Breeding Snippets for November 5th 2026

Trotters carry much of this week’s column, and with cup week upon us several of the winners are now pointed at the classics. Tatanka has turned a modest Gavelhouse purchase into a horse heading for $50k, Dolly Parton and B Envious are both coming south off northern wins, and the Frances Jay Bee family produced two impressive trotting winners at Winton on the same afternoon for the Williamsons. The families of Enthuse, Kate’s First, Especial Franco, Rob The Nest and the Brosnans’ Nancy Lee all feature, several of them going back half a century or more.

Tatanka a bargain off the Gavelhouse screen

3yo Creatine trotter Tatanka is proving a great advertisement for the auction platform we know as Gavelhouse. Back in June, Central Districts trainer Scott Dickson paid $6500 for the son of Bryleigh Jane after he had been placed in his lone 2yo start for Woodend trainer Bob Butt. Now four months later, Tatanka has had a further eight starts for his new connections resulting in four wins and two placings, including a dashing win last week at Auckland, justifying his favouritism at the same time.

Sire Creatine remains an underrated stallion in this writer’s opinion and has consistently left a steady stream of winners in the last couple of years. Disappointingly, Mighty Logan will not take his place in this year’s Dominion Handicap where he would have been well favoured.

On the maternal line of Tatanka, Bryleigh Jane (Love You – Kurien) did not race but she is well related all the same. Second dam Kurien also did not race and has left six foals. Aroha and Pandemic, both by Love You, were minor winners, with Aroha already the dam of a Father Patrick colt, now a 2yo, while fourth foal Which Way is also a winner, with fillies by Tactical Landing and Propulsion coming on in behind for the Butts.

Kurien was by Sundon from Enthuse, making her a half sister to some top trotting blood. Enthusiast (11 wins), Call You Later (9 wins), Inspire (9 wins including a Rowe Cup) and Red (5 wins from just 9 starts) were all related siblings that rose to great heights with master trotting trainer Paul Nairn.

Only a 3yo, Tatanka looks to be a bargain buy for his new owner and trainer as he quickly heads towards $50k in earnings. He might not be out of place in a race like the NZ Trotting Derby, even.

Dolly Parton earns her crack at the Oaks

Dolly Parton, the very much alive equine version, is coming to Addington for cup week. The 3yo Downbytheseaside – First Western filly won her third race at Auckland last Friday and has placed a further four times in 16 starts for trainer Jeremy Young, and her connections now believe she has earned a crack at a race like the NZ Oaks. Drawing the outside of the gate and sitting parked didn’t seem to bother her as she held her rivals out in a blanket finish in a 1:58.5 MR.

Dam First Western placed at her only start, as a 2yo, and as a broodmare her first seven live foals have all been winners, with all seven rating 1:59 or better when winning. Owned by Woodlands principal Andrew Grierson, the mare is represented by a 2yo full sister to Dolly with northern trainer Matty White, and there is a yearling colt by Bettor’s Delight to follow.

Not surprising on one level when the researcher finds her to be a Western Terror daughter of Auckland Cup winner Kate’s First (19 wins plus $624k). All 10 of the latter’s foals qualified to race and, while none reached her lofty heights, her 10th foal Kate Black (by Bettor’s Delight), who won four, has managed to leave a potential superstar in Got The Chocolates (14 wins to date plus $746k). Of course, there was already one superstar in the family in the form of Kate’s First half brother Christian Cullen (22 wins plus $1.25M).

Imagine back then owning their dam Pleasant Franco and leaving Kate’s First and Christian Cullen as her first two foals. Dolly has a bit to live up to really.

B Envious adds depth to the colts and geldings classics

Another northern 3yo coming south for the classics is B Envious, a 3yo gelding by Always B Miki from Envious, after scoring by some eight lengths at Auckland last week, his fourth win at only his ninth start. One of those wins was in a 1:54.4 MR over the mobile 1700m and, while most believe that Jumal is a strong favourite to take the 3yo colts and geldings classics, the Balle trained pacer is a very progressive type and with a good draw might surprise a few of his southern counterparts.

Dam Envious (Changeover – Especial Franco) was handy enough, winning six races before going off to stud, and B Envious is her second foal and first colt. First foal Lilith, a 4yo mare by Raging Bull, has already placed in a five start career, while the third foal is an as yet unnamed full sister to B Envious and the mare is in foal to Huntsville.

Second dam Especial Franco, by Falcon Seelster, didn’t race but left a good horse in Expressionist (29 wins plus $285k), who was good enough to rate 1:50.3 in one of those wins in Australia. She was also a half sister to a very smart horse of the late 80s in Tower Of Strength, who won 11 races for trainer Peter Blanchard. One generation further back, one finds a direct link to Egmont Lobell (14 wins) and Flem N Em (8 NZ wins plus 1:49.6 USA).

It would seem the form of B Envious is not just a fluke. There is some real depth to this pedigree, even if a few years back.

