Breeding Snippets - July 24, 2026

By Rob Courtney

Recent Cambridge winner Tatanka (3g Creatine – Bryleigh Jane) is proving a real success story for new part-owner and trainer Scotty Dickson.

Bought by Dickson on Gavelhouse as recently as mid June of this year, the then maiden trotter had had one start as a 2YO for Woodend Beach trainer Bob Butt back in August 2025 but in just two starts for Dickson (1 win/1 placing), the promising square gaiter has well and truly covered his purchase price and his decisive 7.75L victory fully suggested that there is much more to come.

He is the first foal of his unraced Love You dam Bryleigh Jane who has plenty of breeding behind her. Second dam Kurien has already left full blood relatives Aroha and Pandemic, both race winners, as is foal number four Which Way (by Father Patrick) and the Butts have fillies by Tactical Landing (3YO) and Propulsion (2YO) coming on in behind.

Kurien (Sundon – Enthuse) is from a family well-endowed with class trotters. She is a full/half sister to Enthusiast (11 wins from just 22 starts) and Rowe Cup winner Inspire (9 wins and $148k). Call You Later (9 wins) and Red (5 wins from 9 starts) were other trotters well above average to keep this pedigree in the ‘limelight’ with most going through the stable of master trot trainer Paul Nairn.

Inspire has gone on to leave Waterloo Sunset (7 wins) who has done a tremendous job as a colonial stallion with limited opportunities.

Other daughters of Enthuse have bred on to good levels, establishing a solid commercial branch first brought to prominence by the late Freeman Holmes.

Enthuse was a daughter of In The Pink (3 wins) who also left Marvin (5 wins from 12 starts) and open class trotter Sundowner Bay (18 wins and $260k), the latter an open class star from the stable of the late Mike DeFilippi.

Further back and one can find the likes of Framalda (22 wins), an open class trotter for Roy and Barry Purdon in the 70s.

All things considered, Tatanka looks like being a very good buy for his new owners.

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At the same Cambridge meeting Arrigo (3g Downbytheseaside – Panforte) broke through for his maiden win at his sixth start, winning by 5 1/2L in a 1:59MR.

Not only is the Matty White-trained runner by a ‘hot’ sire here in NZ, but he comes from a family of real interest to breeding buffs.

Dam Panforte (Christian Cullen – Al Cioccalato), bred by Graham Pearson of Under Cover Lover fame, only had the two race day starts for one placing but has fared much better in the broodmare barn.

Ima Grumpy Possum (by Art Official) won 16 races and $125k and Sinbad, a full brother to Arrigo, won three races here before posting a very swift 1:47.1 when winning in America while American Princess (by American Ideal) was very handy winning 11 times and $112k, mostly in Australia.

Al Cioccalato had just the one start but did win that debut as a 3YO and at stud, all 7 of her foals qualified to go to the races. Of note Nicolosa (by Badlands Hanover), a race winner, left Kaitlyn who went on to win in 1:51.2 in America after winning two races on these shores.

Breeder Pearson was at the height of his success during the 80s and 90s with his horses, many of which he trained himself.

Third dam Catarina (Smooth Fella – Cedar Myth) was a very smart 3YO even though she only won the two races, locking horns with the brilliant Bionic Chance.

Many of her daughters bred on extremely well, notably Ismay (by Ok Bye) who left Oaxaca lass (19 wins and $456k) who left Weka Lass (6 wins) who in turn has left outstanding Aussie pacer The Janitor (19 wins to date, 1:49.6 and $650k).

Another of her daughters in Verde Lima (by Bettor’s Delight) left 4 foals for 4 winners with three of them sub 1:52.

With this kind of family tree behind him, we should not be surprised if Arrigo goes on to greater things.

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Royal Aspirations 5YO mare Niamh recorded her third win (from 19 starts) for part owner and Trackside presenter Greg O’Connor at Cambridge (17/7/26) in the hands of trainer Todd Mitchell.

