Breeding Snippets for November 12th 2026

Long established families and the people who built them carry this week’s column. Bruce Francis and Ashmorven Stud, Kevin Marr’s distinctive “H” nomenclature, the late Peter Van Der Looy, John McKenzie’s Kelvin Home Holdings and the Hope training partnership all feature, along with the families of Bravine, Sound Of Chiola, Smarty Pants, Silksngems, Tabella Bindy and the prolific Moment clan. Two of the winners are fillies who may well have raced their way into high profile broodmare bands.

Hacksaw Ridge and the Ashmorven breed

Hacksaw Ridge showed his great liking for the grass surface by winning his eighth race at Oamaru last week. No less than six of those victories have come on that surface, and when you can run home in 55 seconds it will make it very tough for those chasing in behind.

Now a 7yo and a $110k earner from his 63 starts, the A Rocknroll Dance – Insar gelding belongs to a very good family made famous by Mid Canterbury breeder Bruce Francis. Dam Insar (Dare To You – Kinski) was bred by Francis’s Ashmorven Stud and went on to win seven races on the race track before beginning life as a broodmare, where eight of her 10 foals have been winners. Insarchatwist (13 wins plus $167k) and Still Rockin (10 wins plus $111k) have arguably been the best of them so far, but Hacksaw Ridge is making ground steadily on both of them.

Second dam Kinski, also an Ashmorven product, won two in a short career with Insar clearly the best of her foals. Kinski was a Paulsboro daughter of Kiatina (5 wins), who was a very handy filly when trained by Robin Butt back in the 70s. She did okay in the broodmare barn, leaving the likes of Kanturk (4 wins) and Fredericton (5 wins). On top of that, she was a half sister to top pacer Locarno, who won a Miracle Mile amongst his 18 wins, while Ostrava (10 NZ wins) and Agrinion (9 wins) were both well above average, and all were trained from Robin Butt’s West Melton stable.

They all descended from a very smart mare in Bravine (8 wins), who was trained by the legendary Jack Litten, and Robin Butt was to become the latter’s son in law. The Litten colours are now proudly worn by grandson Paul Nairn. The Francis family had this breed right back into the 1950s, including Bruce’s brother Wayne, who went on to establish Prebbleton’s Nevele R Stud with Bob McArdle.

Wildest Dream and the Marr family of H’s

Wildest Dream was an impressive debut trot winner at Auckland, and closer scrutiny of his pedigree strongly suggests he can go on a fair way further. The 3yo son of Elite Stride, by Muscle Hill, from Philadelphia H is one of only four foals from his two win dam, but three of them have got to the races with two winning. First foal Issac H won six on both sides of the Tasman, but such was the ease of Wildest Dream’s win that he could potentially surpass that record. And his breeding just reinforces this opinion.

Philadelphia H is a Revenue, Swedish born, daughter of top open class trotting mare Martina H (18 wins plus $401k), who famously deadheated in a Dominion Handicap with millionaire rival Take A Moment some 20 odd years ago. Bred by Auckland enthusiast Kevin Marr, Martina H got her name after a famous person, place or concept with the surname beginning with the letter H, in this case Martina Hingis, the famous tennis player.

Marr had a great deal of success with this formula. Once retired from racing, Martina H left Miami H, for Heat, who won eight. A qualified daughter in Hilton H, for Hotel, produced Conrad H, for Hurrell, a 10 race winner, and Aardiebythehill (10 NZ wins).

Martina H was by Sundon from Sound Of Chiola (by Chiola Hanover). The latter was one of Marr’s first ventures into harness racing and she won five races on the track when trained by Marr’s good mate Derek Balle, who went on to train most of his breed. Tony H (8 NZ wins), Lleyton H (24 wins), Denny H (4 wins) and Lewis H (5 wins) were all full relations to Martina H, being by the grand sire Sundon, known for injecting speed into his progeny.

A half sister to Sound Of Chiola in Barefoot In The Park (3 wins) left a smart trotter in Lost In The Park (21 wins plus $216k), so there is plenty of depth to this trotting family. The progress of Wildest Dream will be watched with great interest.

Meshino and the Van Der Looy family

Meshino had no trouble justifying his warm favouritism on debut at Winton in the hands of trainer Nathan Williamson, and his breeding strongly suggests there is more to come from this Bettor’s Delight 3yo.

Dam Idolise won just the one race in a brief 13 start career, but the American Ideal – Imprint mare has certainly gone to another level in the breeding stakes. Meshino is the fifth winner from her first six foals, who include Braeview Kelly (19 wins plus $506k plus 1:49.5) and Ohoka Connor (10 wins plus $202k). Now part of the Dancingonmoonlight broodmare band, Idolise has full relations to Meshino, a 2yo filly and a weanling colt, coming on in behind, and has been served by Huntsville, but a January LDOS means she will be foaling later this season.

