The first 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.

N1 PRIDE OF LINCOLN

 

The Pride of Lincoln family stands out in the top echelon of Australasian maternal families. It is the leading NZ family descending from an Australian bred foundation mare of unknown breeding (Sally).

 

PRIDE OF LINCOLN (187- Touchstone/Sally), NZ family N1; unraced; 14 foals, nine winners. All bred by JJ Todd. Lincoln.

 

Sally was imported into New Zealand around 1875 by Robert Wilkin, a Hereford St, Christchurch wine and spirit merchant whose stables were on the corner of Holmwood and Garden Roads, Fendalton. Sally was the dam of five foals – four Shales colts and Touchstone filly –  Pride Of Lincoln could be considered a mix of thoroughbred and unknown bloodlines. Sally has seven offspring recorded in Classic Families.

 

Robert Wilkin

 

Sire Touchstone (Berlin/Jeanie Tracey) was of thoroughbred origin, her dam Sally was sold by Robert Wilkin to JJ Todd of Lincoln, Canterbury who bred all fourteen of Pride Of Lincoln’s foals from eight different stallions, nine of whom were winners.

 

Male progeny included :

 

sons of Imperious in Principal (two wins), sire of forty nine winners including first WA Pacing Cup winner Letty Lind (run at WACA Cricket Ground in 1913) and Don Carlo, sire of two winners; Rambler (two wins).

 

Monte Carlo

 

Lincoln Yet, first foal 1883, son of Irvington the only Hambletonian 10 son imported into New Zealand. Sire of fifty winners including first NZ Cup winner in 1904, Monte Carlo (aged fourteen, trotter); foundation mare Bonnie Belle, dam of Country Belle (1915 NZ Cup, second 1914), dam of classic broodmare Rustic Maid (NZ record of seventeen foals for fifteen winners, dam of NZ Cup winner Chamfer) and third dam of Fallacy, sire of triple NZ Cup winner False Step. Country Belle’s three-quarter sister Curfew Belle was dam of Belle Logan, dam of Logan Derby, the sire of Johnny Globe and Vodka. Lincoln Yet’s daughters, Mary Lincoln left 1920/21 seasons leading stakes earner Willie Lincoln and Georgina produced champion trotter Revenue who sired third dams of Napland (Dominion Hcp) and Navy Blue (Auckland Cup); son General Lincoln sired second dam of NZ Derby/NZ Cup winner Kohara.

Proudchild (Rothschild, two wins), Pride Of Lincoln’s last foal in 1900, sire of thirty winners

 

sons of Berlin in Contractor (five wins) and Stonewall Jackson (2:31.0, smart performer with three wins for Freeman Holmes; ten wins overall including Dash Hcp, heat of Lancaster Park Champion Stakes (second in final) at 1/3 mile Lancaster Park, Addington Plate at Addington A&P Showgrounds track), Canterbury Century/Plumpton Park Hcps at Plumpton Park

and among her five daughters :

Apology (Performer, two wins); Victoria (Berlin, two wins over mile in saddle); Stratagem (unraced by Stonyhurst), dam of Terra Nova winner of numerous Addington features including NZ Hcp, National Cup Hcp, Henry Mace Memorial

Mercy (by Stonyhurst, a thoroughbred who in 1885 won NZ Derby, Canterbury Cup, Champagne Stakes), one trotting win, third dam of Betty Wrack, daughter of Peter The Great’s free legged pacing son Wrack. The winner of four races Betty Wrack left ten foals for six winners including Rowe Cup/Dominion Hcp winner Fair Isle (twelve wins) and Tui Scott the winner of seven and dam of Don’t Retreat (QLD Derby, Sir Clive Uhr Championship, WA Cup, Winfield Gold Cup, Australian Harness Horse of Year, sire of forty Australian winners) and Eva Storm whose descendants include Eva Thor, Kotare Legend, (Our) Jimmy Johnstone, About To Rock (Hunter Cup), Seaswift Franco. Another branch through Fortuna leads to Mai Mai

