Breeding Snippets for October 24th 2026

Great racemares run through this week’s column, along with the hard truth that a brilliant race record does not always translate to the broodmare paddock. Blossom Lady won 43 races and left just three foals, Carabella won 17 of 19 starts and has left six winners from six foals, while Maria Tsarina and Lincoln’s Keepsake have both proved difficult to get in foal, lifting the residual value of the winners they have produced. The families of Galleon’s Dream, Andress Blue Chip, Exotic Charm, Armbro Moonlight and Glamour Pearl all feature, with Invercargill and Addington supplying the winners.

Duchess Maria the one to beat in the fillies’ specials

3yo trotting filly Duchess Maria is just a wee star for Southland breeders John and Katrina Price and trainer and driver Nathan Williamson. Her race record after her last win at Invercargill now stands at four wins and one second from five starts, and she looms large as the filly to beat in the upcoming Group specials coming up over the next few weeks.

She is by Father Patrick from the Muscle Hill mare Maria Tsarina, the latter winning four of her 22 starts on the track. In the broodmare paddock, however, the owners have not had a lot of joy breeding from her, which makes the residual value of Duchess Maria climb even higher. In the last seven seasons at stud, Maria Tsarina has only produced the one live foal, and at the time of writing she had been served by Volstead but again has been found to be empty.

Second dam Empress Maria (SJ’s Photo – Galleon’s Dream) didn’t race and didn’t set the world on fire as a matron, leaving two winners from her six live foals with Maria Tsarina clearly the best of her progeny. But she was a half-sister to 10 siblings who got to the races, headed up by Galleon’s Sunset (14 wins plus $344k), and a number of her half-sisters bred on very successfully. Kathy Galleon (3 wins) left Courchevel (11 wins plus $106k) and U Dream (2 wins) left Kyvalley Heist (15 wins plus $117k).

Galleon’s Dream was by top trotting broodmare sire Chiola Hanover from Catherine The Great (5 wins). The latter left only four foals in 14 years at stud, with Galleon’s Dream being the only non winner. Last Sunset (18 NZ and Australian wins), Real Deal Yankee (11 wins) and Great Getaway (10 wins) were all $100k plus winners when trained mostly by northern horseman John Dickie, perhaps giving a small insight into where the ability of Duchess Maria comes from as she ascends to the top of her age group tree.

Wakai Hana and the Blossom Lady story

So, what was so special about the win of Wakai Hana at Invercargill last week? Well, the horse did pay $45 to win in her first race back after a two year layoff, the now 5yo mare by Terror To Love having had three starts back in 2024 as a 3yo, so much of the kudos must go to Southland trainer Kirk Larsen for having the horse ready to go after such a lengthy break away.

From a breeding perspective, Wakai Hana is a daughter of In Bloom (In The Pocket – Blossom Lady). Blossom Lady was a champion mare of her time, racing from three through to 11, winning 43 races and $1.33M in earnings. At stud, she only had the three foals. Mister DG was an open class star, winning 20 races plus $796k, Bloss’s Flame (2 wins) left seven foals for three handy winners, and then was In Bloom (2 wins). No longer with us, In Bloom had eight live foals and seven of them qualified, producing six winners but nothing of the quality of their illustrious grand-dam.

Blossom Lady was by Farm Timer, a son of Race Time, from Lumber Lady, by noted broodmare sire Lumber Dream. She was one of five live foals and the only other sibling to show up was Marfix (by Mark Lobell), who won seven races.

She did have 155 starts, Blossom Lady, and this writer has an opinion about how the hardships of racing impact on a mare’s ability to conceive, but that can wait for another day.

Secret Agent Man, from a mare who won 17 of 19

Another Invercargill winner from a very fine racemare was Secret Agent Man. The son of Sweet Lou has now won five of his 12 starts and is fashioning a good horse’s record for Australian owner Mick Boots and trainer Nathan Williamson, but he has some way to go to match the deeds of his illustrious mother.

Carabella only had the 19 starts but won 17 of them with two seconds, banking some $694k along the way. She was only beaten twice, by Better Cover Lover each time, with the collective two margins being less than a length. At stud, she has fashioned a very solid record for her Cavalla Bloodstock and Dancingonmoonlight connections. Secret Agent Man is her sixth foal and sixth winner. Johnny Mac (12 wins plus $124k) got the ball rolling, Montana Jet (10 wins) and full brother Alaberto (4 wins) both recorded sub 1:53 winning MRs, and Olivia Rachel (3 wins) is already breeding on with her first three foals all becoming winners.

Carabella was by champion sire Bettor’s Delight from the imported American mare Andress Blue Chip (by Artsplace). Besides Carabella, she left another six winners here in NZ including Lady Cullen (2 wins), whose three winners included top filly Belle Of Montana (13 wins plus $603k). The latter is now part of the Walsh at Westport breeding nursery and is currently in foal to top commercial sire Captaintreacherous.