Second dam Imprint won three from just 14 starts and at stud left 10 winners, highlighted by the likes of Dibaba (7 NZ wins plus 1:51.6 USA), Opulent (18 wins plus $270k) and Idealindiamonds (13 wins plus $99k). Imprint, by Life Sign, was a daughter of Impish (Falcon Seelster – Smarty Pants), making her a half sister to Giveitawhirlgirl. The latter mare produced Twist And Twirl, who in turn left King Of Swing and Bettor Twist, both high class Group 1 performers.

This is a family made famous by the late Peter Van Der Looy, and those of us old enough will remember the likes of Smart Son, one of our first horses exported to America to go under 1:50, Vanderel (14 wins), Kincaid (6 wins), Grobbelaar (5 wins) and Sherlock (6 wins). Smarty Pants won 10 races herself and all were trained by Van Der Looy himself.

Meshino has a bit to live up to with this pedigree behind him, but on his debut effort he is definitely heading in the right direction.

Rena races her way towards the broodmare paddock

By pacing 1:53.7 when winning at Ashburton last Sunday, Rena has probably done enough to find a spot in the broodmare band of North Canterbury breeder John McKenzie.

McKenzie, who breeds under the name Kelvin Home Holdings Ltd, has bred four foals from Rena’s dam Reklaw’s Gem (Christian Cullen – Silksngems), with the latter showing a fair amount of promise as a young racehorse before injury restricted her to just 17 lifetime starts. She was a race winner and placed a further five times.

At stud, all four of her foals have been fillies, with Tempting Tigress (by Bettor’s Delight) winning six of just 10 starts, with four placings, and banking $130k, while full sister Miss Leopatra also won six with four placings from 16 starts, earning $105k. The latter was foaled in 2022 and, much to McKenzie’s frustration, she has not had a foal since, but was belatedly served by Bettor’s Delight in January of 2026.

Second dam Silksngems, by noted broodmare sire Falcon Seelster, was unraced but at stud she did a sterling job. Motu Treasure (19 wins plus $192k), Motu Crusader (27 wins plus $361k) and Motu Meteor (14 wins plus $254k) were standouts amongst her seven winners, while her daughter Motu Pocket o’Jewels (4 wins) did even better, leaving Motu Premier (20 wins plus $424k), Caitlyn Clarke (8 wins plus $108k) and her latest star Rakero Rocket (11 wins to date plus $374k plus 1:47.3).

Third dam This Time Franco (10 wins plus $249k) was a top 3yo on the track, and back further the pedigree lands directly onto the freakish Tempest Tiger (7 wins from 12 starts), who won the Messenger against the boys for the Ryder and Smolenski combination.

This pedigree has been highly commercial for a number of years and it looks to be still going strong with Rena’s winning time at Ashburton.

Mariner’s Rose and the Tabella Bindy family

Another Ashburton filly winner that might have done enough to earn a spot in a high profile broodmare band was Mariner’s Rose, who, after leading, fought strongly to record a maiden win in 1:55.8 for owner Breckon Farms. The Captaintreacherous – Ruby Rose 3yo was having start no.11 and is the third foal and second winner from her dam.

First foal Dixieland Delight (by Art Major) has won five races to date. Younger siblings by Captaintreacherous, a 2yo filly, and Downbytheseaside, a yearling colt, have been sold on, and after missing last season to Sweet Lou, Ruby Rose is due to Somebeachsomewhere.

Second dam Maid In Splendour (4 wins plus 1:56.1) only had the five foals but all got to the races, with The Thug (10 wins plus $105k), Never Say Never (1:50.1 USA) and Pacing Pride (6 NZ wins plus $104k plus 1:51.8 USA) all flying the family flag with great credit. She in turn was a half sister to a further 10 winners.

This family stems from the imported American mare Tabella Bindy (by Temujin, a son of Race Time), and her very first foal here in NZ was the top open class pacer Desperate Comment (22 wins plus $789k), who was trained by RM (Bob) Cameron.

Viva La Vida back after 14 months away

It was a great training feat from the Hopes to get Viva La Vida back to the races after nearly 14 months away to win in a fresh state at Ashburton. The trainers have a strong affinity with the stock of Love You and the 4yo gelding has the breeding to go on with the job if he can stay sound. Of interest, he qualified way back in July of 2024 beating home another Hope stable star in Habibti Pat, who of course is one of the favourites for this week’s Group 1 Dominion Handicap at Addington. While he had three runs as a 2yo, he has only had the 14 career races, resulting in two wins and a placing.

Dam Quite A Moment was also trained by the Woodend family and did place in a Dominion Handicap herself behind yet another Hope trotting star in Monbet. In 109 starts she won 16 races with a further 45 placings, banking $429k along the way. At stud she has left two to race for two winners. Crown The Moment won four and there are younger progeny by Carlton and Habibi Inta, two of them, coming on in behind.

As her name suggests, Quite A Moment is from the prolific Moment family and therefore is closely related to millionaire trotters Take A Moment and, more recently, Oscar Bonavena.

Viva La Vida is a Spanish phrase meaning “long live life”, an expression of celebrating life, and the Hope training partnership should be celebrating after getting this stable runner back to the races.