The fourteenth in a series of articles reviewing the leading Australasian maternal families. Family numbers are as shown on the Classic Families (CF) database. Due to the extensive size of these families, only brief mention can be made of some of the more prominent family members and/or items likely to be of interest to Australasian readers.
This is an additional article covering the three maternal families unlucky to miss out on my Bakers dozen choice as leading Australasian families.
N9 PRICKWILLOW MARE (JESSIE B)
Exported to NZ, the Prickwillow mare of English Norfolk trotting blood was purchased by Mr Beach, a farmer from Eiffelton, when he was shearing at the Orari station of the Tripps. Originally referred to as the “Tripp station mare”, Mrs Beach mated her with Dexter, a Tailsman by Traducer sire from Gentle Annie by Australian thoroughbred sire Sportsman from a half bred mare. The resultant filly named Princess was sold to Fred Black of Tinwald who bred from her.
Brothers Dave and Newton Price purchased Princess from Black and began training her on the Tinwald Domain track. Becoming the leading mare of her era (free legged pacer), winning the 1889 Exhibition at Dunedin’s Forbury racecourse (heats and final) in a NZ Pacers record of 2:38.5. Subsequently taken to Australia by Price with another mare Minnie, Princess was disqualified for life due to some dubious performances although Price continued to give exhibitions of her pacing.
Bred to Hambletonian Bell Boy, Princess produced Prince Imperial before being exported to India. Prince Imperial was exported to NZ and competed in many match races against Wildwood. Standing at stud in Ashburton for John McDonnell, numerous NZ Cup winners trace back to him – Haughty, Bronze Eagle, Mobile Globe, Gold Bar, Lady Clare, Lord Module …. while direct descendants of Prickwillow mare to have won the NZ Cup are Lucky Jack and Cairnbrae.
Jesse B was by thoroughbred sire Smith O’Brien out of the Prickwillow mare. Smith O’Brien standing at stud for Larry Markey, Ashburton, was closely related to Melbourne Cup winners The Quack (1872) and Malua (1884, whose grand dam Zillah, dam of Tasman, winner of 1883 NZ Galloping Cup at Riccarton for Dan O’Brien of Carbine fame). From Prickwillow’s seven foals, four were winners with Mrs Beach breeding three foals :
- Edna, purchased by Dave Price, taken to Australia and also disqualified
- Repeater, raced by Andy Pringle, good stake winner
- Lyonnaise, raced by Andy Pringle, another good stake winner and sire of dam of Mavis Wood (families of Janettas Pride/Silver Wood and trotting descendants; Coo Doo and descendants)
while Jesse B was later purchased by WT (Bill) Lowe, Hinds for £50 becoming the foundation mare for his Ashburton stud. Lowe bred four foals from her :
- Sherwood (Kerrwood), owned by Lemons of Lauriston, lost 1921 NZ Cup on protest to trotter Reta Peter (winner of consecutive Cups; 1920, 1921), winner of numerous Addington feature races
- Some Boy, Hawera Cup
- Childwood, ancestress of The Tough Nut, Waikato Flying Mile, Invercargill/New Brighton Cups, Nobilo Wines
- Tairene, unraced dam of Lucky Jack, two NZ Cups, two ID heats, 2:01.2TT, dam sire of Battle Cry (ID Trotters Grand Final, Rowe Cup,) and Chequer Board (Easter Cup, ID Pacers consolation)
- Pacing descendants include double millionaire Village Kid (four WA Pacing Cups, Freemantle Cup twice, Hunter Cup, ID Pacers Final, Miracle Mile twice, fifty four Classic race wins, 93 wins from 160 starts), Cairnbrae (NZ Cup), Mr Yankee (WA Derby/Gold Nugget), John Tudor (Messenger)
- Trotting descendants include ID champions Fraggle Rock (NZ Trotting Championship) and Special Force (Dullard Cup, Bill Collins Mile) whose dam was Special Pride (Rowe
Cup); Flaming Way (Dominion Hcp), Eastburn Grant (Rowe Cup)
The Prickwillow mare (Jessie B) has two winners of three New Zealand Cups among her descendants – dual winner Lucky Jack (1937 and 1939, second in 1938) and Cairnbrae (1964), both for Lowe family (Ted Lowe won another with Humphrey in 1968).
Among a number of classic performers included in the various founding branches of the family are major race winning performers :
Dominion Hcp : Flaming Way
Derby winners
QLD – Bowral Boy
TAS – Kotare Kiwi
WA – Mr Yankee
ID winners : Pacers – Village Kid; Trotters – Fraggle Rock, Special Force
Miracle Mile : Village Kid twice
Hunter Cup : Village Kid
with Harness Horse of Year Awards in New Zealand (Wag 1973) and in Australia, Village Kid who was also a dual Australian Grand Circuit Pacing champion in the same years of 1986 and 1988.
