By Peter Wharton
JR Mint 1:49.6 ($924,131) is standing his first season in South Australia after previously serving stints in Victoria and New South Wales. He is one of the fastest and richest stallions ever to become available to breeders in the Croweater state.
JR Mint is now standing at the Skyline Stud at Quorn, 40 kilometres north-east of Port Augusta, for a fee of $1,100 including GST.
An outstanding two and tree-year-olds, and winning 17 of his first 20 starts, JR Mint competed with fine success on the tough USA Grand Circuit. Among his most important victories were the $500,000 Hoosier Cup, a $64,000 division of the Burlington Pace in a race record, the $55,000 Mohawk Pacing Series and an elimination of the Adios Stake.
He took his record of 1:49.6 winning at Mohawk at the age of five years.
JR Mint’s progeny soon became prominent on the Tasmanian racing scene. His stock raced with great distinction from two-year-old classics right through to Cup class.
From his first crop he sired a top pacer in Hugo Play 1:56.5 ($108,874). Hugo Play was the winner of 12 races including the Tasmanian 3YO Sires Stakes and two at Melton. He also left the brilliant, but ill-fated, Royal Sniper, and the smart mare, Left At The Mint 1:58.4 (7 NSW wins).
JR Mint’s second crop produced El Jay’s Magic 1:55.4 ($95,283) – Tasmania’s leading female pacer and winner of the Jane Ellen at Melton recently. Other second crop performers include Black Centurian, the winner of the Tasmanian Yearling Sale 3YO Classic, Really Fayfay (Tas. Blue Bonnet and 3YO Filly Ch’ship) and the multiple Group placegetter, Island Disco.
Other Tasmanian winners by JR Mint from his first crops include: Little Jethro, the winner of the Tasmanian 2YO Crystal Stakes; Prisoner was the winner of the Tasmanian Yearling Sale Classic at 2 and 3 years; and Clamorous (1:59.4) was a placegetter in Listed company at Melton.
JR Mint is now the sire of 20 individual winners from 46 starters. They have amassed more than $720,000 in stakes, and have an excellent average of $15,700 per starter.
On the score of blood, JR Mint lacks nothing. His sire Northern Luck (1:49.2) was a champion with stake earnings of $907,074 and has been one of North America’s top sires for some time. Later, a leading juvenile sire in Western Australia, Northern Luck figures as the sire of one of Canada’s greatest ever pacers in Silent Swing 1:48.8 ($2 million).
Kisses N Candy (1:54.2), the dam of JR Mint, has proved a prolific broodmare. She is the dam of five sub 1:55 performers and three $100,000 winners. She is also the grand-dam of the top USA Stakes winners Dr Dreamy and In Mint Condition (1:50).
Becky’s Love, the dam of Kisses N Candy, left nine winners in 2:00, seven of whom took records of better than 1:55. This is the family of Golden Miss, one of the gems of the American stud book. She was the dam of one of the finest colt pacers of all-time – Strike Out.
This family has distinguished itself over the years by the number of leading sires it has produced. They include Grinfromeartoear, Safely Kept, Panorama and champion racehorses, Rocknroll Hnanover, Red River Hanover and Real Desire.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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