He IS good: No Doubt about it!

The only foal of a mare that suffered from breathing problems and died prematurely has left one of Queensland's most promising, young stayers in Beyond Doubt.

The mare was Zip Goes A Million, a Holmes Hanover half-sister to the Queensland Derby winner and New Zealand's first ever sub 1:50 performer Oneinamillion.

"She had a wind complaint as a foal. We put an apparatus in her neck and windpipe so that she could breathe properly," respected Knapdale horseman Robin Swain said.

"She had only one foal by Pacific Rocket. After foaling she had complications with her breathing apparatus and we had no option but to put her down."

Known as No Doubt About It, she raced only once but it has been as a broodmare that she's really excelled. In all, she produced six foals, all of whom raced, for five winners with four inside 2:00.

Beyond Doubt (by Washington VC) is her last foal and unquestionably the best of her brood.

"We went to Washington VC because we had a good run with him over the years," Swain said. "No Doubt About It was one of the last mares bred to him."

Beyond Doubt began racing as a three-year-old with Swain, breaking his maiden status at his seventh attempt at Invercargill the following season.

The gelding was subsequently sold through Winton bloodstock agent Geoff Gibson-Smith to Brisbane businessman Sonny Grebe, a client of trainer Ben Battle.

He has won a further eight races, three at Albion Park, including three of his last five outings, and has worked his way back to a NR81 mark.

Other winners from No Doubt About It have been Dontdoubtme, a Listed winner in Victoria and Western Australia and a placegetter in the WA Oaks, No Doubt, who won five races at Albion Park, Idunknow (6 wins) and Doubt Me Not.

Swain, who has been associated with the sport for five decades, bought Rippling River, the third dam of Beyond Doubt, from John Baynes, the son of legendary Southland conditioner the late Colin Baynes.

"I was working for Colin at the time. I tried to get her up and going but she wasn't quick enough," Swain said.

"I then bred off her and her first foal was Oneinamillion. We sold him to Peter Neil in NSW and he won 36 races in Australia and then a lot more in the United States. He was the best one we've bred."

Swain and his wife Amanda raced the NSW Derby winner, NZ Sires' Stakes champion and NZ 3YO Colt of the Year Roman Gladiator in partnership with Neil, while the Swains bred the cups winner The Big Lebowski out of Cool Maiden, a mare they bought from the Baynes family.

"I'm training about a dozen horses at the moment and breeding from three or four broodmares," he said.