedigrees of good horses down the line. I also wonder if his early retirement (from injury) as a racehorse went against him. In the end we wanted him to duplicate his own type and early speed, so it is possible the type of mares he got were not adding much of that themselves. And maybe his own genes were more about toughness than genetically carried speed factors.

Cut to the chase, tonight I’m doing some sentimental betting but for a reason.

I like to show respect to all those sires who stand here – such a hard ask to survive and thrive in this competitive environment. These are three horses who were excellent on the racetrack and bred to be that way. They carry good genes but how that is expressed as sires (and in our broodmare pool) is another thing. Frankly the fact they have gone is not a mark against them, but just an acknowledgement of how hard it is for any sire to break into the longterm stallion market.

Tip o’ the hat to these three horses.

Both Art Official and Lis Mara will continue to stand back in North America, and I understand Gotta Go Cullect has been sold to Australia.

Tonight I am going “one each way” on all the progeny of these three sires racing at the good meetings at Addington (Christchurch Met) and Alexandra Park (Auckland).

Putting it out there now, and so far only two races done while I’ve been blogging, for a 2nd with Romanite, the Art Official 4yo gelding, and a 3rd from Culinary Delight, the 5yo Lis Mara mare.

What else is coming up? Not sure about scratchings but…

At Alex Park we have Race 2 Van Mara (Lis Mara), Race 6 Jaccka Mara and Tazzy’s Devil (both Lis Mara, although I must confess my bigger bet of 5ew will be on American Flyebye the Tintin In America filly), Race 8 Wimbaliri (Gotta Go Cullect). At Addington we have Race 4 Nek Time (Gotta Go Cullect), Race 7 Carrick Mannon (Lis Mara) and Cullect A Guiness (Gotta Co Cullect), Race 9 Easy Rider (Art Official) and Chasing Shadows (Gotta Go Cullect.

 

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Colonial bred filly a rare sight these days

October 27, 2015 by b4breeding

Among all the flashly-bred qualifiers getting their racing ticket this Spring is a 3yo filly called Olde Oak Ellie who is as far removed from modern sires as you can get these days. She’s the first foal of her dam Exceptional Star, a Presidential Ball mare.

But what makes her filly exceptional is the top and bottom lines of her pedigree – because Olde Oak Ellie is a daughter of the colonial sire Magic Rule, the last in New Zealand I believe from Globe Derby siring line. That’s the line that has its origins in Hambletonian’s son Strathmore, and in this neck of the woods comes down to us via Logan Derby (AUS), then Johnny Globe, then Lordship and Starship, the sire of Magic Rule.

Magic Rule

Magic Rule

The pedigree interest for Olde Oak Ellie doesn’t end there.

On her maternal line, Olde Oak Ellie also descends from Starship’s dam, Star Nurse.

This 3yo filly’s great grandam is actually Venetian Star, a full sister to Starship. So that makes the filly 3×4 to Lordship and 3×4 to Star Nurse.

You can check out Olde Oak Ellie’s pedigree here on the HRNZ Info Horse database. Venetian Star is the dam of Anvil’s Star (15 wins, $444,705) and the family has produced a few good races horses over the years although not as many as you might hope given its sprawling branches.

Olde Oake Ellie is bred, owned and trained by the Reedys, and she qualified yesterday at Westport (on the west coast of our South Island in New Zealand). The Reedys then sent Exceptional Star to Bettor’s Delight for a now 2yo filly.

Note: Magic Rule was a good racehorse himself, not in the very top class, but he achieved 10 wins and 10 placings in just 46 starts. His interest as a stallion was as one of the few remaining “colonial bred” sires in New Zealand from the Globe Derby line, rather than his potential to breed a modern racehorse. But he did garner some minor support from breeders to at least give him half a chance to leave something. He had three recorded small crops in New Zealand and his last foals were born in 2013. (There are just 9 of his foals who are 3yos, 12 who are 4yos and only one registered 2yo in the HRNZ database. Five of his progeny are still colts.) Magic Rule died in 2013, as an 18yo.

