Breeding Snippets for July 16, 2026

From another well-related winner emerging from Reg Storer's breeding programme, to the commercial influence of the Impish family, further success for Dave Kennedy's famed Beaudiene line, and the enduring strength of the Landora's Pride tribe, this week's racing once again highlighted the depth of New Zealand's maternal families. Add in a promising son of Lather Up, another winner from the outstanding Dancing Diamonds family, and there was plenty for breeders to take note of.

Mynameisjack backed by generations of quality

Mynameisjack did a fine job of scoring his maiden win at just his fourth start at Addington last week, justifying the strong support that made him favourite on the night.

The Lather Up three-year-old gelding is from Blackjacky, a seven-win Falcon Seelster mare bred by Reg Storer who has proved capable of leaving both pacers and trotters.

Hittheroadjack (by Terror To Love), her second foal, won 20 races pacing on the way to banking $178,000. The third foal, Group winner Walkinonsunshine (by Creatine), has won nine trotting races to date with $217,000 in stakes.

Mynameisjack is her fourth foal and third winner. There is a two-year-old filly on the ground who is a full sister to Walkinonsunshine and, after missing in 2025, Blackjacky was served by Royal Aspirations in the most recent breeding season.

Second dam Rare Vintage, also bred by Storer (by Holmes Hanover from Tilla), was unraced and Blackjacky was clearly her best offspring.

Tilla was bred by well-known South Canterbury horseman Clem Scott and there is plenty of staunch breeding in this pedigree to support Mynameisjack progressing further through the grades in the coming months.

Tilla left a very smart Australian three-year-old in Impressionist for Ted Demmler, who won 10 of just 21 starts, while Premium Reserve, a full brother to Rare Vintage, won 12 races for the Bagries.

By New Zealand great Lordship, Tilla was a half-sister to Out Of Time (3 wins), who became the dam of Time's On My Side (10 wins), the latter helping establish a young Barry Ward, who worked for Clem Scott in those days.

Another half-sister to Tilla, Ann Other Vance (2 wins), left Ann Other Porsche (37 wins + $792,000) and Another One For Me (13 wins).

This is the immediate family of some of Scott's best pacers, including Fouroux (9 wins) and Loveridge (11 wins), to name a couple.

If one goes back far enough, they find the strongest branch of the Norice family, including Single Star, dam of Petro Star (NZ Oaks) and Riviera (7 wins), all closely related to the Sakuntala tribe of Iraklis, Tuapeka Star and other quality performers through the decades.

Joey Arden continues commercial family success

Joey Arden, a game two-year-old winner at Addington during the week just ended, is another positive notch in the belt of former Kiwi champion Lazarus.

Bred by the Stivens from Tapanui and bought out of the paddock by Stonewall Stud, the gelding is from the unraced Somebeachsomewhere mare Crackabeach.

Breeder John Stiven is a big fan of Somebeachsomewhere and his progeny and was able to acquire the mare from fellow Southland breeders Mark and Debbie Smith (Shard Farm) a couple of years ago.

Joey Arden is the mare's third live foal and third winner.

Stiven has a yearling colt by Tall Dark Stranger coming through, with the next weanling colt, Bobby Arden, by Confederate, likely to be consigned to the Christchurch Yearling Sale in 2027.

Crackabeach has been served by champion sire Bettor's Delight in the most recent breeding season.

She, of course, is a daughter of Impish (Falcon Seelster – Smarty Pants), connecting her and her progeny to one of the most commercial modern families currently in the breeding barn.

Eleven of Impish's 13 foals qualified to race, with The Fascinator (10 wins + $155,000) arguably her best performer on the track, but her daughters have taken this family to another level.

Giveitawhirlgirl (by Jenna's Beach Boy) raced without winning but went on to leave Twist And Twirl (7 wins), who became the dam of three-time Miracle Mile winner King Of Swing and multiple Group-winning filly Better Twist (15 wins + $607,000).

