Breeding Snippets for July 9, 2026

From the remarkable broodmare record of Imaginary Bet, to another exciting youngster emerging from the famous Guest family, the continued success of the Kotare breeding programme, and fresh winners carrying the blood of Pride Of Petite and Carabella, this week's racing once again showcased the strength of New Zealand's maternal families. Add in another promising performer for Stonewall Stud and breeders had plenty of pedigrees worth following.

Imaginary Bet building a broodmare legacy

Captains Mistress is quickly becoming a superstar of our harness racing sport and to see her running away from horses like Marketplace and other top three and four-year-olds in Queensland's Rising Sun last weekend was nothing short of magnificent.

It must surely propel her dam Imaginary Bet into discussions for the Broodmare of Excellence Award when it comes around later in the year.

Owned by Todd Anderson's Taffy Ltd, the Bettor's Delight – Imagine Me mare was unraced but is a fine example of great bloodlines shining through, regardless of the broodmare's on-track record.

As a matron, her seven foals of racing age have produced six winners and one qualifier.

Nothing really special in that until one researches the record of her progeny.

Merlin (24 wins) is already a pacing millionaire and now Captains Mistress (18 wins to date and a 1:48.9 mark) has joined that elite club with her latest win.

Durrant, a full brother to Merlin by Art Major, has won 10 races with $130,000 in the bank. Both Magician and Gemma Mac won five races each, with the latter already in the broodmare paddock and her first foal, The Queen's Gambit, also closing in on the $100,000 benchmark.

Cullen's Bet (1 win) is the dam of four foals and the first three have already made it to the races, with Elektra King (4 wins to date) also a candidate to surpass the $100,000 mark.

The only progeny of Imaginary Bet yet to race is the qualified two-year-old full brother to Captains Mistress in Faith Not Fear, who was purchased for $160,000 at the 2025 Christchurch Yearling Sale (then named Mahomes) by the Dunfords and is now with Hayden and Amanda Cullen in Canterbury.

Anderson, who has assembled a broodmare band of the highest commercial quality, has Imaginary Bet in foal to Captaintreacherous, and any healthy foal, filly or colt, would carry immense value at this time.

Olympic Ko rewards patient supporters

Commercial breeder Todd Anderson and Captaintreacherous can also be linked to recent impressive Cambridge winner Olympic Ko, who broke through for her maiden victory at the expense of a couple of promising types in Franco Seth and No More Dreaming.

The only real surprise was the size of her tote dividend and those who followed up on her solid fresh-up run for second would have been richly rewarded.

By Captaintreacherous from the Art Major mare Crispr, Olympic Ko is the first winner from her dam, a mare that was on-sold by Anderson a few years back.

Crispr is another example of an unraced broodmare with strong maternal connections. Her dam was the very smart Joanne's Delight (5 wins + $203,000).

Besides Crispr, Anderson bred Joanne's Delight five times for three winners, with Hoppys Way arguably the best, winning 14 races and banking $313,000 before being sold to Queensland trainer Chantel Turpin, who has since bred the promising Huntsville gelding Hunt For Glory (1 win and 2 placings from just four starts).

This is a pedigree developed over many years by master horseman Jack Smolenski. From the Falcon Seelster mare Larissa Rose, who was unraced, Joanne's Delight was a full sister to the outstanding Jack's Legend, who paced 1:47.4 in North America.

This is the famed "Guest" family that Smolenski enjoyed so much success with.

Estella Rose (7 wins), Laurent Perrier (3 wins) and Champagne Royal (5 wins) were all very handy fillies and mares that bred on to very good levels.

The latter, in particular, left top filly Champagne Princess (12 wins), who in turn became the dam of Krug (20 wins, 1:49.9 and $813,000).

And who could forget the brilliant filly Hilarious Guest (21 wins + $283,000), another star from this family?

Kotare Rimu keeps Kotare Downs legacy alive

There were plenty of "watchers" singing the praises of Kotare Rimu after his huge win at Addington last week.

And it was so pleasing to see Tony and Gay Abel back in the limelight again after such a long and distinguished contribution to harness racing in this part of the world.

Kotare Rimu has now won three races from just 11 starts amidst talk that he might now be a strong consideration for larger targets later in the season.

The Abels, now retired from the Kotare Downs property in Fernside that they made so famous several decades ago, bred Kotare Rimu from Kotare Mist (Christian Cullen – Kotare Yangtze) and he is her second foal and second winner.

There is a yearling filly by Sweet Lou coming through called Kotare Rosalyn and the mare is in foal to Downbytheseaside. She is only bred every second year now that the Abels spend their retirement on a 4ha lifestyle block.

Second dam Kotare Yangtze, by noted broodmare sire Falcon Seelster, was another unraced broodmare who left nine foals, with eight of them good enough to make it to the races. Kotare Mahdi, also by Christian Cullen, has clearly been the best of her progeny, winning 20 races and more than $170,000, mostly in Australia.

Kotare Mahal, by Mach Three, also looked very handy, winning six races.

Kotare Yangtze was a half-sister to the very smart Kotare Mach, also by Mach Three, who won 16 races and more than $268,000.

