CHAPTER THREE

MATERNAL FAMILIES

The maternal families of America numbered in the many thousands during the Foundation Era, yet by

the Modern Era only a few hundred survived. Of these the top forty families account for the great

proportion of Classic Winners. For example, of the sixty four Little Brown Jug winners, all but twelve

have come for the leading forty families. Likewise, all but twelve of the seventy three Hambletonian

winners come from these families. In the Kentucky Futurity these same forty families claim all but two

of the last sixty nine winners.

The top ten American families stand out from the

others. All have millionaire earners, 1:50 performers and multiple Classic Winners. In Australia and New

Zealand, this is not the case as winners continue to come from hundreds of smaller families. In the 2014

season just completed, more than three hundred Australian families, two hundred New Zealand

families and one hundred American families were represented in the winners circle for pacers alone.

VICTORIAN DERBY WINNER OUR MAXIM

As already discussed in the opening chapter, there

are a number of American families represented by mares imported into Australasia during the years

prior to the Second World War.

TABLE 3.1 LEADING AUSTRALASIAN FAMILIES

Family Classic Winners

U30 Dairy Maid 509

N1 Pride of Lincoln 447

A1 Verity 324

N2 Bessie B 296

N3 Red Diamond 293

N6 Harold’s Rest 269

U300 Black Betty 243

N4 Millie C 242

N7 Topsy 224

U302 Fanny Fern 224

U301 Kate by Highland Chief 215

TABLE 3.2 AUSTRALASIAN FAMILIES-CLASSIC WINS

Family Classic Race wins

N1 Pride of Lincoln 1452

U30 Dairy Maid * 1358

N2 Bessie B 893

N3 Red Diamond 768

A1 Verity 748

N6 Harold’s Rest 699

U300 Black Betty 676

N4 Millie C 624

U301 Kate by Highland Chief 580

N7 Topsy 527

U302 Fanny Fern 511

Sixty of these American families are still producing in Australasia, some very successfully. An example

of this is 2014 Victorian Derby winner who is from an American maternal family imported to Australia in

1877.

In addition mares from a number of the leading

American families are now being imported. Table 3.1 shows the Classic Winners for each of the

leading maternal families in Australasia to the end of June 2014 while Table 3.2 shows the number of

Classic Races won by their progeny.

The leading families in these tables comprise one

Australian foundation mare, six from New Zealand

and four descended from imported American mares.

The number of Classic Winners from each of them does not match the large numbers attributed to the

top ten American families. This is because of the greater spread of active families mentioned above.

This also makes it far more difficult for Australian and New Zealand breeders to narrow their selection

criteria.

Despite this, the leading families do stand out from

the others. In most cases, success is due to the large spread of Classic Race winners rather than

individual champions. Many of the more obscure families often produce one champion but little else.

Examples of this are the family of Paleface Adios that produced just two other Classic Winners in one

hundred years and that of Inter Dominion Champion Avian Derby that did not produce another Classic

Race winner. Each of the leading Classic Progeny producing families in Australasia are analysed

below in terms of their pedigrees and best progeny.

Before we commence an analysis of each of them,

it is necessary to understand the indicators used to measure success. They are the same as those

used to analyse siring success, namely those families with the greatest number of Classic

Winners, Classic Race wins, earnings and speed achievements.

Table 3.3 lists the leading maternal families of the first hundred $100,000 stake earners. They are

similar to the tables above, with Pride of Lincoln and Dairy Maid leading the way.

When considering speed, the 1:55 performers, shown in Table 3.4 below, are again headed by the

family of Pride of Lincoln.

TABLE 3.3 $100,000 EARNINGS (FIRST 100)Family ! Aust! NZ! TotalN1! 6! 2! 8U30! 3! 3! 6 N6! 1! 5! 6U303! 0! 5! 5N2! 2! 2! 4U300! 1! 3! 4N23! 3! 1! 4

TABLE 3.4 1:55 PACERS (FIRST 100)Family ! Aust! NZ! TotalN1! 9! 0! 9A4! 6! 0! 8U302! 5! 3! 8A1! 6! 1! 7

Of the first one hundred two year olds to take a record of two minutes, the Dairy Maid family leads

the way with five, followed by Pride of Lincoln and Bessie B with three each.

