GRANT HATTON BUYS FILLY FROM SAVEPATROL FAMILY
Overport Lodge trainer Mark Jones secured a close relative of star pacer Saveapatrol and promising 2YO The Bus for owner Grant Hatton at the Australia Pacing Gold Melbourne sale on Sunday, February 5.
The filly, by recently deceased sire Mach Three from Rigaleto Franco, was a $16,000 buy.
Grant Hatton, furthered his association with the family of Saveapatrol, securing a filly relative at the APG Melbourne Yearling Sale.
“We have left her in Melbourne be broken in by Dave Karr and then we will bring her to New Zealand,” Mark said.
She is eligible to return to Australia for the Australasian Breeders Crown, Vicbred and Vicbred Platinum series.
Her dam Rigaleto Franco is a successful producing half-sister by Live Or Die to Rondel Franco (1:51.6, US), the Falcon Seelster dam of Saveapatrol (1:56.9, 11 wins from 18 starts for $145,618), Rondels Rose (winner of one each in NZ & Australia), The Bus (1:59.8, 2YO qualifier) and Runaround Rhonda, the latter now the race-placed Artsplace dam of (Now) I Get Around (1:59.8, three wins).
Rigaleto Franco is the dam of six to race for six winners including Courageousnquick (1:56.1, 17 wins & $236,427), whose wins included a Victorian Sapling Stakes, a NSW Pink Bonnet, a heat & semi-final of the Australian Gold, a heat of the Vict. Oaks, a repechage of the Breeders Crown, 2 heats of the Vicbred; and ran second in a Tasmanian Oaks.
She’s also the dam of Swift Stride (1:56.6, 21 wins, & $94,400); The Court Jester (1:54.7, 9 wins & $82,182); Rigaleto Gold (2 wins at 2 and 3) and the dam of the 2016 Southern Cross Gr.2 winner Stars Of Courage (1:54.2 & $62,878); (My) Wings Of An Angel (5 wins & $34,051) and minor winner Quality of Life.
Rigaleto Franco’s dam Reigning Franco is the dam of six winners, including: Rondel Franco (1:51.6f, USA, two NZ wins at 2 and 3, and a further 35 USA wins for $684,003), Franco Renegade (1:55.5, 19 wins & $222,218), Franco Rock (1:59.3f, two USA wins), Rapid Fire Franco (p2, 2:00.5, 2 NZ wins), Reign Again Franco (7 wins & $25,877), and Ruling Franco (4 wins & $17,585).
Besides Rondel Franco, other daughters of Reigning Franco have bred on.
Rapid Fire Franco is the dam of Righteous Franco (dam of former Canterbury mare Lighting Mach, 10 NZ wins, 1:51.2, US), Renaissance Franco (1:57.9 & $54,586) and Rowan Franco (1:56.2 & $43,006).
Reign Again Franco, at stud in Australia, is the dam of Sovereign Flight (1:53.9, seven wins & $41,950), Reign In Spain (1:58.9), Artifice (seven wins & $51,564); and Walk With Kings (eight wins).
She’s also the grandam of Fiori (1:54.4 & $82,218), Bay Tint (1:59.4)
Ruling Franco is the grand-dam of Cagney (1:59.7, six wins).
Another producer from Reigning Franco is the unraced Repeat A Franco, is the Badlands Hanover dam of Franco Revel (1:57, 13 wins & $92,610) and Regency Franco (three wins), while Repeat A Franco’s sister Resolute Franco is the dam of This Excuse Is Fine (1:59, three wins).
Reigning Franco’s dam was the former top 1970s mare Royal Belmer (by Thurber Frost), who won 12 of 42 starts for the late Jack Smolenski, including the first ever NZ Standardbred Breeders Stakes at Addington 1973.