Breeding Snippets for September 25th 2026

Broodmares carry this week's column, and in several cases their records at stud stand comparison with what they achieved on the track. The families of Elect To Live, Stretto, Margaret Fields, Royal Jewel, Becalm Lobell and Ar Miss all sit behind winners, some of them names that had been away from the headlines for decades before a family member brought them back, while the Bagrie, Breckon and Woodlands broodmare bands feature throughout. There is also a mare about to get a second chance at stud after eight years away from it.

Jay Jay Denario and the Elect To Live family

Jay Jay Denario showed enough ability to have six starts as a 2yo, but it has been as a 3yo that she has developed into a winning racehorse, and now her record stands at two wins and four placings from 20 starts, the second win at Winton recently when expected to do well.

By Downbytheseaside, "Jay Jay" is from the unraced Bettor's Delight mare Jay Girl from Gotta Go Harmony. Bred by Woodlands Stud, she was an embryo transfer (ET) foal and is Jay Girl's second foal and first winner. Third foal A Mako Man, by Sweet Lou, has had one unplaced run to date, and there are fillies by Downbytheseaside and Sweet Lou coming on in behind. Jay Girl is currently in foal to Sweet Lou.

Gotta Go Harmony was a Group performing filly and, while winning only four races, she did set a NZ record as a 2yo, banking some $206k along the way. Her half sister Gotta Go Dali Queen (8 wins) brought this family right back into the limelight when her first foal turned out to be reigning NZ Cup champion and millionaire pacer Kingman (16 wins to date).

Both mares are from the diminutive but outstanding 2yo and 3yo Elect To Live (19 wins plus $578k), who propelled northern horseman Neil Brady into just as much limelight in the early 2000s, on both sides of the Tasman. At stud eight of her 10 foals got to race, with perhaps Gotta Go Cullect, by Christian Cullen (5 wins from just 9 starts), being her best. The latter did get his chance at stud and did a remarkable job all things considered, leaving some 50 plus winners, both pacers and trotters, and a good number who qualified only.

Now that she has become a two race winner, Jay Jay Denario might get a similar chance as a broodmare when her racing career comes to an end. In the meantime, any further wins would greatly add to her residual value.

Delightingold and a family known for precocity

Another significant win at Winton was the maiden win of Delightingold. The 4yo mare is by Bettor's Delight from Return To Gold (by Armbro Operative), significant because she became the 10th winner from her dam Return To Gold (4 wins) from just 12 foals, with an 11th foal qualifying but not racing. That mare, Summer Wine, by Vincent, has already left a colt by Always B Miki for breeders Craig Thornley and Donna Williamson.

Of Return To Gold's winners, the one that really stands out is the Art Major mare Spellbound (14 wins plus $398k plus 1:50.1), owned by "the unhinged one" Nigel Armstrong. Her first foal is the promising Envy Of Angels (by Bettor's Delight).

The second dam of Delightingold, Turn To Gold, was unraced but also left 12 foals with 11 of them good enough to race. She was a daughter of the outstanding young Australian filly Stretto (35 wins). This was a highly productive family some 50 to 60 years ago for Ben Grice and his family, and it was known for producing precocious young horses.

Former top trainer John Lischner got into this family in the 70s with Ceredel (Armbro Del – Ceremonial), who although unraced still produced seven winners including the very smart Emcee (18 wins plus $205k). Just another example of how the very good families of yesterday can come back into the fray after lengthy spells away from the headlines.

Bacchus, already a race winner and a full brother to Spellbound, couldn't quite make it two for the weekend for Return To Gold in his Addington race, but his time will come again.

Last Honours will not be the last for the Bagries

The aptly named Last Honours got a deserved maiden win at Addington on Friday night at start no.8 for the Bagrie family. Aptly named, because the daughter of Bettor's Delight is the last foal of their globetrotting mare Valiant Heart (Soky's Atom – Margaret Fields).

Across four countries the bonnie mare won 23 races, 19 of them overseas, from a total of 168 races, with 48 top three placings and $634k in earnings. With a best MR of 1:50.6, she was indeed well worth bringing back to NZ to be a broodmare.

Of her eight foals, the clear standout was Bettor's Heart, also by Bettor's Delight. The latter's race record mirrored her dam quite closely, winning 23 races, 15 overseas, with 31 placings and $590k in the bank. She also paced 1:50.4 in America but was even faster in Australia, posting a winning MR of 1:49.7. Also brought back to NZ to become a broodmare in the Bagrie band, she has produced a yearling colt and a weanling filly by Captaintreacherous, while she is in foal to Downbytheseaside.

All of Valiant Heart's foals qualified at least and, although Pete Bagrie has passed on, the family still have two other of her daughters that they are breeding from in Valiant Angel (by Rock N Roll Heaven) and Military Girl (by Art Major).