TABLE 3.5 TWO MINUTE 2YO (FIRST 100)

! U30! Dairy Maid ! 5! N1! Pride of Lincoln! 3! N2! Bessie B! 3

Analysis of the nine Derbys shows a divergence,

due somewhat to the location of maternal families in certain regions, yet the same leading families are

consistent producers of winners, especially Pride of Lincoln and Dairy Maid.

The two New Zealand Derbys are dominated by the Brown Lancet (U303) family which accounts for ten

winners. The best maternal family in the history of the New Zealand Cup over more than one hundred

years is Pride of Lincoln with six victories.

Taking all of these factors into consideration the

leading Australasian maternal families are listed in Table 3.6 below.

Chapter three: Maternal families 37

TABLE 3.6 GREATEST AUSTRALASIAN FAMILIES

! U30! Dairy Maid ! N1! Pride of Lincoln! N2! Bessie B!! A1! Verity ! N3! Red Diamond!! N6! Harolds Rest !U300! Black Betty ! N4! Millie CU301!! Kate by Highland Chief

! N7! Topsy!U302! Fanny Fern

A full record of Classic Winners in each family can be seen through the hyperlink for each family.

U30!! DAIRY MAID

Now boasting more winners than any other maternal family in Australasia, the Dairy Maid family

made its way into New Zealand through the importation of the mare Norice in 1904. She began

racing at age six, winning five of her first seven races before running second in the inaugural New

Zealand Cup. She was the highest stake earner of that year.

Norice also campaigned in Australia, lowering the Australian mile record for mares, before retiring to

stud in New Zealand and producing eleven Classic Progeny.

Her pacing son Nelson Derby won the New Zealand Derby and Auckland Cup before becoming a

successful sire while his trotting full brother, Native King, won the Rowe Cup and Dominion Handicap.

Four of her daughters established branches of what has become the second most prolific producing

family of Classic Winners in Australasia.

The family still continues to breed successfully in

America where it can boast four millionaires and nineteen on the 1:50 list.

In Australasia the family has five millionaire pacers; Holmes DG, Sokyola, Monkey King, Karloo Mick

and Iraklis. This is more than any other family.

The fastest is dual Derby winner Lavros Star

(1:50.0US). Of those racing only in Australasia, the geldings Monkey King (1:50.8), Been in Trouble

(1:53.9), Iraklis (1:54.2) and dual Harness Horse of the Year, Sokyola (1:54.6), lead the way.

The greatest performers of the last fifty years include 1962 Hunter Cup winner, Adios Court, and

world record holder of the seventies, Mount Eden (1:56.6TT).

Five pacers have amassed an enormous number of Classic Race wins. Sokyola leads the way with

thirty three, followed by Monkey King on thirty, and Holmes DG and Karloo Mick with twenty five.

MONKEY KING HAS THIRTY CLASSIC RACE WINS

Recent juvenile stars include dual Oaks winner

Ashlees Babe and triple Oaks and Derby winner Elect to Live.

Chapter three: Maternal families 38

N1! PRIDE OF LINCOLN

Pride of Lincoln comes from an Australian

foundation mare of unknown breeding that was exported to New Zealand. The greater part of her

family descends from her daughter Thelma from a grandson of the Mambrino Chief line sire Berlin,

who was imported into New Zealand in 1882.

The family boasts three of the greatest modern Era

trotters in Tussle, True Roman and Take A Moment, all Inter Dominion Champions. The early

pacing champions include Author Dillon who won three New Zealand Free For Alls and a New

Zealand Cup, while later champion pacers include Inter Dominion Champion Welcome Advice and

star juvenile and Australian Pacing Champion Rip Van Winkle, who collected twenty four Classic

Races.

The most recent is New Zealand Cup and Miracle

Mile winner Christian Cullen who has gone on to become possibly Australasiaʼs best ever locally bred

sire.

The family has two on the 1:50 list in Franco

Catapult (1:49.2US) and the mare Ulrica Bromac (1:49.3US) while the fastest in Australasia is

millionaire Christian Cullen (1:54.1). He joins Take A Moment as one of the two millionaires of the

family.

MIRACLE MILE WINNER CHRISTIAN CULLEN

N2! BESSIE B

While the Bessie B family has a number of

branches, only the one through Parisienne has really bred on. A Sapling and dual Derby winner,

Parisienne went on to win the 1938 Inter Dominion Championship after claiming all three heats. She

retired to stud at age seven and became one of the greatest broodmare progenitors of New Zealand as

the pedigrees below confirm.

