The McArdle horse Tintin In America, a top pacer of a few years ago and a dual Harness Jewels champion, is a young sire – he was foaled in 2005 – already well on the way to proving a success with his first racing crop.
He stands at the renowned Nevele R Stud, Christchurch for a fee of $A2,255 including GST.
Actually Tintin In America has made a very impressive start as a sire. In his first season in New Zealand he left 32 foals, and of these he had three winners and four qualifiers, while his first Australian crop of 15 foals has produced two winners from four starters. Overall, Tintin In America has achieved a 70 percent winners-to-starters strike rate with his initial racing crop.
From his first crop he has sired a top colt in Zee Dana (1:57.3), who has won three of his first four starts including a heat of the Breeders Crown and is rated one of the star two-year-olds in Victoria this season, and a brilliant filly in Dame Puissant (1:59.6), who has won three races in the west this season.
Just Wantano (2:00.7), winner of the SA Kindergarten Stakes and a close fourth in the Vicbred Final, and Aussie Vista (2:01.1), a placegetter in the QBred Triad 2YO Final, have been other winners by Tintin In America from his first crop.
Tintin In America was a top racehorse himself, winning more than $900,000, and he won five times at Group 1 level and established three NZ records from 1609 to 2700 metres.
He won the NZ Sires Stakes Championship as a two-year-old, while at 3 he took his record of 1:53.2 winning the $200,000 Harness Jewels, in which he defeated Sleepy Tripp, Stunin Cullen and Highview Tommy.
Tintin In America also set a track record 1:56.1 mile rate for 2240 metres winning the Group 1 $170,000 Breeders Crown Final at Melton.
At four years Tintin In America bankrolled $519,355 from eight wins and three seconds from 13 starts and was subsequently accorded NZ 4YO of the Year honours.
Among the many highlights of his stellar four-year-old campaign were his successes in the $200,000 Harness Jewels (in 1:54.1), $150,000 NZ Messenger (in 1:56.6) and $50,000 Cambridge 4YO Futurity and his close second (beaten half a neck) to Monkey King in the $500,000 Auckland Cup.
Tintin In America belongs to one of the fastest moving families in the NZ stud book. His dam, Zenterfold 1:56.6, not only left four sub 2:00 performers, but she is a half-sister to the Cup winners winner Zenad 1:55.4 ($201,272), Zensational 1:54.8 ($138,808) and Zenola Seelster 1:58.2 ($102,706).
Zenterfold was by champion sire and broodmare sire in the great In The Pocket (1:49.6) and was out of Zenola Star (2:01), by New York Motoring (1:56.2) from Now And Zen, by Chiola Hanover from the great producer in Zenover, dam of Motoring Magic (1:57.5), Interchange and others. Zenover was also the grand-dam of Elsu 1:53.6 ($2-million), Inter Dominion winner and highly successful sire.
As one of the best winning members of the Zenover family, there is good reason to expect Tintin In America to make a name for himself as a sire.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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