Double Twist (by Artsplace) has left two $100,000-plus winners in her first two foals, Double Time and Twista, while Twisted Sister won as a two-year-old in just two starts before injury curtailed a highly promising career.

Spin To Win (by Mach Three) has had her first four foals all salute, with Wheels Of Fortune (6 wins to date) and Slots (7 wins to date) carrying the family banner in some style.

Next dam back Smarty Pants (El Patron – Smart Doll) won 10 races herself and produced a number of very good horses for the late Peter Van Der Looy.

Vanderel (14 wins) and Smart Son immediately come to mind, with the latter one of the very first New Zealand-bred horses to break the magical 1:50 barrier in North America.

This has been, and continues to be, a very prolific source of winning Standardbreds.

Larissa Beaudiene rewards patient breeder

When you come all the way from the deep south to see your horse race at Addington, then you probably deserve to get a result, and that's exactly what Southland stalwart Dave Kennedy and his syndicate got when Larissa Beaudiene stormed home in the Silk Road Final for three-year-old fillies to win with plenty of authority.

It was only her second win in 11 starts, but breeder Kennedy has probably got one eye on a future broodmare career, just not in the short term.

The three-year-old filly by Bettor's Delight is a daughter of Beaudiene Beaut Babe (1 win) and represents her fifth foal and fifth winner.

Foal number six, Ankle Tap, sold by Kennedy at the 2025 Christchurch Yearling Sale to Team Bond (WA) for $95,000, qualified from the Matty White stable back in February but has yet to make his raceday debut.

Next up, an unnamed yearling filly by Stay Hungry has also been sold through the sales to Canterbury trainer Steve Dolan and, after slipping to Always B Miki, the mare was served by Cattlewash, a son of Somebeachsomewhere.

Kennedy has enjoyed much success with this pedigree over the years.

Beaudiene Beaut Babe (Art Major – Beaudiene Babe) is a half-sister to another 10 winners, including millionaire pacer and multiple Group One Western Australian winner Beaudiene Boaz (25 wins) and Beaudiene Bad Babe (22 wins), the latter also a Group One winner. Both were by Badlands Hanover.

Another daughter, Beaudiene Blinkz, also by Badlands Hanover, raced only once as a two-year-old but has kept the family in lights as the dam of standout two and three-year-old Jamal (12 wins from 14 starts + $600,000).

Beaudiene Babe, by In The Pocket, also qualified for Kennedy but, after just one start as a two-year-old, was retired to the broodmare band.

Their dam Beaudiene Debtor, by Cadillac, left only two foals, both fillies, and Beaudiene Ladylike (2 wins), by Falcon Seelster, went on to leave five winners, with Beaudiene Christian (11 wins + $111,000) the standout among her progeny.

When you have put so much into the harness racing industry, it seems well deserved that Dave Kennedy gets all the success that comes his way.

He would be the first to tell you that it's not all "beer and skittles" just the same.

Still B Miki keeps family smiling

Still B Miki (4g Always B Miki – Still Laughin) looks a promising type for owner-breeder Eric Parr and West Melton trainer Ken Barron.

After a gutsy Addington win last week, his record now stands at two wins and two placings from just four starts. The connections have obviously been patient with the son of Always B Miki.

From the Live Or Die mare Still Laughin (7 wins), who was also trained by Barron, Parr acquired the mare from Oamaru horseman Ray Beale more than 10 years ago.

All seven of her foals have been good enough to make it to the races without setting the world on fire. Having said that, Still Rollin (12 wins to date + $118,000), by Rock N Roll Heaven, has clearly been the best of her foals to date. The gelding also distinguished himself by going under the 1:50 mark at Menangle at the beginning of 2026.

Second dam Fast Winger (Wingspread – Quick Lass) had 12 foals for Beale and left 11 winners.

Those 11 winners recorded 41 New Zealand wins alone, with Betterthanfast (7 wins + 1:54) perhaps the best of the progeny.