She is a daughter of Jacinta Franco (CR Commando – Jacanti Franco), her dam only having two race day starts for one minor placing.

As a broodmare, Jacinta Franco only had the four foals with foal number one .1 President Flynntin (by The Pres) winning 6 races to date for owner/trainer Jill Coppins.

Second dam Jacanti Franco had three race day starts for one win and two placings with the win at Group 2 level when winning the 2007 Sires Stakes 2YO championship after leading throughout to beat favourite Petite Sunrise.

Beside Jacinta Franco, the best of her foals have been Franco Josiah (11 wins to date and $148k) and Jakarta (12 wins, mostly in Australia).

Third dam Jaguar Franco (Sundon – Joanie Toliver) didn’t race but did a super job in the broodmare paddock leaving nine winners and a qualifier from her 11 foals.

Jags Invasion was a very good trotter winning 10 races and $122k. Jumanji Franco and Majestic Jag each won five races respectively while the ever- reliable Barrytown has won six with a further 48 placings, putting $130k in the bank from 102 starts.

Daughters of Jaguar Franco have bred on with Janucci (by Continentalman) worthy of a mention with four of her six live foals being winners.

Joanie Toliver (by Toliver Hanover, a son of Tar Heel) was a Group 1 winning trotter in Australia, winning 19 races in total but interestingly before mated with Sundon, had previously been served over time by seven pacing sires which did little in terms of returns for Wayne Francis’s Alexandra Breeding Partnership.

Its fair to say that the fortunes of this pedigree improved once bred to trotting stallions and now Niamh is doing her bit to add to that legacy.

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There were plenty of superlatives coming forward after Secret Beach won his fourth race from just his sixth lifetime start at Cambridge and they were well founded. After sitting three wide without cover for most of the 1700m trip, he had enough left in the tank to get his head in front when it mattered most. Looks like he is going to get his chance against the best 3YOs later in the season.

By top sire Downbytheseaside, his pedigree gives a strong hint of where that ability comes from and all part of the breeding ‘arm’ of Stonewall Stud.

Dam Secret Desire (Real Desire – Rhythmic Rose) won eight races and is part of their ever- increasing breeding programme. Secret Beach is foal number 9 and her fifth winner along with two qualifiers from nine live foals.

Second dam Rhythmic Rose won twice and has left eight winners and a qualifier from 10 foals including Sweet Diamond (9 wins and $169k) and Seaside Rose (8 wins and $142k) with the well-performed Sweet Diamond already a member of the Stonewall breeding programme. She was served by Lather Up in the most recent breeding season as a maiden mare.

Rhythmic Rose is a daughter of Rosesrredviletsrblue (In The Pocket – Tala Queen), the latter leaving seven winners herself including Saloon Passage (by Elsu), a 1:49.4 performer in America.

Tala Queen won four races but more importantly, was a daughter of the grand producer Sakuntala. While unraced, Sakuntala (Armbro Del – Hindu Star) established a dynasty of star pacers for Father Danny Cummings and his family through the 70s and 80s.

This pedigree was arguably the eqivalent of a modern day Scuse Me family back then with names like Iraklis, Tuapeka Star, Ermis and Monkey King easily remembered for great things on the racetrack.

Could it be that Secret Beach might add to a very long list of high quality pacers and bring this once almighty pedigree back into the ‘headlines’?

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Easton Doll (3f Sweet Lou – Delightful Doll) is another recent winner bringing back memories of a pedigree that was very active before the turn of the century.

Her record now reads two starts for one win and one placing for her large high profile group of owners and it looks as though the fun has just begun.

Dam Delightful Doll (Bettor’s Delight – Sweet Talking Doll) is owned by Southland horseman Brian Norman and Easton Doll is just her second foal and first live progeny. Norman has a Captain Crunch weanling colt on the ground but the mare was not bred last season.