With these bloodlines, Secret Agent Man could still go a fair way further up the pacing ratings.

Penelope Lane rewards a long time supporter

That was a dominant win from in front by Penelope Lane in the Dark Horse trot at Invercargill last week. The 4yo mare by Volstead from City Lane has now won six races from 17 starts for long time breeder Michelle Caig and already looks assured of having a career as a broodmare in the years to come.

City Lane (Lindy Lane – Exotic Charm) was actually bred by the late Bill Feiss in Australia, where she won seven races before being brought over to NZ to begin her life as a broodmare. Feiss bred the first four foals including the handy Saratoga (12 wins plus $102k) before Caig got hold of the mare. Renezmae, by The Pres, was the first live foal Caig bred from the mare and he went on to win seven races plus $123k, but in the next few seasons another four foals yielded just one minor winner before Penelope Lane arrived on the scene. Penelope Lane was her dam’s 10th foal, and the 11th and last is a 2yo filly by Majestic Son called You Sexy Thang in the northern stable of Zac Meredith.

Second dam Exotic Charm won four races and left only three live foals, with Dover Downs (by Muscles Yankee) winning six. Then the pedigree research gets really interesting. Third dam Batal (2 wins) was by Game Pride from Three Tens, making her a half-sister to Ten Four, who was bred by the late Dick Petrie. Ten Four (4 wins), by Yankee Reb, became the mother of Ten To One (6 wins), and after being secured by the Maghzal family, that daughter of Sundon left a string of top line trotters with Habibti in their name. This branch of trotters has been quite outstanding in recent seasons, winning several times at Group 1 level.

Having Penelope Lane race as well as she can is very rewarding for her connections, but especially for a breeder who has been an ardent supporter of harness racing for many years.

Ward Lamon thrives on a change of scenery

Another recent Addington winner with a Kirk Larsen connection is Ward Lamon. The Downbytheseaside 5yo had some 50 odd starts for the Southland trainer, winning two races with 10 minor placings. Snapped up by the Canterbury stable of Peter and Mitchell Robertson in September, the son of Lincoln’s Keepsake has now had three starts for his new ownership group for three wins. In his latest win he rated a 1:57.5 MR, and there was a real suggestion that his current form may continue on further.

Dam Lincoln’s Keepsake won four races from just 15 starts but has been a difficult mare to get in foal since going to the matron paddock in 2017. In fact, the Rocknroll Hanover – Clare De Lune mare has left only one other live foal beside Ward Lamon, in the form of Bottoms Up, an as yet unraced 4yo mare by Lather Up.

That would have been very disappointing to her connections, since she ranked as a full sister to top pacer Sir Lincoln, both by Mach 3, who won 21 races with $663k in the bank. He also did a fair job as a sire without getting the very best bred mares. Another full sister Lincoln’s Megastar showed above average ability, winning six races from 23 starts, but unfortunately she was lost after leaving just one foal.

Clare De Lune was by Beach Towel from the imported American mare Armbro Moonlight, with the latter doing a fine job at stud, producing seven winners and two qualifiers from her 10 foals, with the likes of Pot Black (28 wins plus $354k plus 1:50.6) and Candy Styx (23 wins plus $201k plus 1:51.2) doing a fine job especially in America.

Royal Belle makes it four in a row

The other Robertson trained winner at Addington was Royal Belle. Any time a horse can win four races in a row, that achievement takes some doing and should be acknowledged accordingly. The 5yo Gold Ace – Ensorceler mare was trained by Kerry Hadfield for her first 38 starts up until the middle of June of this year, and now she remains unbeaten in four starts for her new stable and ownership group. Her race record now stands at five wins and nine placings for $63k from 42 starts.

Dam Ensorceler (Dream Away – Glamour Pearl) qualified but did not race, and four of her first six foals have been winners, winning 20 races between them with another qualifying. There is an unraced 3yo filly by Captain Crunch not sighted yet and a yearling colt by Lather Up following in behind.

Second dam Glamour Pearl won four races, also for the Hadfields, and Ensorceler is the only one of her six foals not to be a race winner. Many of this branch of pedigree were bred by North Canterbury’s Wayne Ross, and Glamour Pearl, by Holmes Hanover, was a full sister to a smart young filly in Ella Mae Morse (5 wins) that Ross trained himself.

This is the immediate family of another smart Ross developed pacer in Morano Magic, who was sold to Australia where he won 28 races plus $151k in the early 80s. The latter got his chance as a stallion, being a son of Smooth Fella, but it wasn’t much of a chance to be fair.

So Royal Belle does have some breeding behind her to support her race career. Question is, how far is she capable of going? In the end, only time will tell.