Read article from 2011 when he moved to Macca Lodge to stand at stud

Happy to receive current information from those involved in the Globe Derby Society (if it is still going) or breeders/trainers who can report on any other “colonial bred” foals who look to have potential on the track. Either add response to the blog, or email me at bee.raglan@xtra.co.nz

 

 

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Today at Cambridge

October 25, 2015 by b4breeding

Morning drizzle and then clouds cleared to blue skies and sunshine, and the families were out in force at the Harness Waikato meeting today – horses well outnumbered by excited kids of all shapes and sizes chasing each other across the sloping lawn (best view to catch the race and keep an eye on the kids), and sulkies were almost outnumbered by prams and pushchairs!

This was an afternoon where you didn’t even need bouncy castles and balloon man, as the kids just made their own entertainment, aided with complex modern technologies like…ah..the bocks you have to climb up to show 1st, 2nd and 3rd for greyhound post-race photographs, or the long stretch of grass alongside the home straight where future Olympians may be in front of our eyes. Yes, kids just doing it for themselves.

And of course the total winner on the day, the Clerk Of The Course Horse, who always draws the younger fans.

Fantastic racing too, from the younger generation who showed off their skills with their trotting ponies in the Kidz Kartz races, to the younger drivers who were competing in the tote races.

Very cool, and thanks to everyone involved.

Harness Waikato 2015 local meeting

Introducing families to harness racing on a lovely fine spring day at Cambridge, Waikato, New Zealand.

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Being nimble is hard for breeders, but important

October 21, 2015 by b4breeding

Nimble is a bit of a buzz word at the moment. Keeping up with trends and putting yourself in the position to respond promptly and effectively to the signals of the market.

As breeders we need to be nimble. But if we are nimble, do we know to jump in the right direction?  And what is the cost of jumping into thin air or jumping on a bandwagon without a good product?

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“Jack be nimble” – this is Jack Tar (Tintin In America x Sophie’s Choice) showing a bit of nimbleness.

Breeding horses is always going to be a high risk venture. Not for the faint hearted. But it is a passion for those of us who love to beat the odds, who love the families of mares we have, who believe in thinking before breeding and not just ticking a box.

Nimble is good, but sometimes a longer term strategy is more important, with nimble tucked in as an option should the opportunity arise. That might mean aiming for the yearling sales but being open to selling as a weanling or ready to run, or trialing up and selling as a going proposition. Nimble might also mean considering a sire you pooh-poohed two years ago as a new kid on the block but you can’t help noticing he’s not doing bad and he matches well with your mare.

So nimble really just means keeping an open mind. Being willing to change.

With breeding we need at least two years to produce a saleable foal – from the time of deciding in our minds and making a service contract, to the positive test, to a resulting foal being born, raised to a weanling, and grown to a yearling. Still pretty much untried and unsure. So we don’t have the luxury of making quick changes. They need to be thoughtful.

Often “being nimble” needs to be within our parameters: Costs. Time. Available sires. The mares you have.

But constraints give birth to invention and thought. In my case, I have hardly ever gone outside a $5000 service fee mark because of my own financial constraints, but that has never held me back from breeding to sires that really suited my mares plus my aims.

But being nimble can also mean being aware of what the market wants and responding to that. (My proviso here is that merely following fashion can also bite you in the bum if you do not have a commercial product, e.g. a poor producing or uncommerical mare will not make a fortune just by going to Bettor’s Delight, and even though the foal may turn out to be her best, it may not make a sale that gives the breeder a “bettor” profit margin, if any.)

Being nimble for breeders is also about not over-stocking or over-committing, holding some of your scarce resources back to fight another day. That can be difficult. It’s a blink of an eye (or a mare’s back end!) before another foal seems to be eating up your grass, eh.

Nimble can be about collaborating and syndicating. It can be about doing deals and sharing and asking for help or advice. Or even taking a year or two out, to give you or your mares a break.

It can be about reassessing why you are breeding and what direction you need to go in, rather than just ticking things over year after year.

Being nimble for breeders is most of all having an open mind and working out where your passion and the future market may intersect in a way that gives you both satisfaction and wanting to keep doing it.

Many breeders are a bit older than we used to be. Ha! We should also be a bit wiser. Believe it or not, older bones and minds do not make us less nimble. Rather they make as able to be more canny and more inventive. It is our choice.

Experience is the base of being nimble. It is like jumping from a rock, rather than jumping from wet sand.

Breeding season 2015 ….and here we go again, jumping off that rock.

Yeeehaa!!!!!

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