Phoebe Onyx’s Cup win revives special memories

A family established in the 1960s by South Island hobby breeder Jim Beckett is being revived through the deeds of trotter Phoebe Onyx in South Australia.

Last Saturday the Wishing Stone gelding beat the best square-gaiters in commission in SA and Victoria in the Group 3 $40,000 SA Trotters Cup at Globe Derby Park, after leading early, then handing up and finishing powerfully along the passing lane.

It was his 18th lifetime success and lifted his stake tally to $225,581.

Phoebe Onyx is a grandson of the Sundon mare Ashley Sunset, which Broadfield studmaster and breeder Grant Beckett and his wife Di bought for $4,000 after seeing her advertised in the Harness Weekly in 2002.

“She traced back to the old breed my father and grandfather had ‘played around’ with,” Grant said.

The family included the top racemare Harbour Light, who won 14 races including two Canterbury Park Trotting Cups, and useful sorts in Phoebe Brigade and Phoebe Martial.

The first foal the Becketts bred out of Ashley Sunset was Phoebe Sunset, a Continentalman gelding who gave the couple their initial success as breeders when she saluted at Cheviot in March 2007.

“The thrill of our first win as breeders with her first foal was enough to get me hooked. The fact it was at our local Cheviot meeting meant for a great day we will never forget,” Grant stated.

Phoebe Sunset, who was later sold to Australia, ended up winning 12 races including five at Albion Park and one at Harold Park.

Ashley Sunset became the dam of six winners from seven live foals including The Male Model, a winner of 12 races in NZ and Australia and $114,671, and Phoebe Revival (9 wins), as well as the lightly raced Duchess Of Phoebe.

“She used to tie up really badly in her races,” Grant said.

The Monarchy mare left Phoebe Imperial, who won nine and $100,718, as her first foal.

Her second foal is Phoebe Onyx.

“He was entered in the yearling sales but we had to pull him out as he had bone chips in his hock,” Grant said.

“We syndicated him with a group of friends that we’d been racing horses with for about 20 years. He was always a very fast horse if he got the right run but he never had a long sustained sprint.”

Phoebe Onyx won 10 races in NZ.

Duchess Of Phoebe has since produced Phoebe Majestic (2 wins), Phoebe Dominator, the three-year-old Phoebe Conqueror and a yearling colt by Habibti Inta named Phoebe Inta.

“The colt has been broken in and showed us enough to carry on with but he injured a leg in the paddock and is spelling,” he said.

“She had a colt foal by Habibti Inta 12 days ago and is going back to him this season.”

Habibti Inta, a former NZ 4YO Trotter of the Year and Dominion Handicap and Harness Jewels victor, is one of the four-strong colonial-bred sire roster at the Becketts’ Phoebe Stud in the Canterbury region.

The others are the NZ 2YO and 3YO Colt of the Year and dual Derby winner Krug, the NZ Derby winner Lochaburn, and the successful trotting sire Royal Aspirations.

The best horses bred by the couple are the National Trot and Breeders Crown champion Quite A Moment and the Inter Dominion heat winner and dual finalist Pete’s Said So.

Phoebe Onyx