Another daughter of Fast Winger, Move Heaven Andearth, by Christian Cullen, won two races and went on to leave Saying Grace (by American Ideal), who won five of her 15 New Zealand starts before racing successfully in both Australia and North America, where she recorded a 1:48.8 mile rate.

This is the immediate family of the very smart pacer Laser Lad (15 NZ wins + $344,000), trained by a young Peter Jones back in the 1980s.

Other standouts from the family were trotter Lenin (36 wins + $240,000) and Cup-class pacer Game Lad (12 NZ wins), who won the Kaikōura Cup in 1974 before being exported to North America by the Brian Meale/Charlie Hunter partnership.

While relatively quiet by those standards in recent times, the connections of Still B Miki should still be laughin' after last week's victory.

Kenny Hill extends Landora's Pride legacy

It's not that often that standout mares on the track become standout broodmares in the breeding barn, but Landora's Pride (34 wins) and her daughters and granddaughters just keep delivering.

Landora's Pride won all our major trotting races back in the 1980s before leaving nine foals for nine winners. Six of those winners were fillies.

Landora's Gift, by Chiola Hanover, won four races before leaving Inter Dominion champion and millionaire trotter Sundon's Gift (39 wins).

Invasions Pride, by Armbro Invasion, won seven races and left Australian Group One trotter Let Me Thru (19 wins + $462,000).

Landora's Special, by Sundon and the winner of four races herself, has left three $100,000-plus winners, including Eyre I Come (10 wins + $163,000).

Landora's Image, also by Sundon, won seven races and her first foal, Landora's Pearl (by Earl), won three races and has now left seven winners and two qualifiers from her 10 foals, including last week's Auckland winner Kenny Hill, her last foal and now the winner of three races for the Wallis and Hackett stable.

That makes him a three-quarter brother to the very smart young Australian trotter One Muscle Hill (14 wins).

This is indeed a family that keeps on delivering, with no signs of slowing down.

Just Us Two backed by a family rich in class

He doesn't drive that often, but trainer Nathan Purdon jumped into the cart behind Just Us Two at Auckland last week and, after securing a one-one sit on the outer, proved too strong in a very good maiden field to register his first win in 10 starts.

The Art Major three-year-old has also recorded five minor placings in his career thus far.

And he has a bit of breeding behind him to suggest that it won't be his last.

His dam Dancing Diamonds (9 wins + $343,000 from 21 starts) went to the broodmare paddock for owners the Whitelocks and promptly left Rock Diamonds (1:50.1 in the USA) and star filly Princess Tiffany (25 wins + $1.06 million).

Just Us Two is her seventh winner from her eight live foals.

Dancing Diamonds (Bettor's Delight – Asabella) was bred by the Creighton/Gillan breeding partnership from Otago, regular vendors at the Christchurch Yearling Sale for many years.

Asabella (In The Pocket – Bellisimo) left eight winners, with several proving more than handy. She was a half-sister to other smart performers in Alert Falcon and The Cavalier, and her breeding was held in high commercial regard through the 1970s and 1980s.

Bellisimo (Smooth Fella – Krina Bella) was bred in the purple of the time, with Krina Bella bred by the "godfather" of New Zealand harness racing, the late Jim Dalgety.

Krina Bella (4 wins) was a daughter of the great race filly Bellajilly, who defeated the colts when winning the New Zealand Derby as a three-year-old.

After being sold to America, Dalgety was able to buy her back and brought her back to New Zealand in the early 1970s, in foal to American stallion Most Happy Fella. That foal turned out to be Jovial Jeanie (9 wins), a top filly of her year.

She, in turn, produced Happy Hazel (12 wins + $237,000) for Dalgety, who later left another superstar filly in Imagine That (15 wins + $415,000), trained by Mark Purdon.

Bellajilly, by Van Dieman, was a full sister to another star filly in Van Glory (11 wins), who went on to leave another strong branch of this pedigree, including globetrotting star Under Cover Lover (21 wins + $865,000).

All of this has only enhanced the reputation of this outstanding pedigree over several decades.