Of her eight Classic Progeny, three won two year

old pacing classics while her trotting daughter Scotch Paree won the New Zealand Hambletonian.

Six of her daughters produced strong branches that are all still active.

1938 INTER DOMINION CHAMPION PARISIENNE

Juvenile champion Lombo Pocket Watch, who

claimed three Derbys, was the first millionaire in the family. He retired with sixteen Classic Race wins.

TERROR TO LOVE

Chapter three: Maternal families 39

The newest star is Terror To Love whose twenty

one Classic Race wins include three New Zealand cups. His earnings exceed two million dollars.

The fastest members of the clan are Suave Stuey Lombo (1:49.6), Western Australian Derby winner

Richard Henry (1:49.3US) and Australian two Year Old Pacer of the Year, Lombo Skyrider (1:50.0US).

The greatest performer of the family is Preux Chevalier, whose story is recounted in chapter five,

while others include 1959 Auckland Cup winner Scottish Command.

The family has a large number of standout juvenile performers. These include two year old New

Zealand Sapling winner Golden Hero, Western Australian Golden Slipper winner Pardon Me Boys,

who had twelve successive wins at two, and the ill fated Rocket Glenfern who died at three.

Oaks winning daughters include Golden Sands, Le Ruisseau, Lombo Adreamin, My Cherie, Shelley

Lee and Lombo La Fe Fe, whose Oaks was one of fifteen Classic Race wins.

1949 DERBY WINNER SOANGETAHA

Derby winners are also spread over a number of decades and include, Aapennon Lad, Garcon

Roux, Living on Fire, Lombo Mandingo, Misty Maiden, Rocket Glenfern, Harness Horse of the

Year winners Roydon Glen, Roydon Roux and Soangetaha.

A1! VERITY

American sire Harold was incestuously inbred 2x2

to Abdallah and that three of his imported sons had a large impact on early Australasian breeding.

From thoroughbred mares, the first of these sons, Childe Harold, sired foundation mares of the Honest

Kate (A5) family. A second son, Tuxedo sired the foundation mare of the (A40) family, and a third

son, Vancleve, the foundation mares of Vanity (A6), Katie M (A7), Whisp (A8) and Verity (A1) families.

Vancleveʼs contribution to Australasian breeding has endured from Verax, the richest trotter of a century

ago, through to Australasian super sire Globe Derby and, more recently, millionaire Baileys Dream.

Of all Australian bred maternal families, the Verity family is the leading producer of Classic Race

winners, despite having no outstanding champion. The wealthiest is 1998 Hunter Cup winner Try a

Fluke with just over five hundred thousand in earnings while the fastest is Victorian Sapling

winner Chairman Whitby (1:50.4US). The fastest in Australasia is the gelding Deadsetlucky (1:52.8).

The Verity family had significant success in the twenties and thirties with performers such as New

Zealand Sapling and Derby winners Childe Pointer and Nantwich and 1928 Rowe Cup trotting winner

Kempton. Winners from the final decades of the early period include 1963 Hunter Cup victor Idle

Raider, dual Tasmanian Mile winner Karalta Bay and 1968 Dominion Handicap winner Logan Count.

The Modern Era includes Australian Pacing Championship winner Jack Brandon, dual New

Zealand Trotter of the Year winners, Basil Dean and Even Speed, plus dual Trotting Derby winner

Arizona Blue. The best performers in the family are Basil Dean and Sapling with twenty one Classic

Race wins each.

Chapter three: Maternal families 40

N3 RED DIAMOND

It was First Water, the Harold Rothschild daughter

of Red Diamond, who set the family on its winning way. Her seven Classic Progeny included four

Classic Winners while five daughters created prolific branches.

The leading juveniles are Sapling and dual Derby winner Noodlum, closely followed by a Golden

Slipper winner in Tactile, who went on to win six Derbys.

OUTSTANDING JUVENILE NOODLUM

Speedsters are led by Derby winner Oneinamillion

(1:49.3US) with the fastest of the Australasian pacers being Bitobliss (1:51.8) and Blacks a Fake

(1:53.8).

The greatest performer in the family is four time

Inter Dominion Champion Blacks A Fake whose career is outlined in chapter five. The family also

claims a second Inter Dominion Champion through millionaire Smooth Satin and a third with Rondel.

