Breeding Snippets for September 11th 2026

Old families did the work this week, several of them tracing to mares acquired or imported half a century ago. Zenover, Passive, Karen Donna, Atomic Gold, Sungait Song and Patsy McCreedy all sit behind winners, and in more than one case the trotting blood buried deep in a pacing pedigree helps explain a result that might otherwise have looked surprising. There is a reminder in here too for anyone who has ever passed over a mare on paper.

Marikit and the trotting blood in a pacing line

Marikit has now won two of her three starts, and the Paul Nairn trained Waterloo Sunset – Karimaia 3yo filly looks more than capable of featuring in the upcoming filly trotting specials.

Her sire Waterloo Sunset, whose oldest progeny are 10, only has 19 foals 2yo and older. His single 2yo is a full sister to Marikit called Marmalade Sky. Thirteen of those 19 foals have qualified, with 11 of them winners and two, Bella Button and Head Em Up, taking sub two minute winning mile rates, albeit overseas in America and Australia respectively.

Of course Waterloo Sunset is a son of the mighty Sundon and won seven of 40 starts when trained by Nairn. He also trained his dam Inspire (Chiola Hanover – Enthuse), who won a Rowe Cup amongst her nine wins from just 24 starts. In fact the trainer has trained many of this family with a high level of success.

Karimaia, dam of Marikit, didn't race but is a full sister to Scarrymcleary (21 wins plus $252k plus 1:52.3), and both are by Elsu, a top pacing son of Falcon Seelster.

Interestingly, the second dam of Elsu was Zenover, and while she left very good pacers such as Motoring Magic (10 wins plus a 3yo Sires Stakes Final) and Interchange (5 wins plus $116k) in the early part of her broodmare career, she also left some very capable trotters. Harvey Wilson (6 NZ wins) was a standout young trotter before being sold to America for a substantial sum, Zebec was good enough to win 10 races trotting, while Jenover and Harvey's Sister won five each.

The practice of putting a pacing mare to a trotting stallion is becoming more common in recent times, but with Elsu on Marikit's dam side and her sire statistically doing a super job, there is relevant trotting blood to suggest that her form has not been a complete surprise.

Help Me and a family made famous by Bill Doyle

Another winning trotter with a pedigree to grab one's attention is the Stapleton trained Help Me. The Helpisontheway – Hazel Alice 4yo has now won three of 17 starts with a further seven placings and the promise of more to come.

His sire Helpisontheway (10 wins plus $610k plus 1:51.8) has only seven progeny 2yo and older on the ground in NZ. He has one 5yo as his oldest stock and Help Me is his only 4yo. The latter's dam Hazel Alice has produced a 2yo full brother called Cheap Trick, one of three registered 2yos.

Helpisontheway is a son of American super sire Chapter 7, who has dominated trotting in that region in recent seasons. In America Helpisontheway has left 30 $100k plus winners, and in Australia, again from a very small sample, has left the 2025 Australian 2yo filly of the year in Harperseven, who won the Vicbred Super Series at Group 1 level.

Hazel Alice won three races and second dam Strike Account won six. The latter (Gee Whiz – Chances Again) left six winners, with an unraced daughter Bobby Jo (by Sundon) leaving four foals for four winners including the promising Joeking, winning four from just 14 starts before an untimely passing.

Chances Again was a half sister to the smart Rebel Statesman (6 wins) and four other good winners. This is the family made famous by the late Bill Doyle, with Chances Again a granddaughter of Passive, who left Doyle the high calibre open class trotters in Asia Minor (15 wins) and When (19 wins). When went on to leave Now (8 wins), who was to leave Call Me Now (24 wins plus $424k).

Help Me might not need too much more help to win again with this breeding in behind him.

Two bargains at Karaka keep paying Mike Stevens back

Some 15 years ago Leithfield horseman Mike Stevens ventured north with an intention to buy some horses from a mixed sale at Karaka. Among his purchases that day was the aged broodmare Karen Donna (In The Pocket – Megaera), offered by Breckon Bloodstock, in foal to Art Major. At the same sale he also successfully secured Pistol Packing Mama (Presidential Bell – Karen Donna), also in foal to Art Major and from the same vendors. Both were secured for bargain numbers well below the stud fees.

Stevens, along with good mate and West Melton horseman Robert Anderson, has gone on to sell a number of their offspring for a tidy profit. The Art Major foal inside Pistol Packing Mama proved to be Major Mama (9 wins plus $164k). Rocknroll Mama (12 wins plus $113k) and Sweet Mama (5 wins plus 1:50.8) followed, and Mama's Wish (2 wins to date) currently carries the colours of the powerful Purdon and Phelan barn.

Karen Donna, who had already delivered five progeny by the time Stevens decided to buy her, for two minor winners, really has done his judgement proud by leaving Katy Perry (23 wins plus $517k), Cash N Flow (42 wins plus $695k plus 1:49.0) and Pitch Perfect ($281k plus 1:49.8). Another daughter Betterthankaty (3 wins) had as her first foal Betterthancash, who has won 11 races to date, banking $236k with a best winning MR of 1:49.6.