Sweet Talking Doll won twice and left two winners from just four live foals. Full relations to Delightful Doll in Is He Talking (11 wins) and He’s Talking (7 wins) did a good job on the track, mostly in Australia after being bred by Otago horseman Kevin Court.

This family goes directly back to Living Doll (Lordship – Queens Coronet) who won five races for her breeder, “me ole mate” Jim Dalgety.

A number of Living Doll’s daughters bred on very successfully, especially those that were managed by the late Wayne Francis then Spreydon Lodge.

Lewinsky Franco (by Falcon Seelster) was a 1:51 performer in America. Nardin’s Doll left the very smart Seafield Inca (11 wins and $132k) for Court and Seafield Raider (13 wins and $131k).

Queen’s Coronet (U Scott – Queen Maud) had the distinction of leaving Indecision (12 wins) and Chief Command (13 wins) as her first two foals, both open class cup pacers and full brothers by My Chief in the leading stable of Ces Donald in the mid 60s.

Indecision was given his chance at stud but suffered like many colonial breds with a lack of numbers.

Queen Maud also left Maudeen (11 wins), also by U Scott who was to become the great grand dam of Aussie superstar Sokyola (66 wins and $1.92M).

Interestingly, Sokyola was by Soky’s Atom out of Maudola (Chiola Hanover – Maudey). Maudey was by a great broodmare sire in Lumber Dream and won nine races trotting when competing in an era which included the likes of ‘the greats’ in Sir Castleton, Basil Dean and Scotch Tar.

It will be of great interest to see how Easton Doll progresses in the coming months. With this pedigree behind her, anything is possible.

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Any horse that wins a race by nearly 9L in a 1:55MR deserves closer scrutiny and recent Cambridge winner Imposing Sea fits right into that category.

Trained by Ben Butcher, the Downbytheseaside 3YO is the sixth foal and fifth winner from the unraced Art Major mare Major Spirit and her latest winner might just be her best for owner/breeder Woodlands Stud.

A closer check of the pedigree reveals a rich source of high quality pacers.

Second dam Spirit Of Eros raced briefly without winning then at stud left 13 foals. 11 of them qualified and all but one were winners. Crown Law (28 wins), Spirit And Desire (14 wins), Bettor Spirits (26 wins) and Spirit And Soul (16 wins) all earned six figure + sums from racing, especially in Australia and several of her daughters are now successfully breeding on.

Spirit Of Eros, by In The Pocket, was one of only two foals left by the ‘bred in the purple’ mare Spirit Of Bethlehem (Soky’s Atom – Tabella Beth).

The latter won five races on the track and bred to Soky’s Atom several times left several outstanding producers. Star Of Bethlehem (5 wins) left Stars And Stripes (40 wins and $797k) and Light And Sound (38 wins and $560k). An unraced daughter Starlitnight, by Tuapeka Knight, left Star Galleria (19 wins and $509k) and also became the grand-dam of millionaire pacer and NZ Cup winner Self Assured (30 wins and $2.4M). Dam of the latter in Star Of Venus, by Christian Cullen, left another six winners and they won 115 races between them.

Spirit Of Beth (1 win) left four winners and two qualifiers from seven foals and the odd one out was Bethany who went on to leave champion pacer and now successful sire Lazarus (37 wins and $4.1M).

Soky’s Sunday, unplaced in five starts, left 11 foals good enough to get to the race with Niobium (15 wins and $153k) arguably the best of them on the track but an unraced daughter Divine, by Christian Cullen, has left multiple Group 1 winner and NZ Oaks victor Aardiebytheseaside (23 wins and $662k).

Another of her daughters Time And Tide, by Mach 3, has left some very handy sorts already in Queen Lostris (1:51.2), Mr Kaplan (7 wins and $187k) and Group winner Alecto (3 wins to date).

Any way you look at it, Imposing Sea has a lot to live up to but the ‘bloodline’ may take him a fair way along that journey.

(Article is reprinted with permission from NZ Standardbred Breeders Association)