Other standouts include; Sapling winners Stardust, Olga Korbut and Oztreos, Golden Slipper winner

Adroit, dual Oaks winners Barynya, One Dream and All Promises plus Derby winners Best Deal Yet,

Aquagold, Winning Blue Chip, and Matai Dreamer.

N6 HAROLDS REST

This foundation mare produced five Classic

Progeny with her best being the incestuously inbred Harold Rothschild who was 2x3 to Childe Harold.

He was a handy early colonial sire.

The family had a steady stream of Classic Winners

over the following century, with the first standout being 1980 New Zealand Aged Trotter of the Year,

Scotch Tar. He had thirteen Classic Race wins.

SCOTCH TAR

The highest earner of the clan is The Gold Ace, followed by Breeders Crown Champion Smiling

Shard ($1,089,831).

Of the speedsters, Seeking the Gold (1:50.2US) is

the fastest, while the Australasian list is led by Franco Jamar (1:51.2) and Kiwi Ingenuity (1:52.1).

Other juvenile stars include; Two Year Old Pacer of the Year and Derby winner Dillon Dale, Derby

winning filly Argent Treasure, plus Oaks winners Broadways Best and Three Dawns.

The most prolific Classic Race winners in the family are Broadways Best with sixteen and The Gold

Ace with fifteen.

Chapter three: Maternal families 41

U300 BLACK BETTY

This family began its success immediately following

the importation of the mare Bonilene. Although her sire and broodmare sire were obscure, her pedigree

boasted the leading American blood of the day in Baron Wilkes, Nutwood and Charles Derby.

While the Black Betty family died out in America, it flourished in New Zealand through four daughters

led by Classic Race winner Bonny Logan, who herself produced six Classic Winners. Of these,

Admiration won the 1944 Timaru Nursery, Captain Morant the 1942 New Zealand Sapling and

Champion Stakes and Bonny Bridge the 1943 New Zealand Derby. Both Bayard and Gaillard became

successful sires.

The fastest of the family is Allstar Blue Jean

(1:48.4US), followed by the gelding Georgetown (1:50.0US) while the quickest in Australasia is

Hillside Joe (1:52.0).

The wealthiest and greatest performer is Westburn

Grant with over two million dollars. His story is covered in chapter five.

NEW ZEALAND CUP WINNER ADORIAN

Other early period champions include 1953 New

Zealand cup winner Adorian, while the Modern Era standouts are two time Pacer of the Year winner

Gina Rosa and Shattering Class who won sixteen cup races.

U301! KATE BY HIGHLAND CHIEF

The family of Kate found its way to New Zealand

with the importation of Berthabell, a daughter of Peter the Great, at the start of the First World War.

She produced fourteen foals, with all but one being Classic Progeny and eight being winners.

1926 AUSTRALASIAN CHAMPION GREAT BINGEN

The best was Great Bingen whose ten Classic Race wins included the 1926 Australasian

Championship. Full brother, Peter Bingen won consecutive New Zealand Cups while sibling Great

Parrish took a Derby and the Auckland Cup. Berthabell also left six daughters, all of whom bred

on with large families.

VODKA- FIRST AUSTRALASIAN TROTTER IN AMERICA

Another star of the family, in the late fifties, was the

trotter Vodka, the first ever Australasian harness

Chapter three: Maternal families 42

horse to race in America. He won eight races during

his American campaign.

The fastest in the family is Be Diligent (1:52.8),

followed by New Zealand Four Year Old Pacer of the Year Franco Emirate and Numberone

Amenophis both with (1:53.6).

Rowe Cup winner Idle Scott, winner of fifteen

Classic Races, is the wealthiest just ahead of Breeders Crown winner Tip Your Hat. Both have

stake earnings of just half a million dollars.

The latest stars of the family are Golden Slipper

winner Western Cullen and Oaks winner Artemis Belle.

N4! MILLIE C

Wildmoor, the sire of the foundation mare Millie C, is interesting in that his imported sire Wildwood

was inbred 2x3 to Electioneer while his imported dam added a further cross. Of the twenty two foals

that he sired, nine were Classic Progeny including the mare Country Belle who won a New Zealand

Cup before founding a strong branch of the Bonnie Belle family.

