Breeding Snippets for June 8, 2026

By Rob Courtney (NZ Standardbred Breeders Association) 

The form of Prince Lincoln (Always B Miki – Cullen’s Princess) is hard to follow but when he gets it right, my does he look impressive!

He has only won the 3 races to date from 23 starts (and 8 placings) but two of those wins have been in sub 1:54MRs.

His dam Cullen’s Princess was unraced and passed away late 2024 but her 8 foals have left their mark. Six of her progeny have been winners including the smart Miki Montana, a full sister to Prince Lincoln. She won six and banked $138k along the way. 

She now belongs to the broodmare band at Spreydon Lodge and her first foal is a filly by Bettor’s Delight. After missing to Art Major in 2025, she has been served by Captaintreacherous in the most recent breeding season.

Cullen’s Princess was by Mach Three from the very smart Tosti Girl (7 wins from just 19 starts), a Northern Oaks winner, who at stud, has bred on very successfully to establish a very modern commercial family which includes NZ Cup winner and millionaire pacer Thefixer and The Honey Queen (13 wins and $177k and 1:50.3).

Princess Of Savoy, by Captain Crunch from Tosti Girl, (3 wins to date) is currently showing plenty of promise for the Hughes stable.

On times alone, Prince Lincoln would appear to have plenty of scope to add to his winning tally. His breeding just adds weight to that argument.

*****************************

You can’t do anymore than win and now Ride The Waves has won both her race day career starts, the most recent at Cambridge where she led throughout courtesy of a very canny drive by the ‘experienced’ Anthony Butt.

Her breeding suggests she should be above average all the same.

By Downbytheseaside, a sire who’s ‘star’ continues to rise, the Telfer-trained 3YO filly is from the former top filly Fight For Glory (14 wins,$675k and 1:51.2) who is now beginning to make her mark as a broodmare.

Ride The Waves is just her fourth foal but her third winner. Built For Glory (7 wins and $120k) and Glory’s Delight (4 wins) have proven above average and there is quality stock coming though as a next wave for owner/breeder Diane Cournane and her family.

There is a 2YO colt/full brother to Ride The Waves in the wings and Cran Dalgety went to $95k to secure a half brother by Bettor’s Delight at the most recent yearling sales. Fight For Glory is back in foal to Downbytheseaside.

The latter is from Cournane’s good mare Breath Of Life (7 wins and $109k) who won at Group 3 level and was placed at Group 1.

At stud she left the 9 foals with 8 of them good enough to get to the races, seven of them winners.

Ride The Waves could still be a welcome addition to the 3YO Classics/Oaks later in the year.

************************************

Home Town Girl was another winner at Cambridge last week who has a strong pedigree likely to give her a second career as a broodmare when her racing stint comes to an end.

While her form line didn’t suggest a win was coming, the What The Hill mare has now won two races from the McGowan stable and with good manners could easily add to her record.

Her dam was the very good Sundon mare Our Sunny Whiz (19 wins and $349k), a Group winner who has gone on to breed a number (6) of winners including Sunnys Little Whiz (18 wins and $150k)

Second dam Hanover Whiz won nine races who was from First Prize, also a 9-race winner. The latter left the smart October Pride and Elayjay, both 9 race winners and the Game Pride mare Abundant, who, while not a winner, left a ‘tribe’ of winners for Jenny Butt and Don McKenzie including Genius (24 wins and $214k) and Epona, dam of millionaire trotter Vulcan (20 wins).

This family has been highly productive over several decades and Home Town Girl has the credentials to play her part in extending the success established by her relatives.

***********************************

Scrunch is quickly establishing a very promising career profile, now having won four races from just 10 starts with another 4 placings.

By Captain Crunch from the Bettor's Delight mare Shimmy Shoes (1 win), Scrunch is the fourth foal and third winner from his dam.

This is a family that has struck a chord with top trainer Robert (RJ) Dunn, so much so that he purchased Shimmy Shoes a few years back after training her foal Dance Til Dawn to win 12 races, putting some $319k in the bank.

The latter is in foal for the first time to Downbytheseaside for long time Diamond Racing clients the Neumann family and friends.

Shimmy Shoes is a daughter of the very good filly Hot Shoe Shuffle (14 wins and $295k) and Dunn has trained many of her progeny. Joshua Mac won 10 races and his full brother Jivin Cullen (14 wins), both by Christian Cullen. Glenferrie Shuffle, by Art Major, was a very good mare in Australia, winning 13 races and banking $280k in the process.

Sem’s Delight only won the two races for the Dunn stable but at stud her first four foals have all been good winners with Judine (9 wins) and full brother Passion And Power (7 wins) leading the charge. Dunn trains Delightful Miki (Always B Miki -Sems Delight) a current unraced 3YO and in recent times has gone back to the yearling sales to buy back into this family.

This pedigree goes directly back to top race mare and producer Black Watch, so successful for the Yarndley family over several decades.

**************

That was an impressive maiden win by Major Copy at Cambridge with the promise of much more to come, it being only his second time to the races.

By top sire Art Major who continues to leave outstanding racehorses, he is a son of Delightful Dash (11 wins + $113k) and her only winner to date from four live foals.

The latter was by Lis Mara (a son of Cambest) from the Holmes Hanover mare Coming Up Roses, bred by Mosgiel’s Syd Brown.

Coming Up Roses has done a good job as a broodmare. Regal Dash won 21 races, mostly across the Tasman and Askmenow won 10 races before leaving Foregone Conclusion, also by Art Major, who also won 21 races.

She in turn was from Brown’s handy mare Krystle (5 wins), by noted broodmare sire El Patron and she left for Brown the very smart Foreal (18 wins and $624k)

Off the track, Foreal is best known for leaving the fastest Miracle Mile winner of all time in My Field Marshall (29 wins + 1:46.9 + $1.494M).

In fact, Foreal left nine winners of 74 races with all nine going 1:58MRs or better!

Both Foreal and My Field Marshall were trained by Tim Butt.

In the meantime, Major Copy has indeed a lot to live up to but looks to be headed in the right direction all the same

************

Arinitti is yet another winner for Captain Crunch who seems to be on a wave of success recently with his progeny winning at regular intervals especially at Addington Raceway.

At just her sixth start the daughter of Sparks Under Fire came with the last run to get over the top of her rivals and if she can tap into some of her family history, there should be more glory to be had.

Arinitti is the 11th foal and 10th winner from her Fake Left dam with nine of those winners taking sub 2:00m MRs when winning.

Ironically, Arinitti is the only one not to be in that ‘club’ but it would be a brave person to suggest she won’t get there.

A number of Arinitti’s half sisters are breeding on, notably Scorcha (4 wins) who’s first foal is the highly promising Sacetas (6 wins to date)

As her name suggests, Sparks Under Fire is a half-sister to the globe trotting Sparks A Flyin who won 21 races across 3 countries before going on to breed a very commercial branch of this family

She only left the seven foals but 6 were winners, big winners, including millionaire pacer Bettors Fire (69 wins), Art Union (17 wins), My Alpha Rock (20 wins) and the quality mare Safedra (10 wins). The latter has continued the families rich vein of form by leaving the likes of Dr Susan and La Rosa, both winners in excess of $200k.

Many of these horses were trained by Cran Dalgety for one of the ‘gentlemen’ of our sport the late Jim Wakefield.

Arinitti has a bit going for her, especially with that pedigree backing her up. Before that broodmare career kicks in though, there looks to be quite a future for her on the racetrack.