Lord Popinjay adding to his family heritage

The Majestic Son 9yo is really taking his large ownership group for a ride having won his last three starts, and with 13 wins on the board and $188,000 in the bank, he has become quite the success story up north amongst the trotters.

Not bad for a horse that didn’t start racing until he was five, and who was limited during his six- and seven-year-old seasons to just six starts due to health issues.

Trainer Matty White has done a wonderful job bringing the horse back to his current form, and young junior driver Monica Ranger seems to have developed a great affinity with the trotter — a partnership that has reminded his connections that age is just a number.

That Lord Popinjay is racing so well is hardly surprising when one looks into his pedigree. His dam Petite Sunrise (by the mighty Sundon) was a qualified daughter of champion mare Pride Of Petite (35 wins, 41 placings, $811,000).

Petite Sunrise, now retired from breeding, produced six foals for Northern horseman and breeder Frank Weaver — all six making it to the races — with Lord Popinjay clearly the standout performer on the track.

She has only one live daughter still being bred from, That Girl Of Mine (by Great Success), who has begun her own breeding career in fine style. Her first foal, the promising Mad Mary (2 wins from 8 starts to date), continues the legacy, and she was due to foal to Dancinginthedark M this breeding season.

Of course, Pride Of Petite was an immense source of success for Weaver, as was her dam Petite Evander (21 NZ wins and 27 USA/Sweden wins). Both mares were true trailblazers throughout their racing careers, taking Weaver to all parts of the world — especially Scandinavia, where Pride Of Petite famously ran in Sweden’s time-honoured Elitlopp and made the final.

Back in Australasia, Pride Of Petite won many of the sport’s top trotting races, including back-to-back Inter Dominion Championships and several other Group 1 titles.

In the broodmare paddock, she left eight live foals, five of them winners. While it was always going to be a tall order to produce another as great as herself, daughters Petite Sunset (7 wins) and Petite Sunrise (4 wins) both did an excellent job in New Zealand. Another daughter, Our Dainty Lady, after winning five here, crossed the Tasman to capture a further 14 victories and $174,000 in stakes.

Her granddaughters are still being bred from today by noted breeders, including well-known Otago identity Lex Williams, NZSBA Executive Manager, Brad Reid, and even legendary horseman, Barry Purdon.

At stud in America, Petite Evander had eight of her eleven foals win, with six breaking the two-minute barrier. Evander’s Gold (by Arndon) won six in New Zealand for Weaver before earning his chance as a colonial stallion.

Notably, another six-win daughter, Petite Serenade (by Sierra Kosmos), produced Calchips Brute, who placed in the American three-year-old Hambletonian and earned nearly $1 million in stakes.

Lord Popinjay truly represents trotting royalty, descending directly from the legendary Pride Of Petite and Petite Evander.

At the time of writing, he has had just 45 starts, and 2025 has been his most rewarding season yet. If he remains sound, there should be plenty more to come for this noble steed and his band of loyal supporters.