Three years after leaving Betterthankaty, Karen Donna produced Dancing Donna, by A Rocknroll Dance, her 14th foal of 17 in total. Anderson, who breaks in the Stevens horses as part of their working partnership, doesn't remember Dancing Donna with any fond memories. Her manners were not good enough to get her to the races, but with her breeding it was decided to put her in foal to Captain Crunch, and that remains her only foal.

The result was impressive Addington debutante winner Donna's Crunch in a 1:56.4 MR. Such was the performance of the 3yo filly that her connections will be thinking she is a great chance to successfully add to her record.

Tua Lipa flies under the radar

Some horses go about their business without a great deal of fanfare and they literally fly under the radar. In this writer's opinion, Tua Lipa is one of those horses. At Gore recently, the 5yo son of Sweet Lou and Tara Delight won his eighth race from 35 starts with earnings of close to $75k for his connections.

Closer scrutiny of his bloodlines reveals a very close connection to some high powered pacers. Dam Tara Delight qualified but did not race, but being a Bettor's Delight mare from Atomic Gold, breeder Ray Anicich would not have underestimated her residual value as a potential broodmare of some worth, as she is a half sister to Power Of Tara (22 wins plus $747k) and AG's White Socks (12 wins plus $585k).

Another half sister in Tara Gold (by Dream Away) left six winners, but none more famous than the mighty Tiger Tara (37 wins plus $2.47M). Stingray Tara wasn't half bad either, winning 16 races for $251k and securing a best winning MR of 1:50.8.

Atomic Gold (Soky's Atom – Vita Gold) was a half sister to a NZ Cup placegetter in Matthew Lee (16 wins plus $219k), with Mystic Gold (9 wins) leaving seven winners herself, headed up by Sammy Maguire (20 wins plus $199k) and JB Maguire (12 wins).

Anicich acquired this family from the Dynes clan from Southland when he purchased Petronella in the early 70s, and he was well and truly on his way when that mare left him the very good horse Vitaman (9 wins), who was trained by Otago's Ali Malcomson throughout his career. Tua Lipa does belong to a very deep credentialled family of days gone by.

Donttellarty and the Sungait Song line

Another Gore winner with a distinguished family tree is the Allister Black trained Donttellarty (Love You – Hot Vacation), who has now won two of his 11 starts. That's the same number of wins his dam Hot Vacation won in her 20 start career. In the broodmare barn she has left four winners headed up by Mavis Jones (7 wins to date plus $109k).

Hot Vacation was by noted trotting broodmare sire Dream Vacation from Solar Fire. The latter won 14 races on both sides of the Tasman for Kevin Townley in the 90s, setting several NZ records on her way to banking $214k. At stud she is best known for leaving the incredibly consistent trotter Sheemon (19 wins plus 31 placings plus $548k), also from the Townley barn.

Sheemon was by Monarchy, and his full brother Fratellino won eight races while full sister Firenze won five before leaving the very promising Father Time (7 wins to date plus $210k) and Our Marvella (7 wins plus $103k). Yet another full sister, Ethereal, has left Sheila Laxon, who has won six races to date.

Solar Fire was a granddaughter of Sungait Song, a mare the legendary Sir Roy McKenzie imported from America and who became the dam of champion trotter and champion sire Sundon (27 wins). Other notable offspring included Roydon Arnie (9 wins), Sungait Reb (15 wins) and Sunning (8 wins), with a number of her daughters breeding on very successfully.

Mattie Nevin flies the West Coast flag

Mattie Nevin upset the favourites in a Nevele R heat for the 3yo fillies at Ashburton last weekend in a 1:55 MR, the third win for the Mark Jones trained Downbytheseaside filly.

From Mary Niven (Courage Under Fire – Lyse Doucet), who was unraced, "Mattie" is the sixth foal and sixth winner from her dam, who is turning out to be quite a gem for West Coast breeder Bob Higgins. Rocknroll Heaven won three races and has already left an unraced qualifier. Queenofdance won 16 races, mainly in Australia, with earnings of $153k. Songbird (6 wins) and Kilarney Dance (12 wins) followed, and before "Mattie" came top mare Francent (by Vincent), a Group 1 winner of 13 races and some $292k, who flew the family flag before being sent off to America where she has already recorded a 1:48 winning MR.

There is a full sister to Mattie Nevin called Seaside Molly down south with Kirsten Green, and Higgins has the mare in foal to Huntsville. Second dam Lyse Doucet placed once in just two starts and, besides Mary Niven, has left five winners with all five going 1:56.3 or better, Liberty Rose (31 wins plus $332k) being a standout.

This family is a fair dinkum West Coast breed going back to Patsy McCreedy. Nevele R co-founder, the late Wayne Francis, obviously saw the potential of the pedigree by investing in Patsy Marie, dam of Patsy McCreedy, back in the 80s and breeding several foals. In the meantime, it may not pay to underestimate Mattie Nevin as she gets her chance to compete with the best 3yo fillies in the land.