FOREVER GOLD

The fastest of the Millie C family is American born

Spirit of a Shark (1:48.4US). Three other family

members in the exclusive 1:50 list are Beach

Romance (1:49.3US) , Second Wind (1:49.4US) and Derby winner DB Bopper (1:50.0US). The

fastest in Australia is Oaks winner Forever Gold (1:52).

The wealthiest in the family are millionaires Mysta Magical Mach and Just An Excuse, a dual New

Zealand Cup winner.

The family had early success with dual Derby

winner and Australasian record holder Acron in the twenties, Derby winner Taxpayer in the thirties, then

Aachen with his record twenty consecutive wins in the fifties.

NEW ZEALAND CUP WINNER JUST AN EXCUSE

The free for all stars include the 1940 New Zealand

and Auckland Cups winning mare Marlene and 1984 Miracle Mile winner Double Agent while the

best of the trotters is triple Derby winner Flame Up. Juvenile stars include Drop Dead Gorgeous and

Speed King, Oaks winners Armbro Jodie, Smooth Gretna, Smooth Performer and Zitura and dual

Derby winner Franco Sequel.

Chapter three: Maternal families 43

N7! TOPSY

Topsy is yet another foundation mare with an

unknown dam and thoroughbred sire. She produced four fillies that each began branches of the family,

with the best being Win Soon who won the 1914 New Zealand Cup. She in turn produced the filly All

Sunshine that won the Invercargill Cup.

Like the Verity family, that of Topsy has a host of

group winners rather than any standout champions. The family also claims a high number of juvenile

stars and speedsters.

The fastest is Universal Dream (1:50.0US) while

the quickest on Australasian soil is Breeders Crown winner Villagem (1:52.1). He is also the second

wealthiest with just over five hundred thousand in earnings. The wealthiest in the family is New

Zealand gelding Pembrook Benny, winner of thirteen Classic Races.

PEMBROOK BENNY

Other speedsters are Australian Pacing Champion and Miracle Mile winner Bay Foyle, who also held

the Australian two year old mile record, Lightning Mile winner Als Holiday and New Zealand Cup and

Flying Mile winner True Averil.

CHARIOTS OF FIRE WINNER VILLAGEM

The Derby winners include Ascot King and Glenns

Thunder plus trotters Gentleman Jim and No Early Spark. The most successful of the fillies is three and

four year old Mare Pacer of the Year and dual Oaks winner Innocent Eyes.

New Zealand Cup winner Lunar Chance was New Zealand Harness Horse of the Year in 1976 and

also took divisional honours in the award on three occasions.

U302! FANNY FERN

The American Fanny Fern family in Australasia descends from the mare Trix Pointer, imported into

New Zealand in the twenties. She boasted Strathmore, Electioneer, George Wilkes, Nutwood

and Director blood while her broodmare sire was the first two minute horse in history.

NEW ZEALAND CUP WINNER TRIX POINTER

Chapter three: Maternal families 44

Trix Pointer won the 1919 New Zealand Cup and

1922 New Zealand Free For All before going to stud. Seven of her nine foals won on the track and

included the dual gaited Wrackler who won both Derbys and the New Zealand Cup as a pacer before

taking the Dominion Handicap as a trotter. His full sister Arethusa won the Sapling and Derby. Five

daughters began successful branches of the family.

THIRTIES CHAMPION WRACKLER

Other early success went to Earl Derby who won

the 1922 Western Australian Derby, the well bred Aldershot who took out the 1938 New Zealand

Derby and Acclamation, winner of the 1946 Trotters Derby and 1949 Dominion Handicap.

Later stars were 1968 New Zealand Cup winner Humphrey, 1976 Tasmanian Pacing Champion,

Cute Van and trotting star Ordeal whose story is taken up in the next chapter.

The fastest in the family are Easton Alliance (1:49.0US) and Versary (1:49.4US) while the fastest

in Australasia is OK Courage (1:52.7).

The three wealthiest members of the family each

earned almost a million dollars. Safe and Sound won the 1999 Australian Pacing Championship,

2000 South Australian Cup and 2002 Hunter Cup.

Neroship won the 1989 Auckland Cup and the

1990 New Zealand Cup and Flying Mile.

TUPELO ROSE

Tupelo Rose won four Oaks in 2000 as well as divisional Pacer of the Year awards at two, three

and four years of age. She raced successfully in North America where she later had success at stud.

Her grandson Machapelo (1:51.3US) won the 2011 Battle of Waterloo.

Chapter three: Maternal families 45