Cup ‘Mayhem' At Healesville

Designing a Special Pedigree

THE Group 3 Healesville Cup final always tosses up a hot field and the winner stamps itself as an elite race dog.

But it also provides pedigree study fanatics with some interesting insights into what makes a greyhound noted for its pure speed.

This year Kouta Mayhem (Fabregas-Belle's Melody by Hallucinate) downed Zoom Out (Banjo Boy-Unquestionably by Dyna Tron) with Swift Rain (Lochinvar Marlow-Ticket To Mars by Cosmic Rumble) in third.

Each of them has a special pedigree.

Let's take the winner first.

Kouta Mayhem has been a hot race dog for ages now but has been luckless in feature race finals. He was third in the G1 Melbourne Cup and the G2 Warragul Cup. He's also been a finalist in the G1 Hobart 1000, G1 Temlee, G2 Bendigo Cup, G2 Ballarat Cup and a Healesville Cup finalist last year.

For his troubles, he has earned his connections $180,000.

His sire Fabregas is bred on the highly successful cross of Zimbabwe (Temlee-Zulu Moss) and Riviera Tiger (Temlee-Riviera Moss). Zulu Moss and Riviera Moss are, of course, famous litter sisters. Both produced champions.

Kouta Mayhem's dam Belle's Melody is a half sister to champion Cindeen Shelby (Bombastic Shiraz-Proper Shelby). Kouta Mayhem, of course, is bred on the same cross that produced Cindeen Shelby. It was a mating that just had to be done with Belle's Melody.

Proper Shelby is by that former good race dog but moderate stud success Royal Assassin. His second dam is National Dingaan who just happens to be hugely in-bred to Zimbabwe and her litter brother Chief Dingaan.

Royal Assassin's dam Leprechaun Miss is bred on the same cross as Blonde Bombshell the second dam of Bombastic Shiraz. No wonder Cindeen Shelby was good.

Belle's Melody is also in-bred to the Wheeler family's famed Gail's Beauty. It comes via Handsomelee (in the damline of her sire Hallucinate) and through the damline of Proper Tears (sire of Belle's Melody's second dam).
But, Witch Magic (second dam of Fabregas) has much in common with Royal Assassin. They both bring in Head Honcho (balanced via daughter and son) and of course link the genetic relations Riviera Tiger and Zimbabwe and Chief Dingaan.

Healesville Cup runner-up Zoom Out is proving a classy race bitch and the flag bearer for her sire Banjo Boy.

Dam Unquestionably won seven of her 11 victories up the straight at Healesville. Her litter brother Hawka Tron was also a multiple Healesville winner in his 28 race wins.

Zoom Out, winner of the Healesville Oaks and Ballarat Oaks, and three times Group placed, has minor line breeding, the closest being a 4×5 cross of Light Of Fire and 5×5 of Malawi's Prince.

Such diversity has obviously allowed Zoom Out to run 500m for Group city racing.

She is bred on a 2×3 cross of Vee Man Vane and Collision who are both bred on the Light Of Fire/Malawi's Prince cross.

Swift Rain, third in the Healesville Cup, has a VERY interesting pedigree.

His dam Ticket To Mars is by Cosmic Rumble from a daughter of Collision and thus in-bred 2×2 to the half relations Spiritual Rumble and Collision (both out of Rumble Spirit).

She is also line bred 3×4 to the genetic brother and sister Phantom Flash and Westmead Flight. They are both by Flashy Sir and from a daughter of famed producer Westmead Satin.

Ticket To Mars was put to Lochinvar Marlow and the resultant pedigree (highlighted by Swift Rain the winner of eight races) was interesting to say the least.

That's because Lochinvar Marlow's dam Sensation Lee is bred on the same Brett Lee/Awesome Assassin cross as Ticket To Mars.

But, Lochinvar Marlow also brings in a cross of Balligari as the sire of his third dam.

Balligari is from the famed “Westmead” family one that has dominated English greyhound racing for decades. AND, Ticket to Mars has as the sire of her second dam a dog called Larkhill Jo.

Larkhill Jo is from the Westmead family.

Fabregas' Group 1 winning son Fabulous Storm is bred on this cross.
Four of the eight named offspring in Swift Rain's litter have good ability.

Pedigrees By Design
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