Second dam Margaret Fields (4 wins) was bred by Peter's Dad, Bill (WL), and she was royally bred, being by Smooth Fella from Kindalla. Her half brother Montana Vance (13 wins plus $356k) was a very smart customer for top northern trainer Barry Purdon, and the quality of such stock did a lot to put this maternal family on a pedestal, going all the way back to their cup class pacer Orbiter (17 wins) in the early 1960s.

Breeding their quality mares to top stallions will continue to reap more honours for the Bagrie family, and that recent success is not going to be their last.

Higher Power and the Regal Volo trotting line

Higher Power served notice to other open class trotters when resuming with a six and a quarter length win against the best northern trotters at Auckland in the very capable hands of junior driver Harry Orange. The 4yo son of Father Patrick and High Gait has now won nine of his 27 starts, amassing $247k along the way. This display of talent is easily identified when researching his maternal lines.

Dam High Gait won 16 of her 34 starts for $342k, and her time in the broodmare barn has been just as successful. Full brothers to Higher Power in High Energy (12 wins plus $240k) and High Step (6 wins) have been well above average, and now her daughters are breeding on to very good effect.

Second dam Regal Volo, from the imported American mare Royal Jewel, kicked things off for breeder Ken Breckon some 15 years ago, and her seven winners have initiated a very commercial and current family amongst the best of our trotters. At the same time, her daughters have been well sought after by other commercial breeders, and they too have begun their own broodmare careers with some serious progeny already starting to show the family ability.

Higher Power now looms as a key contender in all the big trot races coming up, and after that impressive resumption he must be accorded much respect.

Aldebaran Lobell and the Doosie clan

Another trotting winner with Breckon connections is the Geraldine grass winner Aldebaran Lobell. The Bob Butt trained 4yo gelding is by Muscle Mass from Big O E, a Dream Vacation mare owned by Aldabaran Lodge in Australia, as the name would suggest. She has left five winners and one qualifier from her nine foals.

Big O E is a daughter of the American bred Becalm Lobell, making her a half sister to nine winners including the seven win Sheezadoosie (by Chiola Hanover). Breckon Bloodstock bred six foals from Sheezadoosie, highlighted by champion and millionaire performer I Can Doosit (36 wins plus $1.45M). The other five progeny were all winners including smart sorts in Sno's Big Boy (16 wins) and Yankeedoosie (4 wins).

The latter, by Muscles Yankee, not surprisingly joined the Breckon broodmare band and has gone on to leave four winners herself including American Pride (6 wins) and Major Doosie (6 wins). Her half sister Love Ya Doosie (by Love You) won two races from only six starts but has quickly made her mark in the broodmare barn, leaving six winners already, headed up by the likes of Kyvalley Hotspur (16 wins plus $324k) and Lovemeto (11 wins plus $272k). Her 2yo by Tactical Landing in Tactico was a promoted winner on debut recently for Team Telfer, after Duke Of Bourbon was relegated for breaking over the line, and the mare is due anytime soon to Tactical Landing again.

So Aldebaran Lobell belongs to a very current and commercial family and, with a win and two placings from just four starts, he looks promising enough to go a wee bit further yet.

Heaven's Mark, and a second chance for her dam

Heaven's Mark has been a bit of a head scratcher lately, doing things wrong mainly at the start of her races, but she was on her game at Geraldine and, after working to the front midrace, proved too strong at the business end to record her sixth win from her 27th start.

What's even more of a head scratcher is that the now 7yo mare's dam Armadoctara (by Changeover) foaled her in 2018 and, despite Heaven's Mark showing good ability, the mare has not been bred from since.

Armadoctara didn't race but was a daughter of Arma Class (3 wins), who left 15 foals with 12 of them getting to the races. Titanium (by Tintin In America) won three races here before going to America and winning in 1:51.5, and a number of her daughters bred on very successfully. As a fine example, Arma Dominator (by In The Pocket) was a maiden winner here before being exported to Australia, and over there she left the top horse Excel Stride (26 wins plus $850k plus 1:50.3).

Arma Class was of course a half sister to champion mare and NZ Cup winner Armalight (18 wins from 36 starts). That bonnie mare left 10 foals with seven of them getting to the races, but it was always going to be a hard ask to leave one as good as herself. Their dam, Ar Miss, by Armbro Del, was a top mare herself, winning a NZ Oaks amongst her eight wins, with 10 of her 13 foals getting to the races. Armalight was her first foal, and Arma Class was her 13th.

Heaven's Mark has reportedly drawn interest from American buyers, and her race record suggests she could go a big mile in that part of the world. Meanwhile, Armadoctara is going to get another chance in the broodmare barn after all this time. North Canterbury breeder Rob Courtney has acquired her and intends to mate her with Lazarus. It was Courtney who borrowed her eight years ago and bred her to Rock N Roll Heaven before selling that filly at the Christchurch yearling sales to current owner John Wigzell.