Two Time Twice

THERE is a bitch in the direct damline of Group 2 Qld Derby winner Two Times Twice that was named Just A Fluke.

She is the 16th dam of Two Times Twice (Fernando Bale-Chica Destacarda).

My reasoning for bringing this to your attention is that the success of Two Times Twice is anything but a fluke.

The country's latest Group winner is the product of two modern day stars, Fernando Bale and Chica Destacarda, both of them Group 1 victors and now proving that class really does shine through.

Bitches like Chica Destacarda are the flag bearers for those of us who, backed by the stats in our favour, prove that the better race bitches are a much better chance of achieving at stud than those who are not.

Yes, there are ALWAYS exceptions to every rule, but Chica Destacarda has stepped up.

Hers is a direct line of class, class and more class.

When harness racing mates Dennis Donoghue and Peter McDermott joined forces to race Dennis' second greyhound and Peter's first, neither would have dreamed the ride on which they have gone already.

Chica Destacarda started 71 times for 24 wins and 14 placings and earned $345,000.

Peter is still pinching himself at that initial foray into greyhound racing. He says why he didn't get into greyhound racing ages ago is a question he cannot answer.

Chica Destacarda (Cosmic Rumble-Eluthra) won the Group 1 Nat Sprint and Group 2 Christmas Gift, was second in the Melbourne Cup and a finalist in the Topgun, Dapto Megastar and Temlee.

She was the real deal.

When Dennis and Peter plumped for Fernando Bale as her first mate, they brought in a 3x2 link between the similarly bred Rosemary Bale (2nd dam of Fernando Bale) and Eluthra (2nd dam of Two Times Twice).

They both carry Awesome Assassin and Head Honcho in their pedigrees and they are balanced, coming via females in Fernando and males in Chica.

There is also a cross of the litter brothers Skelligs Tiger and Curryhills Fox in the pedigree of Two Times Twice.

Chica's pedigree is one of the best I have studied. It brings in the half relations Brett Lee and Hotshow Sam 3x3 on the direct female line on both sides of the pedigree. But it also links Minnies Selina and Grove Whisper who have much in common in their pedigree make up. A number of the best progeny sired by Cosmic Rumble carry a cross of Grove Whisper in their dam.

The class in this pedigree doesn't stop at Chica Destacarda.

Her dam Eluthra (Most Awesome-Buena Sarah) started 66 times for 22 wins and 24 placings and she earned $87,000. She was a finalist in the Potential Stakes and Nat Futurity and was a sister to Group class Ravenstoke.

Next dam Buena Sarah started just 12 times for four wins, two at Richmond and two at Lithgow, and was placed four times. But her real claim to fame is that she was a litter sister to Group 1 class Buddy Rich (finalist in the Topgun).

You don't get invited to the Topgun unless you can run!

Sarah Isle is the fourth dam of Two Times Twice.

She started 37 times for nine wins and 11 placings and was a triple Wenty winner and also won at Richmond and Wyong. She was a finalist in the 2000 Group 2 Ladies Bracelet.

The class doesn't stop there either.

Next dam Paradox won twice at Wenty and was a Richmond and Penrith winner in her six wins and eight placings in just 25 starts.

What I found fascinating about the pedigree of Paradox is that, like legend Head Honcho, she is in-bred 2x3 to the littermates Promises Free and Nation Parade.

Interesting then that when Paradox and Head Honcho combined 2x2 in a pedigree it produced Buena Sarah, not a Group class race bitch, but a Group class producer.

Her other Wentworth Park winning daughter Midnight Lace also went to Cosmic Rumble to produce race stars Billy The Sid and Take It All.

Many, many years ago, that greyhound racing historian, Queenslander Peter Rose found that by crossing Promises Free with her brother Nation Parade, the chances of getting city winners, and classy gallopers, was improved immeasurably.

Which, finally, brings me to Parade Miss the seventh dam of Two Times Twice.

She is Nation Parade-Gwen's Dream and her pedigree is special. She is in-bred five times to the famed broodbitch Brenda Gay.

Yes, that's the same Brenda Gay who is found twice in the pedigree of Gail's Beauty the foundation bitch of the Wheeler family ... and ninth dam of Fernando Bale.

Remember too that legend Temlee is in-bred 3x4 to littermates Top Linen and Brenda's Daughter ... both of them by Fine Linen and out of none other than Brenda Gay.

The pedigree of Two Times Twice carries no fewer than 39 crosses of Temlee.

Two Times Twice winning the Group 2 Qld Derby?

It was no fluke!