Breeding Snippets for June 6, 2026

By Rob Courtney (NZ Standardbred Breeders Association) 

There’s not much size to Amistozo but now after her Addington win, with a form line of two wins and a placing from her three career starts, she commands one’s attention. 

And this run of form for the Creatine – Sueno mare has come as no real surprise to those who follow the Mid Canterbury trials with her form in those, before her debut back in December 2025.

Her dam Sueno (Dream Vacation – Della’s Speed) won once in 33 starts for the Roulstons who have bred six live foals from her. 

First foal Del’s Destiny, by Pegasus Spur, won 12 races and close to $100k while also going under 2:00mins for a winning MR. Another two of her progeny, besides Amistozo, have got to the races while the breeders have a 3YO full sister to their Addington winner and the mare is back in foal to Creatine.

Deeper scrutiny of this pedigree shows Sueno to be a half-sister to millionaire trotter Speeding Spur (28 wins and $1.3M) with another nine of the progeny of Della’s Speed good enough to get to the races, with her mating to Pegasus Spur being highly potent in particular, producing five winners.

Della’s Speed is a daughter of one of our great trotting broodmare sires in Chiola Hanover and won four races on the track.

Early days but Amistozo looks on her way to bettering that number.

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Crunched was the hottest favourite on the card at Addington last Friday and in the end the result was never in doubt. The 3YO by Captain Crunch from Cullen’s Bet is the veteran of just five race day starts but the pedigree suggests that this record will be improved upon as this season unfolds.

Dam Cullen’s Bet (Christian Cullen – Imaginary Bet), who won once in a short career, has already left Elektra King (4 wins to date) but now resides in Victoria, Australia and her latest foal there is a filly by top sire Art Major.

Second dam Imaginary Bet has been a real ‘star’ in the broodmare barn. Being unraced has not stopped her leaving millionaire pacer Merlin (24 wins and $1.8M) and superstar mare Captains Mistress (16 wins to date and $909k and 1:48.9) along with Durrant (10 wins and $128k).

This pedigree is breeding ‘royalty’ these days going directly back to the great matriarch Scuse Me and one could now write a book about their extensive achievements.

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When you own a mare like Spanish Armada (Bettor’s Delight – Galleon’s Supreme) who won 14 of just 19 starts and amassed $787k in stakes, one would naturally look forward to her second career in the broodmare paddock once retired from racing.

She belongs to a very strong maternal line, often referred to as the ‘Nevermore’ family, and by going to top commercial sires, the chances of leaving a very good horse would seem to be genuinely enhanced.

First foal Maddys Nino, by Art Major, has won three races to date in Australia without setting the world on fire. Second foal La Romana, also by Art Major, had just the one start before prematurely retiring. The following foals (Numbers 3 and 4) were both by Captaintrecherous and neither has made it as a racehorse with Agustina, unraced, already a mother of a Sweet Lou weanling in 2025.

Then along came Rahm, presumably named after the famous golfer. He won his maiden at Auckland over the weekend and looks full of promise for the Herlihy stable but he has a long way to go to match the deeds of his famous mother.

There is a yearling filly (by Captaintreacherous) and a weanling colt (by Sweet Lou) coming up in behind and the mare has been served by Huntsville in the most recent breeding season.

Spanish Armada would not be the first standout filly/mare to prove disappointing as a broodmare. There is a breeding theory that these top mares often ‘skip a generation’ and that their daughters often restore the family ‘pride’.

But that is just a theory. Of course, there are no truths to theories! People believe what they want to believe.

If a successful breeding formula was commonly known, all breeders would be following that script and the game would be easy but as some of us know, its just not that easy ... but we keep dreaming.

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Mostert (Sweet Lou – Heart Of Jessie) might just be the most promising/ improved pacer in Canterbury. A very decisive win (number 4) at Addington on Friday night in the hands of Carter Dalgety showed clear signs of his ‘star’ certainly being on the rise.

An embryo transfer foal, it was just his 13th race day start.

Dam Heart of Jessie won five races and her first two foals were both winners in Australia but after a couple of years of foals dying and mare missing, all her later progeny, four in total, before her untimely passing, have been produced via embryo transfer including Mostert.

Her youngest foal is now an unraced/unnamed 3YO filly by American Ideal.

This is the very family that was highlighted last month through the 2YO exploits of Travel Agent and Chiggsy.

Heart Of Jessie was the 13th of 14 winners for her dam Jessie Grace (Vance Hanover – Ollies Chance) and it is a pedigree that has truly blossomed in the last 20 years. Mostert, now 5, looks capable of ‘blooming’ in the weeks ahead.

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Ashburton must surely be the ‘fastest’ harness surface in NZ and with the win of Franco Sinatra at that venue on Sunday in 1:50.8, it brings up two relevant points of debate.

Why don’t we race there more often and over the sprint trip of 1700m? The sub 1:50 barrier looks in clear danger of being broken under race conditions for the first time in NZ.

And is there not a strong case to bring back the ‘Jewels’, to race every year at the Mid Canterbury venue? Many of our top young horses are now heading to the spelling paddock or going to Australia for a warm winter campaign. This time of the year could be perfect timing for a number of these stables as there is now a gap until they are seen again later in the year.

As for Franco Sinatra, his record now stands at 14 wins (12 at Addington) with $244k in the bank. His pedigree is one of strong lines. Dam San Rafaella (Western Ideal – San Sophia) won 10 races on the track herself with a best MR of 1:52.3. The Dalgety-trained winner aside, in the broodmare paddock she has left another six winners and a qualifier from just 9 foals, including Franco Santana, a full brother to Sinatra by Captaintreacherous who himself has gone under the 1:50 barrier in America.

An imported mare from America, San Sophia, by Artsplace, has also left the smart Raging Bull (5 wins and 5 placings from just 10 starts), a successful sire on both sides of the Tasman and Our Santa Catalina (13 wins) who in turn left Our Vinnie (10 wins and $202k).

Franco Sinatra is a deserved and welcome addition to our open class pacing ranks.

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Nella Keenan has only had the three career starts but already she is assured of having a career after racing as a broodmare after setting a NZ record over the 1700m at Ashburton on Sunday in a 1:52.5MR, just holding out Lazarus debutante Jorja after leading throughout.

Bred and still owned by breeding ‘heavyweight’ Woodlands Stud, the daughter of Downbytheseaside is the first live foal from her four win dam Shes No Lady, who was a Group winner in 1:52 herself, amassing $105k in just 24 starts.

There are two full sisters to Nella Keenan coming up through the ranks and the mare is back in foal to Downbytheseaside yet again.

Shes No Lady is by Sweet Lou from Better Be A Lady (one win in 4 starts) and ranks as a full sister to Wicked Wanda (6 wins) and the very good Australian pacer Cantfindabettorman (21 wins and $447k and 1:51.4)

Third dam Lady Retton won 10 races for the Butchers and this pedigree goes directly back to the broodmare gem of the 1960s/70s in Coo Doo.

Nellie Keenan is truly a product of the Woodlands breeding philosophy and in the meantime she looks like taking her place amongst the elite 2YO fillies of this year.