The first of a two part article reviewing multiple winner and winner producing broodmare Belday and her associated family. A number won classic races, became the dams of classic winners/progeny and contributed to the genetic inheritance of numerous outstanding performers.
Bruce Hutton owns classy trotting mare Belday who is part of a lengthy female tail line (eight generations) tracing back to foundation mare Miss Poole (N16) through her filly foal Wood Nymph.
BELDAY (1992 Bellam/Cee Day), New Zealand family N16, Miss Poole; T2:08.0, $14,848, five wins; dam of eight foals, five to race for five winners. Breeder : Mrs TE Peters. Current Owner : Bruce Hutton, ownership transferred from Tania Hutton to Bruce Hutton in 2010 (race day owners : Dennis Price, Mrs Tania Hutton). Foals bred by : Mrs Thelma Peters (Rhythm Of the Night); Mrs Tania Hutton (Night Of Glory, Bell Of the Night, Fire In The Night); Bruce Hutton and Michael Taranto (Night Of My Life, Make My Night); Bruce Hutton (About Last Night, unregistered Sundon colt).
Belday’s family is that of Miss Poole (N16) whose daughters continued strong
branches of the family. Many major family achievers descend from daughter Wood Nymph as featured later. The other productive Miss Poole daughter was Miss Wild Poole with leading progeny Tricky Dick (1:564US, $460,330), Be Sly and trotter Raydon (Interdominion heat). Miss Poole’s male progeny included Maelstrom (Forbury Cup/Handicap/Presidents Handicap and New Zealand Metropolitan Handicap twice) and Master Poole won New Zealand/Metropolitan Handicaps.
Belday’s sire was Colonially bred Plat du Jour stallion Bellam, out of a successful pacing bred mare in Armbro Play (Armbro Del/Miss America); grand dam of Flash Atom, 1:55.0US, North Island Breeders Stakes and Anvilanunoit, 1:49.4US, Superstars, Rangiora Classic; fourth dam of Burnaholeinmypocket 1:52.1. Dual gaited Bellam won fourteen races trotting, T2:05.6, $111,410. These included Hambletonian and Rosso Antico Stakes at three when he was named three-year-old Trotter of Year, one placing from eleven pacing starts. In the breeding barn he left thirty six winners (six pacers, thirty trotters) of one hundred and nineteen races, twelve pacing, one hundred and seven trotting. His major credit being Addington starter Peter Lamb’s Interdominion Grand Final winning trotter Play On (fourteen New Zealand wins, T2:01.8, $290,649, Banks Peninsula Trotting Cup; second New Zealand Trotting free-for-all, third Ashburton Flying Mile (twice, also fourth twice), Dominion Handicap; two Group Three thirds from four Australian starts.
Belday was bred by Mrs Thelma (TE) Peters in 1992, the ninth and final foal of Cee Day. Raced throughout her career by owners Dennis (DA) Price and Mrs Tania (TJ) Hutton with her trainer Greendale horseman Bruce Hutton who now owns her. Starting her racing career at five, she won her second start over 2400m at Waterlea (Marlborough) for trainer/driver Bruce Hutton. Her three wins at six were at Gore in the hands of junior driver Andrew Suddaby and for Jim Curtin at Greymouth and Rangiora with Special Branch second. Her final victory at seven at Tuapeka’s annual Forbury Park meeting for Ricky May in her best mile rating of T2:08.0 (2700m). Belday’s overall record stood at : thirty six starts, five wins and a third, $14,848, T2:08.0.
In the breeding barn, Belday has left eight foals, six to race for five winners plus an unraced qualifier. Belday’s fillies include :
Fire In The Night (2007f Sundon); sixty one starts : 7 wins, 9 seconds, 7 thirds, $73,243, T2:04.9, raced by Bruce Hutton and Michael Taranto. Unplaced in two two-year-old starts, she recorded her first three-year-old win at Manawatu in her eighth start, reined home by Jim Curtin. Following a fourth in the New Zealand Trotting Oaks, Fire In The Night was successful late in the season at Addington for the Curtin/Hutton combination. Two more Addington wins at four, second on Show Day, Timaru success, fourth to Paramount Gee Gee in the Trotters four-year-old Championship and eleventh in the Jewels at Cambridge trotting 1:58.0, rounded out her best season. A solitary Addington win at five and fourth in the Southern Lights Trot to Springbank Sam preceded her final season at six where she book ended career wins at Manawatu in her penultimate start. So far, Fire In The Night has left Luminosity (Muscles Hill two year old filly) and a weanling Trixton colt.
