ALECTO and RIVER, at opposite ends of the market but drawn alongside each other in the Sires Stakes heat for fillies at Alexandra Park on Friday have something else in common.
Both fillies are descended from imported American mares who, especially in earlier eras,played a huge role in the development of the New Zealand standardbred.
Alecto owes her heritage to Belle Keller,imported by Sir John McKenzie (then plain JR) in 1929. Belle Keller had little success with her New Zealand bred stock (she had left two winners in America) and Roydon Lodge soon quit her descendants. But as with other so-called disappointing imports (Estella Amos,belated dam of the great Indianapolis plus champion broodmare Tondeleyo was another) a second generation usually shone through.It must have hurt though. Belle Keller is a notable absentee from the thorough list of mares imported by Roydon Lodge in Roydon Heritage, the history of the stud by Sir Roy McKenzie
Belle Keller’s tribe has the unusual achievement of producing the greatest young trotter seen here in his era and one of, if not the, greatest of pacers here this century.
Alecto is related to Lazarus,but also to the ill- fated Certissimus the square gaiter who made tracks sizzle in the 1940’s before tragedy struck in the form of a fatal accident frenzied efforts to rescue could not prevent. No trotter of any age previously and none of his age since have matched the public charisma Certissimus possessed in a short career. But at least he had the chance to show how good he was -and what a loss he was to breeders.
Unusually for a number of imported mares back in the day,Belle Keller was a pacer and a winner in the States with a very respectable 2.07 mile time. She came with a foal by Arion Guy the first colt trotter to break two minutes and in foal to the same sire. That second one (the live foal Arion Axworthy was a racecourse flop but a useful sire) was named Roydon’s Pride,sold at auction for just $75 and became the dam of Certissimus.
She also left Desmond’s Pride,a good trotting sire; Roydon’s Gift; and Roydon Hall, a 1 start maiden of whom much more would be heard.She was the granddam of multiple N Z Trotting Stakes winners, (Sure Gift,King’s Brigade) as well of the dam of Queen’s Cord the Kaikoura heroine who won an Inter Dominion Consolation.
Roydon Hall left two two Cup class pacers in Roy Grattan,twice placed in that race, and Don Hall, raced by Ray Teahen and whose innocent role in a sensational whip incident at Addington in the 1950’s overshadowed his outstanding race record.
Then Roydon’s Gift (ouch!) chimed in with Global Hall who won a Rowe Memorial Gold Cup.
So being at the weekly Tattersalls sale in Christchurch when Roydon’s Pride appeared (he is reputed to have not been the successful bidder at the time,bought post sale ) turned out tops for Dinny Teahen (originally Taehen) who took her home to Temuka and founded a dynasty as long lasting as any of the American importations of that era. Few non commercial breeders in a lifetime have matched the Teahen achievements in virtually just a decade.He died in 1951 and many of the horses were dispersed in a high profile sale.
Certissimus also left 8 foals from a few matings as a three year old and just 25 performers as a broodmare sire, But what a list. One foal,Acclamation,won a Dominion Handicap. Another,Flame,left a string of top trotters for Ashburton’s Jim Wilson including Highland Flame who won the Trotting Stakes by 100m,Flaming Way,Alight,etc etc.
Alecto descends through Scapa Flow a granddaughter of Belle Keller and a good performer herself in the war years. In a quieter period for the family her daughter produced the smart northern trotter,Flagon Wagon, for the Jim Herring/Don Hayes combination prominent at that time.But it was Dave Phillips who bred and raced Tabella Beth (with a National Bloodstock syndicate) from Double Tested, a sister to Flagon Wagon, John Butcher being her trainer in New Zealand
After some top northern form Tabella Beth went to America for a substantial sum and after a 1.54.8 placing and several wins was repurchased by National Bloodstock for breeding purposes.
This outcross mare sparked a remarkable second coming of the family. Spirit of Zeus, Stars and Stripes, Light and Sound and later the superstar Lazarus and his illustrious stablemate Self Assured,were just some of the headliners who emerged.Those two latter multi -million dollar earners were crowning triumphs and both from the Purdon stable.
Yet Tabella Beth was badly missing the fashionable bloodlines sale rings demand today.No Meadow Skipperat all. One male line went to the legendary racer but obscurely bred Wilkes-line horse Single G (through Jim Herring’s Great Evander) and another to an unfashionable Peter the Great line from Cardinal Prince (through Lucky Hanover).Her sire Able Bye Bye (Bye Bye Byrd) only went 2.07 himself though left some tough determined racers several of whom were not prettily gaited on our tracks.Ben was outstanding here but none went faster than Tabella Beth during her American campaign at an official 1.55 and change.
Alecto was home bred by Paul Kane who raced in partnership the high class mare Mr Kaplan, a three quarter sister.The Kanes have been inventive when naming their stock.This one is after a Greek female legend who had wings. Hopefully prophetic. They also have a handy strike rate to match and Alecto should soon add to that.
RIVER has a much shorter trip back to American heritage for Self Assured’s owner,Jean Feiss who paid a handsome price for her as a yearling. Her dam Lady Gilpin boasted Somebeachsomewhere,Christian Cullen and Artsplace as her first three damsires and is a half-sister to Belle of Montana and Delightful Kas.What is more their dam,Lady Cullen,was a very fast half-sister (1.55.9) to the wonderful Carabella one of the greatest fillies of this century in New Zealand. She was by River’s sire,Bettor’s Delight.
Her dam Andress Blue Chip,imported by Robert Famularo,did not excel on the track in the US but the bloodlines are there and proven.It will be a surprise if River doesn’t add to those laurels at short notice.
Two starts back she went well and was too bad to be true last time suggesting she will soon be on the way back.
Friday may well be a start along the way
PIC. The potentially great,ill fated trotter Certissimus in action with Dinny Teahen in the cart