Harness Racing is blessed with some truly remarkable people and it’s my view that Dr Ron Groves is not only on that list, his name would be those at the very top.
Ron, clearly needs no introduction to the breeders in this country and NZ, however for new followers of our sport, let me give you a very condensed look at his bio
Ron conceived and developed the concept of Classic Families and its maternal family numbering system. He is currently responsible for updating and maintaining the North American data. Ron has also written an ebook on the history of the Standardbred from a breeding perspective and a series of articles containing thoughts on breeding theories.
The reason for the piece you are reading now is not about Ron’s contribution to the sport – it’s about the exciting evening he and his long-time WA mate Terry Ferguson had a Gloucester Park last night
Ron & Terry have been breeding and racing horses for some time, however, last night must have been a great outcome for this these two mates
Race 3. Was won by Cimorene a bay filly by Sportswriter out of Ultimate Package and Northern Luck mare. Terry bred this dam back in 2007 and she was a handy mare that won $29,216 on the track. This U30 mare is from the same branch as:
Saab 1994 (M U30 ) by Classic Garry – 1:57.1 $577,197
Talladega 1996 (M U30 ) by Classic Garry – 1:57.8 $411,680
Kept Under Wraps 2011 (M U30) by Bettors Delight – 1:51.9 $312,149
Genuine Numbers 1998 (M U30) by Fake Left – 1:53.3US $190,112
Pole Dancer 2006 (F U30) by Modern Art – 1:56.4 $186,352
Saabella 1997 (F U30 ) by Classic Garry – 1:59.2 $205,745
| Name | DoB | Sex | Inbreeding Notation |
| Albatross | 1968 | M | 4f x 5f, 5m |
| Big Towner | 1974 | M | 4f x 4f |
| Henry T Adios | 1958 | M | 5m, 6f x |
| Hobby Horse Tar | 1964 | F | 5m, 6f x |
| Duane Hanover | 1952 | M | 5f, 6f x |
| Meadow Skipper | 1960 | M | 5m, 6m x 6m, 6m, 6m |
| Gene Abbe | 1944 | M | 5m, 6m x 5m |
| Most Happy Fella | 1967 | M | 5f, 6m x 5m |
| Tar Heel | 1948 | M | 6f x 6m |
| Good Time | 1946 | M | 6m, 6f x |
| Bret Hanover | 1962 | M | x 6f, 6f |
The boys were at it again in the next:
Race 4. Was won by Bettorgrinanbarit a Bettors Delight filly out Grin On The Beach, again Terry bred this Grinfromeartoear mare back in 2006 and she went on to win $47,647 on the track, This U84 mare is from the same branch as :
Paige Nicole Q 1993 (F U84 ) by Beach Towel – 1:52.0US $712,801
Lincoln Royal 2006 (M U84) by Mach Three – 1:54.0 $650,230
Landmark Hall 1999 (G U84 ) by Cambest – 1:48.2US $754,688
Stardrift Hanover 1982 (F U84 ) by Albatross – 1:53.3US $545,504
Handsoffmycupcake 2010 (F U84 ) by Christian Cullen – 1:52.1US $610,795
Starter Hanover 1994 (M U84 ) by Walton Hanover – 1:50.0US $570,413
Fake Left 1989 (M U84 ) by Cam Fella – 1:51.2US $314,417
| Name | DoB | Sex | Inbreeding Notation |
| Most Happy Fella | 1967 | M | 4m, 5f x |
| Abercrombie | 1975 | M | 4m x 4m |
| Albatross | 1968 | M | 4f, 5m x 4f, 5f |
| Meadow Skipper | 1960 | M | 5m, 5m, 6m, 6m x 5f, 5m, 5m, 6m |
| Bret Hanover | 1962 | M | 5f, 6f x 5m |
| Dale Frost | 1951 | M | 6m, 6f, 6m x 6m, 6m, 6m |
| Adios | 1940 | M | 6m, 6m x 6m, 6m |
| Tar Heel | 1948 | M | 6f x 6f |
Although it was a great night things didn’t go 100% to plain as in
Race 1. Captured Delight finished 2nd . A Bettors filly out of Capture A Million a winner of $15,368 . This U66 daughter of Million To One has a fantastic breeding record
I get the feeling we could very well see this branch just getting stronger in the years to come, check out the breeding of this filly below
I do seem to get a lot of requests with people asking my views on broodmares and what stallions they are likely to cross well with. While l don’t offer this service, what find really interesting with the information above is that one of our greatest and most respected breeding authorities in the world, may have just given anyone interested in this question some very clear answers above.
Take the time and work out what Ron & Terry have done, you have an opportunity to be learning from the very best and we hope they have just as much success in the final as they did in the heats.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
Driving The Future Of Harness Racing