Make My Night (2008f Majestic Son); twelve starts, one win, 1 third, $4,294, T2:11.7. Her lone victory in the hands of Jim Curtin was at her third start at a Wairarapa meeting (Manawatu Raceway) for lessees Wayne (WD) Jennens (trainer) and Mrs Katrina (KE) Jennens of Brightwater. She has left Make My Sundon (Sundon yearling filly) to date.
Bell Of The Night (2004f Armbro Invasion), qualified T2:13.0, unraced and dam of non winning Sundon filly Family Night (T2:12.5q, $3,006)) and two unregistered Monkey Bones colts.
About Last Night (2011f Skyvalley), dual gaited qualifying as a pacer in 2:05.1 and trotter in T2:10.9; unplaced in three trotting and four pacing starts ($1,300) to date in current season.
Belday’s male progeny include Sundon full brothers Rhythm Of The Night and Night of Glory (full sister Fire In The Night).
Belday’s standout performer Rhythm Of The Night (2001g Sundon) record shows fifty New Zealand starts, eight wins, eight seconds, four thirds, $106,476, T3 2:04.2; AUST (My Rhythm Of The Night) 6 starts, one win, one third, $36,698, T2:05.6; overall Australasian record fifty six starts, nine wins, eight seconds, five thirds, $143,174, T1:56.1US; lifetime earnings $279,698. He was raced by Bruce Hutton with his major supporter, Melbourne based Michael Taranto, principal of Seelite Windows (aluminium company). Taranto from Hallam (Central Melbourne) interests in standardbreds goes much further than racing and breeding them. He is Vice President of Cranbourne HRC, Chairman of Breeders Crown Committee and member of a number of Harness Racing Victoria Committee’s.
Commencing racing at two, Rhythm Of the Night won a Breeders Crown heat for Ricky May and Bruce Hutton in his fourth start at Addington. Three wins at three were recorded in New Zealand and Australia. Addington successes comprised the Listed New Zealand Yearling Sales Series Trot worth $68,250 in a time of T2:30.6/2:04.2 (his best New Zealand mile rate), placed fourth in New Zealand Trotters Derby and won a Breeders Crown heat (walkover). Taken to Australia, his four starts yielded a Victoria Derby heat win at Shepparton (finished fifth in Derby final) and effectively four years old by New Zealand seasonal time, fourth in the three-year-old Breeders Crown Trot final at Cranbourne. Jim Curtin handled him in all three wins at three and in all his other New Zealand career wins.
At four, Rhythm Of The Night won on three occasions at Nelson, Addington (Hororata meeting – Bruce Hutton is current and a past President of club) and Rangiora. A solitary win at five at Addington as well as finishing second on Show Day to One Over Kenny, again repeated at six with an Addington win and third on Cup Day to stable mate Lord Burghley (Colin de Filippi) in the Listed Ballantyne Handicap Trot. After four further starts for a couple of placings he was off to Australia for the 2008 Interdominions. Placing fifth in his heat, driven by Anthony Butt he ran third in the Grand Final at Moonee Valley to Galleons Sunset. The remainder of his career was spent in North America where he won a further eleven races, finishing with a career record of one hundred and sixty one starts, 20 wins, thirty one seconds, twenty five thirds, $279,698, T1:56.1US.
Night Of Glory (2003g Sundon); New Zealand twenty four starts, two wins, four seconds, three thirds, $24,509, T2:09.9; T1:58.0US. Raced by Bruce Hutton and Michael Taranto, unplaced from three two-year-old starts before registering his maiden win at three at his sixth start at Nelson (driver Ricky May). Night Of Glory only raced once at four/unplaced before undertaking a fourteen start northern campaign which resulted in his second career victory at Alexandra Park in the hands of Todd MacFarlane, placed on two occasions at Alexandra Park and four times at Cambridge. After his final Auckland start, he was exported to North America where he took his T1:58.0 mile time.
Night Of My Life (2005g Malabar Maple); New Zealand thirty four starts, two wins, three seconds, four thirds, $18,142, T2:07.1; AUS (The Night Of My Life) twenty seven starts, nine wins, seven seconds, three thirds, $41,956, T2:04.8; overall Australasian record sixty one starts, eleven wins, ten seconds, seven thirds, $60,098. Raced by his breeders, Bruce Hutton and Michael Taranto, after a placing at three, he won his thirteenth outing as a four -year-old at Ashburton, following this up two starts later for another win at Timaru when again driven by Jim Curtin. After a few placings at five, Night Of My Life was exported to Australia. Nine Australian wins from sixteen starts at Globe Derby (best MR T2:04.8), unplaced in two Menangle starts finishing off his career in Queensland with four placings in nine starts including a second in Group Three Jim McNeil Trot Final.
NEXT WEEK : Belday’s maternal family.
Peter Craig
1 March 2017
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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