 

and by far the most influential of Pride Of Lincoln’s fillies in Thelma (1894, 2:25½, £414), from a grandson of Mambrino Chief line sire Berlin (imported from Scotland by Robert Wilkin in 1881) and his son Kentucky. Thelma was purchased by William Kerr (Wildwood training farm/stud on Wainoni Road, New Brighton) for £30 as a three year old from her breeder JJ Todd, Lincoln. After winning three races (Spreydon Hcp at four, Brighton Hcp at five, Champions Plate Hcp at six all over two miles), she retired to the broodmare paddock aged seven. Thelma had fifteen foals, the first in 1902 died at birth before she left fourteen consecutive foals (two others died) until her final foal in 1917. Thelma died at the age of 28 in 1922 having left ten winners from twelve live foals. Ron Bisman in Salute To Trotting described her as “the greatest colonial bred broodmare of all” and “foundress of the most prolific winning family in New Zealand”. Thelma is remembered annually with the Akaroa TC’s Thelma Memorial (fillies and mares) instigated by Steven Edge and contested since 1979.

 

Thelma’s siring sons included :

 

Wildwood sons in Willowwood (unbeaten winner of three races over three seasons, unsound) and Wildwood Junior, unsound champion stayer, two NZ Cup successes came in only seasonal starts aged five and six in 1909 and 1910 – sire of Admiral Wood (NZFFA, AK Cup), joint leading sire for individual winners with Logan Pointer in 1921/2, sire of 132 winners; dam sire of Lucky Jack (two NZ Cups; sire; dam sire of Battle Cry, Rowe Cup, ID Trotters Final and Chequer Board, Easter Cup), Olive Nelson (Dominion Hcp); fourth dam of Highland Fling was by Wildwood Junior

 

Wildwood Junior

 

Galindo sons in Waverley, second Auckland Cup, sire/dam sire AK Cup winners Willow Wave and Sea Born and Neil Dennis (three wins)

 

Logan Pointer sons in The Pointer (six wins, gelding) and Azelzion (two wins)

 

Adonis (by Harold Dillon), twice second in NZ Cup, numerous wins over two miles under saddle and harness; sire

 

and producing daughters whose many descendants contain numerous prominent performers :

 

Authoress (Wildwood, unraced), full sister to Wildwood Junior, died aged seven; dam of early pacing champion Author Dillon who numbered three consecutive New Zealand Free For Alls, NZ Derby and a New Zealand Cup among eighteen victories, later sire of fifty five winners; descendants include Balgove, I Am Sam; Lady Sybil (Rothschild), six wins, dam of Pilot Peter/Dictation (Dominion Hcp), Nelson Eddy; Marie Corelli (Wildwood), speedy mare (2:17.6) winner of two races, dam of Moana Tama (NZ Sapling Stakes)

 

Author Dillon

 

Cameos (Galindo), winner of six, dam of Onyx second in NZ Cup and grand dam of Free Advice winner of NZ Cup qualifying heat/third in NZ Cup (dam of Derby winners Pacing Power, Horsepower); branch of Pride of Lincoln family to whom Interdominion champion Welcome Advice (VIC Derby, ID Final) traces as does star juvenile Rip Van Winkle, who collected thirty three Classic Race wins (NSW/QLD Derby, Australian Pacing Championship, Sir Clive Uhr Championship). Half sister and brother Kates First (NZ/QLD Oaks, Nevele R Fillies, AK Cup) and Christian Cullen both descend from Cameos. Christian Cullen is possibly Australasia’s best ever locally bred (colonial) sire (millionaire, NZSS – 3, Treuer Memorial, Miracle Mile, AK Cup, NZ Cup/FFA) with over 1,100 winners worldwide including Christen Me, Gotta Go Cullen, Stunin Cullen, Mainland Banner and dam sire of in excess of 500 (Lazarus, Chicago Bull, Highview Tommy, Ohoka Punter). Other notable performers tracing to Cameos include Thelma Globe, Invicta, Blazing Globe, Perpetua, Angelique, Gallagher, Rhett, Frosty Imp, Hammerhead, Melton Monarch, Bolton Byrd, Bee Bee Cee and the list goes on …..