Oaks winners from the family include Rebecca Campbell, Cosmic Ice, Shrub and Ruby Dazzler. Derby winners are trotters Alight/Highland Fame (NZ).
The family has one on the 1:50 list with Scapa’s 1:49.1 at Meadowlands (2007) while Living Again’s 1:51.8 at Menangle in 2018 is the families’ quickest winner to date in Australasia. The families’ millionaire pacer is double millionaire Village Kid.
N8 HOODS POLLY
Polly’s (Hood) breeding was unknown, a half breed of thoroughbred extraction. She was a foundation mare from the Ashburton district, a component jumper raced by William Hood and used by the clerk of course at Chertsey. Her six foals of whom two were winners, were bred by W Hood, Chertsey.
First foal, Wilkin (Berlin), was named after Berlin’s importer, Robert Wilkin, covered a mile in 2:16.0. She produced two full sisters by Prince imperial in :
Little Princess (1898, 2:41.1), a good juvenile winning NZMTC Pony Hcp as a two year old in 1901 and main Plumpton Park Hcp at their Autumn meeting at three. She was the dam of unraced :
- Little Doris, fifth dam of Buller Pass, WA Pacing Cup; ninth dam of ill-fated NZ Cup winner Inky Lord, 1:56.5, $756,740, GN Derby, NZ Cup, Easter Cup, Honda Cars 2000, ID heat; tenth dam of Shesa Troublemaker, 1:52.2US
- Llama, grand dam of Czardas (Welcome Stakes), Knave Of Diamonds (Dunedin Cup, Hannon Memorial, ID heat); third dam of Star Rosa (Easter Hcp); fifth dam of Helen Of Tara (NZ Breeders Stakes)
Imperial Polly (1900, 2:44.4), who was sold for £40 in 1915 to J Cooke, Cheviot, won the Henry Mace Memorial at Addington in 1911. She was the dam of :
- Belle Pointer, unraced fourth dam of NZ Cup winner Lord Module, 1:54.9TT, NZ Championship – 2, NZ Cup/FFA, Alan Matson FFA twice, ID Heat, Pan Am Mile; dam sire of Bogan Fella, NZ Derby, Ben Hur, City of Auckland FFA
- Imperial Pointer, unraced grand dam of NZ Cup/FFA winner Gold Bar, 1:59.6TT; sixth dam of Tartan Lady, Southland Oaks, NZ Breeders Stakes
- Our Nurse, unraced
- grand dam of Recruit, Dominion Hcp, Rowe Cup/NZ Trotting FFA twice
- third dam of open class pacer Vanderford, Hannon Memorial, Ashburton Flying Stakes
- fourth dam of Caledonian Garrison, GN Derby; Nurse Brigade, founded an extensive family branch that includes Another Party (Hunter/Fremantle Cups), Democrat Party (NZSS – 3f), Waylade (Fremantle 4yo Classic), Party Party (Caduceus Club Classic – 2f, Nevele R Fillies), Cowgirls N Indians (Jewels Diamond/Breeders Crown – 2f), Hoss Cartwright (NZ Championship); trotting branches through Zenadette that include
- Chiola Cola (Dominion Hcp, Bill Collins Mile), Inda Bank (Rosso Antico Stakes and her foals), Sanchiola, dam of Kyvalley Road (VIC Trotters Derby) and Milford Lass’s descendants including Lost In The Park (AUST Trotters Championship), Martina H (Dominion Hcp, Dullard/Rowe Cups)
- fifth dam of Naval Officer, NZ Derby
- sixth dam of Adina Bebe, NZ Oaks; Picture Star, WA Pearl – 2; Testing Times leading NZ juvenile pacer, Tatlow Memorial, raced in North America at two; Gatcombe, SA Derby
- seventh dam of Atomichron, WA Pearl
- eighth dam of Delft, T1:52.0US, ID Trotters Final/four heats, National Trot, Dullard Cup; Nevabend Lombo, WA Oaks
The Hoods Polly family have three NZ Cup winners (Gold Bar, sons of Lordship in Lord Module, Inky Lord). Among a number of classic performers included in the various founding branches of the family are the winners of :
Dominion Hcp : Recruit, Chiola Cola, Martina H
Derby winners :
NZ – Naval Officer
GN – Caledonian Garrison, Inky Lord
SA – Gatcombe
Vic – Kyvalley Road (Trotters)
ID winners : Trotters – Delft
Hunter Cup : Another Party
with two Harness Horse of Year Award winners in New Zealand (Lord Module 1980, Inky Lord 1990) and an Australian and NZ Trotter of Year (Delft, 2006).