A Kenny double at Winton

Some families just keep on giving, and since the early 90s the family tree established by Frances Jay Bee (Pointer Hanover – Lady Afton) has fitted into that category well and truly. She won six races herself and then at stud left seven winners, but not just minor winners. One Kenny (19 wins), One Under Kenny (11 wins) and millionaire trotter One Over Kenny (32 wins) were clear standouts, with the latter two being mares that have kept the Kenny name in the limelight, being highly successful with their offspring that followed them to the race track. And the Williamson family based in Oamaru have been there for the greater part of this ride.

There was no better example than that at Winton last week when One Under Kenny (by Sundon) proved to be the grand dam of two highly impressive trotting winners.

Kenny’s Aspiration (by Royal Aspiration) sprouted wings over the last 150m to swamp her rivals with a devastating on debut performance. She is out of an unraced Love You daughter of One Under Kenny in Luvya Kenny, owned by North Otago personality Bev Williamson and trained by son Brad. She is the first foal of her dam, and there are yearling and weanling fillies coming on by What The Hill and Majestic Son respectively, with an Oscar Bonavena due.

A couple of hours later Tarragindi recorded his ninth win in just his 23rd start with $182k already in the bank. Bred by Phil Williamson, owned by Bev and trained by Nathan Williamson, he will be a welcome addition to the open class trotting ranks when he ventures north. He is the first foal of Kenny’s Dream (Dream Vacation – One Under Kenny), who won eight races herself, earning $123k in stakes. After Tarragindi, she left top young trotter Kyvalley Ray (8 wins to date plus $321k). She has a 2yo filly by Timoko and a weanling colt by Volstead on the ground and is due any time to Father Patrick.

The success of this pedigree does not look like slowing in its flow any time soon.

Roseanna and a pedigree that runs deep

Another promising trotter who got the chocolates at Winton was the Allister Black trained Roseanna, who has won two of her 15 starts. And her pedigree does run deep.

By Southwind Frank, a son of Muscle Hill, her dam Star Commando won four races on the track and then left the handy Don’t Ask (by Father Patrick), who Black also trained to win six. That mare has produced a Majestic Son weanling as her first foal and is in foal to Tactical Landing. Roseanna is the third live foal and second winner produced by Star Commando.

She in turn was a daughter of Charlotte Galleon (Sundon – Rob The Nest), a one race winner that has left nine winners from the broodmare barn including Royal Charlotte (16 wins plus $263k) and the promising Loteria (4 wins to date). Charlotte Galleon was a full sister to Sonofthedon (6 wins from just 9 starts) and a half sister to Galleon’s Assassin (33 wins plus $495k) and King Of Strathfield (21 wins plus $228k). Another half sister in Whosinthenest (7 wins) went on to leave top open class trotter Temporale (27 wins plus $819k) and Miracle Rising (18 wins plus $171k).

This pedigree goes directly back to Inter-Dominion champion Diamond Field (33 wins plus $537k), which made it highly commercial a few years back.

Roseanna beat some promising trotters at Winton. Her good manners certainly helped on that occasion, and those qualities, and her breeding, might take her a wee bit further yet.

Don’s Delight and the Brosnan family line

Don’s Delight was an emphatic winner on the first day at Kaikoura for trainer and driver John Morrison at just start no.3. The 3yo by Captain Crunch from Just Rose is named after his late part owner and breeder Don Stenhouse, and ranks as a half brother to five other winners including full brothers Heza Sport (16 wins plus $587k) and Here’s Herbie (12 wins to date plus $214k). The latter has had three starts in WA for three wins and looks to be thriving in his new environment, so much so that the phone could be ringing very soon for his younger 3yo half brother.

Their dam Just Rose won six races and is the only foal of Just N Time (Fake Left – Roseanna), and not to be confused with the Winton trot winner above.

Bred by the Brosnan family of Fernside, who have only ever had the one family pedigree going back to the late 50s in Moonbeam NZ, Roseanna was a daughter of Margaret Marie (4 wins), who was a handy mare for Jack Smolenski in the early 70s. At stud she left five winners, with Crossfire (7 NZ wins) and Treasurer (5 wins) being more than handy on the track before getting exported to America. Margaret Marie was a half sister to another eight winners, and the likes of Royal Cheval (6 wins) and Sir Robin (6 wins) brought the late Maurice Vermeulen, of Hilarious Guest fame, into prominence as an owner and trainer.

The family goes all the way back to the Brosnans’ great broodmare Nancy Lee (by U Scott), who produced seven winners from eight foals and was enough to pronounce her broodmare of the year in 1965. Her only unraced daughter, Brenda Lee, produced Star Lady (by Smooth Fella) as her first foal, and after winning five on the track she went on to leave 10 very good winners. Robin Butt, grandfather of Bob, was one trainer who enjoyed great success with this family back in the day, and top 3yo City Rogue (14 NZ wins plus 1:49.6 USA) quickly comes to mind.