Any harness racing breeder will tell you there are no guarantees when it comes to breeding standardbreds regardless of their racing record or pedigree.
Plenty of top class well bred mares fail to fire as broodmares for reasons that in the main are a mystery to everybody.
Well known breeder Trevor Casey has raced a lot of horses over the years and one of his better racemares from a few years ago was Belle Galleon.
The daughter of Sundon was bred by Garry Allen, the HRNZ chairman and raced initially by Trevor Casey and Bruce Negus of Courage Under Fire fame who trained the filly.
Bruce sold his share in Belle Galleon to Mike Bowden after the filly had had a handful of starts as a three year old and Trevor and Mike raced the mare for several seasons as she accumulated eleven wins and $116,144 on the track.
Trevor remembers her as quite difficult to get organized in the beginning.
" She took ages to get the hang of it early on."
" We would take her to the trials quite a few times and she would just gallop."
" She did eventually come to it and we started her at Oamaru but she ran into a real smart one in Jasmyn's Gift and finished second.
" We lined her up the next night at Forbury Park and she won easily," Trevor told Harnesslink today.
At her third lifetime start she ran fifth in the New Zealand Trotting Oaks but was disqualified for an early gallop and in just her fifth lifetime start Belle Galleon ran second in the New Zealand Trotting Derby to Thedonsson after having no luck in the running.
Belle Galleon changed camps a couple of times during her career moving between Bruce Negus and Colin De Filippi.
After been retired to the broodmare barn, tradegy struck the Belle Galleon camp soon after when part owner Mike Bowden passed away.
In his will Mike left his share in Belle Galleon to well known Amberley trainer Kevin Chapman.
So Trevor and Kevin take year about breeding from the mare and while she was a very smart mare on the racetrack, Belle Galleon is fast becoming a broodmare gem.
Trevor bred the first foal, a colt by Dream Vacation that he named Stent due to having had stents implanted earlier that year.
He entrusted him to Colin De Filippi and as they say the rest is history.
A smart two year year old Stent has just got better and better every year to the point where he has just gone through a five start Australian campaign including the Southern Star final unbeaten.
His earnings stand at a tick over $950,000 NZ and there appears plenty more in store for the now six year old gelding.
Kevin sent Belle Galleon to Majestic Son when his turn came around and the resulting foal was named Belles Son.
He has hit a purple patch in the last fortnight winning his last two starts and three lifetime from just ten starts and looks to have a bright future.
Trevor then sent the mare to Angus Hall and the resultant filly foal was named Arya.
Placed with the All Stars barn, Arya was a star two year last year, only missing a place once from seven starts when she was controversially disqualified in the Harness Jewels.
Sent to Australia for the Breeders Crown, she was dominant throughout the series, winning the final effortlessly.
Arya was left in Australia with Brent Lilley by Trevor as he also has top class filly Wanna Play with the All Star barn and didn't want the two fillies to clash.
This season at three she has carried on her winning way for Brent and on Saturday night took out the Group 1 $60,000 Need For Speed Princess final on the undercard to the Southern Star.
Arya is now the winner of seven of her eight Australian starts and has taken her earnings over the $160,000 mark and she is still only half way through her three year old season.
When Kevin's turn to breed a foal came around he sent the mare to Muscles Yankee and bred a colt he named Izmok.
Izmok was sold at last months New Zealand Premier Yearling sale at Christchurch for $90,000, the top price for a trotting yearling at the New Zealand sales this year.
Izmok was purchased by Charlie and Kaye Templeton from Invercargill.
Trevor sent the mare back to Dream Vacation and has a full brother to Stent on the ground while Kevin has had Belle Galleon served by Muscle Hill.
Trevor was at Tabcorp Park Melton on Saturday and was still bubbling today when speaking to Harnesslink.
" It is not very often that you win a Group 1 but to win three Group1s on one night was unreal."
" I don't think many mares will have ever left three Group 1 winners on one night apart from maybe Scuse Me."
" The funny thing is that the three foals that are old enough to race from Belle Galleon have all won a race for the last two weeks in a row, " Trevor said.
There are never any guarantees when breeding from smart racemares but in Belle Galleon, Trevor and Kevin have got that rarest of creatures – a broodmare gem.
Harnesslink Media