Oaks winners from the family include Adina Bebe and Nevabend Lombo.
The families’ fastest pacer is Strike Up The Band who recorded a time of 1:52.0 at Menangle in 2012. There are two especially quick NZ bred trotters in the Hoods Polly family, they being ID winner Delft’s T1:53.0US at Colonial Downs (2007, 1¼m track) and The Big Don’s T1:53.3US at the five eights mile Pocono Downs track. The family has no millionaire earner’s with Inky Lord’s three quarters of a million in earnings the best.
A2 LADY AJAX
The Australian family of Lady Ajax was founded in 1880’s, result of mating Ajax with Lady Fisher. Lady Ajax left Edith (Startle, 1886), a good pony trotter (under fourteen hands) who when exported to NZ began a very successful branch of this family through her filly Miss Fortune. Edith was a sister to sire Piccaninny (nine Sydney wins; sire of 46 winners) who sired another Edith (1903, dam Premier [Riddles]) who was third dam of Lawn Derby and Van Derby.
Edith was owned in NZ by G McKenzie, Invercargill for whom she produced four filly foals, with Miss Fortune (1909, Stirling Lad) her only daughter to substantially breed on. Edith was later acquired by WNM Norman, Forest Hill, Winton. Registered as a five year old, she was a winner in 2:22.0 before producing sixteen foals, twelve of whom were winners. Her first nine foals were fillies with five of the next seven being colts. The best winner among them was Nelson’s Victory.
Miss Fortune’s progeny included :
Sterling McKinney (1916f Young McKinney), unraced; dam of Stirling Lady (Nelson Adonis’s only progeny to race; gelded as a two year old) who was third dam of Atok (TAS Derby), fifth dam of Handibank (VICSS – 3f, QLD Oaks)
Miss Hector (1917f Sir Hector), unraced; grand dam of Maida Dillon, good class race mare founding successful branch of family :
- grand dam of Maida Million (1964), 2:00.2US, $323,048; Regal Belmont, Len Smith 4yo Championship
- third dam of Air Supply, Firestone Junior FFA
- fourth dam of Our Mighty Son, Avon Championship, WA Derby,
- third dam of Robert Dillon (ID heat)
Miss Adonis (1918f Adonis), 2:20.0, £1,451; fourth dam of Bachelor Tom, Ordeal Trotting Cup; tenth dam of Lucky Joy, WASS – 2f
Fortune Maid (1919f Adonis), 2:27.0, £185, full sister of Miss Adonis; third dam of :
- Leyava, dam of seven winners including Sassenach, two ID heats; Stampede, ID Pacing Consolation, sire of Defoe (1:53.0TT, Superstars, Taylor Mile, ID heat), Stands To Reason (NZSS – 2c); Zabadak, Stampede’s half-brother who won Firestone Junior FFA
- Va Vite, third dam of Rapture (Southland Oaks)
- fourth dam of Vonnell, dam of six winners including Trevira (winner of sixteen; Easter Cup, two Waikato Flying Miles), Trilobal (New Brighton Cup), Tokorangi (Franklin Cup; dam of Power and Glory, 1:53.4US), Tricotine, dam of Just Royce, second in NZ Cup to Il Vicolo
- fifth dam of Nicola Mary, NZSS – 2f
- sixth dam of King Country, 1:49.2US
- seventh dam (from French Flair) of Fleur De Lil, 1:53.4AUS, 1:51.2US, $1,041.636, WA Oaks, Breeders Crown – 3f; Epaulette, 1:50.6; Miss Galvinator, 1:50.3US, $1,148,446; Our Galvinator, 1:52.3US, $643,243
- eighth dam of Kheiron, VSS – 4T, T1:57.2
Lady Alva (1920f Coldstream Bells), 2:30 7/10, £86, trotter who won races in Southland, purchased by WJ (Bill) Tomlinson who later sold her to Western Australia. Left two foals, one Alvando winner of eleven races leaving Narrogin Cup winner Orovan. Died from a snake bite aged twenty
Fortune Chimes (1921f Four Chimes), unraced,
- third dam of Spike, QLD 10,000; Radiant Fortune, WA Cup; Free Hall, SA Breeders Plate/Derby, ID heat/Pacers Final
- fourth dam of Salvation Sister, WA Gold bracelet; Remember Joy, QLD Oaks, Ladyship Mile
- sixth dam of Georgian Flight, VICSS – 3T
- seventh dam of Moment In Time, AUS Oaks
