King Of Aces

NSW Northern Rivers "legend" Col Graham has been breeding and training some pretty good race dogs over a few decades now and he doesn't look like stopping.

On Thursday night at Albion Park, Col produced highly promising King Of Aces (Hooked On Scotch-Distant Star by Moreira) to win in style.

Col bought the mother from Victoria and she proved a 17-time winner and earner of $40,000 for Col. He also bought her litter sister Inspire Us who won 23 races and earned $68,000.

Their litter brother, Waging War (13 wins, $113,000) was a Group class galloper.

So where is all this leading?

King Of Aces is a son of "boom" young stud dog Hooked On Scotch, the Barcia Bale-Nicki Fields G1 star who is already known as the sire of "boom" young sprinter, ex-Kiwi Postman Pat.

Add him to other track stars like Rejuvenate, Hot Scotch, Locked On Scotch, Queen Of Scotch, and plenty of youngsters just starting out, and you can see why studmaster Darren Puleio is sucking on lemons occasionally to wipe the smile from his face.

King Of Aces is bred on an identical cross to Postman Pat and those fabulous litter brothers Rejuvenate and Hot Scotch.

All four of them come from the famed National lass direct damline.

They trace back to National Dingaan, 6th dam of King Of Aces, Postman Pat and Rejuvenate, who was incestuously in-bred to the litter brother and sister Chief Dingaan and Zimbabwe (Temlee-Zulu Moss).

King Of Aces' dam, Distant Star, is in-bred 3x3 to Collision balanced via a daughter and a son.

Have a look at Shez Impetuous, the dam of champion She's A Pearl. She, too, is in-bred 3x3 to Collision.

So, why is Hooked On Scotch working so well with this damline?

Is there something common in their make-up?

The answer to that "could" be via Knocka Norris sitting perfectly placed as damsire in Hooked On Scotch's pedigree, and thus hugely important in whatever matings the Puleio star has.

Knocka Norris is Elite State-Oriental Angel by Knockabout Wok.

Let's trace some of Knocka Norris' family.

His sire, Elite State, is out of a daughter of Dagenham whose 2nd mother Miss Lemoss is by Temlee-Riviera Moss. You will remember, National Dingaan is intensely in-bred to Chief Dingaan and Zimbabwe (Temlee-Zulu Moss).

It just happens that Riviera Moss and Zulu Moss are litter sisters and famous, famous producers. Riviera Moss was the dam of Qld GOTY Gallant Anne and Adelaide Cup winner and fine stud dog Riviera Tiger (sire of Qld champ Dancing Gamble).

BUT, what is not so obvious is that Knocka Norris' 6th dam, the foundation bitch of the family of such greats as Awesome Assassin etc, is a daughter of the above mentioned Riviera Tiger.

Thus, Knocka Norris and his champion producer litter sister Elite Oriental (2nd dam of Aston Dee Bee and 3rd dam of Aston Rupee) are in-bred to virtual sister and brother Miss Lemoss and Riviera Tiger.

So, when Hooked On Scotch came along to mate those bitches from the National Dingaan damline, it brought in a further saturation of this famous, famous family.

Yes, for all those doubters out there in bloodlines land, it is well back in the pedigree.

But, King Of Aces, Postman Pat and Rejuvenate are difficult to brush away as simply chance matings.

Let's also look at those G1 littermates, Locked On Scotch and Queen Of Scotch. They are in-bred 3x3 to Knocka Norris.

We have already seen Knocka Norris is in-bred to Miss Lemoss and Riviera Tiger, so doubling Knocka Norris in this pedigree simply reinforced the famed Riviera Moss family.

BUT, while King Of Aces, Postman Pat and Rejuvenate are all bred on the Hooked On Scotch/National Dingaan cross, there is distinct differences in the pedigree of Postman Pat and Rejuvenate.

Rejuvenate has a very powerful 5x4 of the litter brothers Knockabout Wok and Puzzle Prize in his pedigree.

And, Postman Pat is out of a daughter of Fabregas who is already starting to work spectacularly with Hooked On Scotch.

Get onto greyhound data website and do a test mating of Misty Fields (2nd dam of Hooked On Scotch) with Fabregas. You will be amazed. They are bred on a reverse cross.

Misty Fields is by a son of Larkhill Jo and has a daughter of Black Shiraz as her mother.

Fabregas is a grandson of Black Shiraz and has a daughter of Larkhill Jo as his mother.

No wonder Fabregas bitches are being put to Hooked On Scotch with a rush.

Fabregas' champion son Dundee Osprey was in-bred to daughter and son of Larkhill Jo.

Who said greyhound bloodlines are not fascinating!