What better way to spend your retirement than watching your lifelong passion continue to produce good winners so many years on? Kotare Rimu is bringing Tony and Gay Abel plenty of enjoyment right now and promises much more to come.

Mad Mary flies the flag for Pride Of Petite

Mad Mary (Muscle Mass – That Girl Of Mine) is doing an excellent job for her connections, recording her third win last week at Cambridge from just 15 starts for the Wallis and Hackett stable.

She is the first foal of her dam, who had only two starts after winning on debut as a three-year-old. There is a Dancinginthedark M weanling colt on the ground and the mare has since been served by E L Titan.

That Girl Of Mine (Great Success – Petite Sunshine) was bred by the late Frank Weaver and one can immediately see the connection with one of New Zealand's greatest ever trotters in Pride Of Petite.

Petite Sunshine, by champion sire Sundon, qualified but did not race. In the broodmare paddock, all six of her foals made it to the races, with five becoming winners.

Clearly the best of these has been Lord Poppinjay, now the winner of 14 races and more than $206,000.

Her dam Pride Of Petite was a globetrotting marvel, winning 35 races not only in New Zealand and Australia, but also in Sweden, Denmark and Norway, where trotting is king.

To this day she remains the only Australasian trotter to qualify for the prestigious Elitlopp Final.

At stud, all eight of her foals made it to the races, with repeated matings to Sundon producing outstanding results. Petite Sunset won seven races and $115,000, while Petite Sunrise won four races and earned $86,000 from only 15 starts.

Of course, Pride Of Petite was a daughter of another outstanding mare in Petite Evander, a 21-race winner who left only three foals, but they collectively won 46 races.

Her first foal, Evander's Gold, by Arndon, earned an opportunity at stud but received only limited support.

Historically, this family has produced an outstanding strike rate of winners to foals bred, and the way Mad Mary is progressing, she appears another capable of maintaining that record.

Ringleader backed by an elite maternal family

Ringleader justified favouritism at Addington last week after breaking in the score-up and somehow securing a second chance following a dubious false start decision.

At the second attempt he eventually found the lead and proved too strong, scoring in a 1:58.8 mile rate at only his fourth raceday start.

By Always B Miki from the Bettor's Delight mare Delightful Kas (3 wins), he is her second foal and a full brother to Group 1 winner Rubira (11 wins + $432,000), so he has plenty to live up to. However, the nature of his win suggested more victories are likely.

Third foal Three Bags Full, by Captaintreacherous, has already qualified from the Nathan Purdon stable and there is a full sister, now a weanling, on the ground for owner-breeder Breckon Farms. The mare is back in foal to Captaintreacherous.

Second dam Lady Cullen (Christian Cullen – Andreas Blue Chip) won two races from just six starts and, alongside Delightful Kas, has left Group 1 winner Belle Of Montana (13 wins + $603,000) and the qualified Lady Gilpin (by Somebeachsomewhere). The latter has already left the very smart Stella Rouge (5 wins from 10 starts + $224,000) and River (1 win + $105,000) as her first two foals.

Lady Cullen was from the imported American mare Andreas Blue Chip (by Artsplace), making her a half-sister to champion filly Carabella (17 wins, two seconds from 19 starts and $694,000).

It was always going to be a tough ask to leave one as good as herself, but Carabella's first six foals have all been winners, with every one of them recording a sub-1:58 mile rate.

On The Mark adds another chapter to Stonewall story

Harness powerhouse Stonewall Stud is not only a major racing operation but also a burgeoning breeding establishment, and the win of On The Mark (Bettor's Delight – Step Up) at Cambridge last week is connected to one of its very first broodmare investments from some 30 years ago.

On The Mark is the second foal, but first winner, from Step Up (Art Major – Dance Card), who won 13 races and $276,000 on both sides of the Tasman.

Interestingly, she also recorded another 35 top-three placings from 88 lifetime starts.

Stonewall bred second dam Dance Card (1 win), with seven of her eight foals making it to the races. She was a daughter of Disco Lass (Soky's Atom – Disco Girl) and represented one of the stud's first ventures into breeding during the mid-1990s.

Dance Card was, in fact, Disco Lass' only winner in New Zealand from six foals to race here, although another three qualified without winning before the mare was later sold.

That breeding record was somewhat surprising because, during the mid-1980s through to the mid-1990s, this pedigree was arguably one of the most commercial in New Zealand.

Owned by the Reid brothers and trained by Roy and Barry Purdon, Disco Girl left NZ Cup winner Christopher Vance (38 wins + $1.7 million).

An unraced daughter, Missy Lou, left Mike's Pal (26 wins + $269,000), while Delightful Chance (3 wins) has gone on to leave two $100,000-plus winners.

This was also the immediate family of another NZ Cup winner in Luxury Liner (37 wins + $1.7 million), owned and trained by the same connections, while a host of other quality performers emerged from the family around the same time.

Vance Glory, Star Glory, Country Star, Soky's Lass, Star Motoring, Wily Run, Surprise Package and Top Vance are just some of the many quality performers produced by this outstanding maternal line.

The very best families inevitably have quieter periods before rising again. Perhaps, even now, Stonewall Stud's investment is proving to be right on the mark with their latest winner.