Walk Hard

TWO weeks in a row…two Group victories within the space of six nights.

That's the sort of dominance the Zulu Moss family has on the racing world in Australia.

I mentioned last week what a pedigree it was that made up Iona Habit, the dam of Group 1 Paws of Thunder winner Iona Seven.

Iona Habit has no fewer than five crosses of the family of Zulu Moss and her litter sister Riviera Moss (Clay Moss-Cursorial).

And now, we have Walk Hard's dominant victory in the Group 2 Warragul Cup final just a week after the son of Bit Chili-Miss Bling had smashed the track record.

The Warragul Cup was a special race bringing together the quinella from the Hobart Thousand of Paw Licking and Black Magic Opal combined with Walk Hard who had finished third in the 2012 Hobart Group 1.

Neither Paw Licking, nor Black Magic Opal, lost any admirers with their performances.

Black Magic Opal looked home when he raced to the front approaching the home bend only to have Paw Licking tangle up with him on that turn.

Then Walk Hard dragged down Black Magic Opal a few strides later and the race was over for Jason's star.

But give Walk Hard his credit.

He came out of the five box and gave Group 1 winners Paw Licking and Black Magic Opal a start and a beating.

It obviously hasn't always been plain sailing for Walk Hard.

He missed seven months of racing early in 2013 but has come back to racing to win nine of his 14 starts.

And while he was away from the track, Walk Hard became a sire with a litter of pups from Skeeta a November Fury bitch who was a winner at Cranbourne, Sale and Warragul.

So, let's take a squizz at the pedigree of Walk Hard.

He is a son of Bit Chili (Bombastic Shiraz-Chili Berger) the Group 1 National Sprint winner who has become a good sire without being a great one.

That's not to denigrate Bit Chili…there are few "great" sires.

Bit Chili does extremely well when he mates bitches who carry a cross of Chariot Supreme in their pedigree.

This brings in a strong link between Like A Blessing (found in the damline of Bit Chili's damsire Elle's Commando) and her brother Chariot Supreme.

That is one of the reasons why some of the best progeny sired by Bit Chili are out of Brett Lee bitches. Brett Lee's second dam is by Chariot Supreme and every time a Brett Lee bitch is mated to Bit Chili, Like A Blessing is positioned to impact with her brother Chariot Supreme.

Miss Bling (Spiral Nikita-Skullring) has been a special broodbitch as has her mother.

Skullring, a very fast Sandown winner, is the granddam of littermates Echelon and Granduer both outstanding stayers by Mogambo.

Interesting that Mogambo has Elle's Commando in his damline and so does Bit Chili.

Banjo Boy, Bling It On, Where's Hannibal and Classy Maldini are all from this family.

The mating of Bit Chili-Miss Bling brought in a 5x4 duplication and sex balance to Curryhill Brute.

But we should look much closer at the pedigree of Walk Hard to find even more strong line breeding.

Bit Chili's direct sireline traces to Ginger (Eaglehawk Star-Rinaldi Lass).

Miss Bling's direct tail female line traces to Harper Valley.

Rinaldi Lass and Harper Valley are littermates, whelped in 1980 by Temlee from the legend broodbitch Waroo Lass.

Their litter sister National Lee was a wonder stayer who died in tragic circumstances.

A sister-in-blood, by Chief Dingaan (by Temlee) from Waroo Lass was named National Lass and she is in the Hall of Fame.

But the line breeding doesn't stop there.

Bombastic Shiraz (second sire of Walk Hard) traces along his tail female line to Zimbabwe.

So what, you ask?

Well, if we look closely at the pedigree of Miss Bling, going through her damsire Phantom Fire we come across a bitch called Amber's Choice.

This daughter of Pop Gun-Livia Lady has always fascinated me.

I suggest anyone interested in pedigrees should head off to Greyhound Data and look her up.

You will find she is in-bred to Chief Dingaan and his sister Zimbabwe (Temlee-Zulu Moss). She is also duplicated and balanced to both Temlee and Bowetzel.

Anyone with a modicum of pedigree knowledge will know Amber's Choice is bred on a similar cross to the great race dog Little Denver (NSW Derby, St Leger) and his grand producing litter sister National Dingaan.

Yes, the same National Dingaan found in the pedigrees of such greats as Betty's Angel, Trewly Special, Magic Sprite, Oaks Road and now the brilliant youngsters Red Road, Boyce Road and Black Road all National Derby heat winners at The Gardens last Friday.

There was always going to be a time when Amber's Choice would meet up with more of her own family and the result would be a special galloper.

BUT, it doesn't end there.

Take a good look through the pedigree of the other Warragul Cup finalists from last week.

We come across a dog called Awesome Grunt, already a scorching 29.23 winner around Sandown.

Awesome Grunt is by Bombastic Shiraz from Runnin' Jumpin' the dam a daughter of Where's Pedro-Miss Bling.

Awesome grunt has won 13 of his 29 starts and run nine placings.

As a Group finalist and a 29.23 winner around Sandown, he too is a special greyhound.

His pedigree allows for much greater impact of Chief Dingaan and the double of Zimbabwe than the pedigree of Walk Hard.

There are many branches of the Skullring family.

Another is that stemming to recent Black Top winner Billy Buzzard (Cosmic Rumble-Flying Buzzard).

Skullring's second dam Venetian Lass (Chariot Supreme-Harper Valley) was a litter sister to Tivoli Model the dam of Dashing Eagle.

Dashing Eagle and Ginger are virtual brothers. Both are by Eaglehawk Star. Ginger's dam and Dashing Eagle's second dam are sisters.

Ginger and Dashing Eagle are found 4x3 in the pedigree of champion Dashing Corsair and these genetic brothers are positioned to impact.

It would be interesting to see a bitch from Skullring's family mated to Dashing Corsair.

Now that's one to look up on Greyhound Data.