 

Christian Cullen

 

The family boasts three of the greatest modern era trotters in Tussle (Rowe Cup, Dominion Handicap), True Roman (Dullard Cup twice, Australasian Trotting Championship) and

millionaire Take A Moment (three Dominion Handicaps, Rowe Cup, NZ Trotting FFA/National Trot/Bill Collins Mile twice, Australian Grand Prix), all Inter Dominion Champions (Take A Moment twice) and multiple classic trot winners. The families fastest trotters are Stig (T1:55.2) and Springbank Sam (T1:55.1US) while other prominent trotters include Quite A Moment, Dr Hook, Escapee, Pocaro, Amazon, Hariett Of Mot, Galleons Paradise, Fair Isle, Dictation.

 

True Roman

 

Current family performers are often thirteen (Menin Gate) and fourteen generations (Hariett Of Mot) removed from foundation mare Pride Of Lincoln.

 

Pride of Lincoln is the leading NZ family as proven by its six NZ Cup winners (Wildwood Junior [twice], Author Dillon, Invicta, Bee Bee Cee, Christian Cullen) and the massive number of classic performers included in the various founding branches of the family. Other major race winning performances include :

 

Dominion Hcp winners – Pilot Peter, Dictation, Fair Isle, Tussle, Take A Moment (only three time winner together with Lyell Creek), Stig

 

Take a Moment

 

Derby winners : note – Brown Lancet (U303) leader in NZ with six NZ Derby and four GN Derby credits (plus one Victorian, Queensland, TAS, WA and Australian Derbies, two SA Derbies).

 

NZ – Author Dillon, Pacing Power

GN – Horsepower, Golden Oriole, Bolton Byrd, Melton Monarch

NSW – Centennial Hall, Rip Van Winkle, Local Honored

QLD – Don’t Retreat, Rip Van Winkle, Menin Gate, More The Better

 

Rip Van Winkle

 

SA – Achamar Chief

TAS – Tromos

VIC – Welcome Advice, Rhett, Under A Cloud, Menin Gate

WA – Swahili, Satanas, Volutis, Trunkey Maseratti

 

ID winners : Pacers – Welcome Advice; Trotters – Take A Moment (twice), Tussle, True Roman

 

Tussle

 

Miracle Mile : Christian Cullen

 

with several Harness Horse of Year Awards in New Zealand (Christian Cullen 1999, Take A Moment 2003) and Australia (Don’t Retreat 1976) with Australasian Grand Circuit champions in Christian Cullen (Pacers, 1999) and Take A Moment (Trotters 2003, 2004).

 

Oaks winners from the family include Kates First (NZ/QLD), Best Western, Shake It Mama, Miss Hondo, Cherubic, Perpetua, Gypsy Winkle, Lombo Regalia, Nomi Malone, Lady Octavia, Angelique and Ferrari Trunkey.

 

The family has three on the 1:50 list in More the Better (1:49.0US), Franco Catapult (1:49.2US) and the mare Ulrica Bromac (1:49.3US) while the families Australasian fastest is Bettermatch’s 1:50.3 at Menangle (2018) and in NZ More The Better’s 1:53.3 at Cambridge (2016). The family millionaire’s are Christian Cullen and Take A Moment.

 

 

Next Edition : Dairy Maid (U30)

 

 

 

 

Peter Craig

6 March 2019

 

 

 

Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com

Driving The Future Of Harness Racing

Approved by Dean Baring Harnessbred.com Harness Racing Breeding