Alva Lass (1922f John Dillon), 2:17.9, £331, not bred from
Misfire (1923f John Dillon), unraced, grand dam of Cloudy Horizon, dam of :
- Heatherloch, NZ Broodmare of Year; dam of Yankee Loch, ID Trotters heats (2)/Final, Rowe Cup; third dam of Global Force, WA Derby; fourth dam of Shez All Rock, 1:51.8 NSW/VIC/NZ Oaks, Harness Jewels – 3f
- Supervise, NZ Trotting FFA; third dam of Amarula, SA Trotters Derby
- Super Way, grand dam of Own Way, NZ Trotting Stakes – 2; third dam of Locofoco, T1:53.4US, $755,695; fourth dam of Sovereignty, T1:56.7, $761,072, GN Trotters Derby, Jewels Ruby – 3T, National Trot, Lyell Creek, four Cambridge Trotters Flying Stakes
Erins Fortune (1924f Erins King), 2:13 1/10, £3,015, Invercargill Cup, Winton/Forbury Hcps, Oamaru Presidents Hcp; dam of :
- Loyal Peter, ID heat, third in NZ Cup to Highland Fling and Knave Of Diamonds
- Erinack, Greymouth Cup; grand dam of Van Hall (NSW Sapling; sire of Cute Van [TAS Pacing Championship], broodmare sire of Kotare Kiwi [TAS Derby], Trunkey Sting [WA Derby, Fremantle Cup]) and Spring Pride, SA Trotters Cup
- Garden Path, dam of Tobacco Road, Welcome/Sapling Stakes, NZ Derby; third dam of :
- Precious Nandina, non-winner; third dam of Montecito 1:49.2US, $522,723; Pullover Brown, VIC/AUS/NZ Oaks, NZ Breeders Stakes; Flight South, Auckland Cup; Where Eagles Dare, ID heat
- Princess Nandina, 1:59.4US, dam of :
- Pacific, 1:53.0US, $871,550, US Breeders Crown/Mistletoe Shalee Stakes – 3f
- Twice As Good, 1:56.5, dam of Waitfornoone, Queen Of Hearts; grand dam of Elle Mac, 1:51.6 (1700m), Caduceus Club Classic, NZSS – 2f/3f, GN Oaks, Nevele R Fillies, Jewels Diamond – 4m; Flaming Flutter, 1:53.0, $738,335, SA Derby/Cup
- seventh dam of Persistent Threat, WA Sales Classic – 2c
Previous all bred by G McKenzie, Invercargill; those following by W Norman, Winton
Nelsons Victory (1926c Nelson Bingen), 2:08.8 (2m 4:22 4/5; 1¼m 2:41.0), £2,080, high class pacer, Auckland Presidents/International Hcps and numerous Canterbury handicaps before having to be destroyed
Single Lee (1927g Lee Norris), 2:21.4, £138
Mishap (1928f Happy Voyage), 2:17¼, £141; third dam of Nautilus, WA August Cup; fourth dam of Knight Express, Manawatu Cup
Dame Fortune (1929f Drusus), 2:17 1/5, £186; third dam of Sweet Jessica, Wellington Cup
Carver Doone (1930g Drusus), 2:12.0, £2,054, Winton/Hawera Cups
Dan McGrew (1931g Sungod), 2:15.0, £340
Lunch Hour (1933g Great Bingen), 2:19.4. £120
Lady Ajax family has a number of classic performers included in the various founding branches of the family. Major race winning performances include :
Derby winners :
NZ – Tobacco Road
GN – Sovereignty (Trotters)
SA – Free Hall, Flaming Flutter; Amarula (Trotters)
TAS – Atok
WA –Our Mighty Son, Global Force
ID winners : Pacers – Free Hall; Trotters – Yankee Loch
with several age group award winners in both New Zealand and Australia.
Oaks winners from the family include multiple winner Shez All Rick (NSW/VIC/NZ), Pullover Brown (NZ/VIC), Remember Joy, Handibank. Fleur De Lil and Elle Mac.
The family has three on the 1:50 list with NZ bred Montecito’s 1:49.2US at Meadowlands (2009) together with King Country (1:49.2US), Persistent Threat (AUS bred, 1:49.3US), Duplicated (NZ bred 1:49.2US) and Whittaker (NZ bred 1:50.0US) while Epaulette has three times under 1:52.0 (1:50.6, 1:50.8, 1:51.1) and Effronte (1:50.9) the families fastest Australasian winners. Locofoco’s T1:54.3US at Woodbine in 2004 is the quickest trotter in the Lady Ajax family. The family millionaire’s are female pacers Fleur De Lil and Miss Galvinator.
This has been the final article in the series reviewing the leading Australasian maternal families.
Peter Craig
7 August 2019
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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