One of the New Zealand’s most prolific breeders, Sandy Yarndley, will have a descendant from his foundation mare up for grabs in the late Dr. Dewar’s Estate Sale from Friday May 2, until Sunday May 4, 2025.
For 50 years the family of the 14-win 1966 Scottish Command - Rosehaven (Black Globe), mare, Black Watch, have been producing champion after champion. Waikato-based Yarndley (80), who is now retired, is an icon of the breeding industry. Despite the onset of dementia, the 80-year-old still remembers the mighty black mare.
“My Dad and his father were both involved with horses when I was a youngster. My grandfather was involved in both codes, and I remember heading down to the Te Awamutu track when he had Black Watch,” said Yarndley, who was bestowed with a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) for his services to harness racing in 2005.
He said his first $100,000-plus yearling was the1984 Smooth Fella - Black Watch (by Scottish Command) colt, McCoy, who sold for $120,000.
Yarndley’s son, Scott, said Black Watch died aged 31 on April 14, 1997.
“Black Watch (2:04.6) lived out her life as a ‘mother figure’ for the weanlings each year and She never lost any of that competitive nature. Her family line is truly amazing with many Group and Listed winners. As for Dad, he is doing okay but has very limited short-term memory left. Dementia starts with that and then robs you of later memories until you have nothing,” the younger Yarndley said.
Lot 7 at the Dr Dewar’s Sale – Whisky Neat (2:00), who won four races (one in NZ), is a 2016 Bettors Delight - Focussed (In The Pocket) bay mare born on November 17, 2016. She is the great-great grand-daughter of Black Watch, and although she is currently empty, she is being sold with a foal at foot, a Fly Like An Eagle colt born in December last year.
Her bloodlines are impeccable, and the mare’s future breeding career looks bright.
Whisky Neat is the last of five foals out of the 1996 In The Pocket two-win mare, Focussed (1:58.5). Focussed’s mother, the un-raced 1995 Smooth Fella mare, Arvee, is a daughter of champion 1978 un-raced Mark Lobell broodmare – Aberfeldy.
The second of 11 foals out of Black Watch, Aberfeldy, left the 1993 Butler B G eight-win mare, Megaera (1:56.8). Her $250,646 in stakes money was largely made up from her victories in the Group One Caduceus Club Fillies Classic in 1996; The Group Two NZ Sires Stakes Fillies Championship in 1996; the NZ Yearling Sales Series 3yo Final in 1997; and the $100,000 2yo Fillies Final in 1998.
Aberfeldy’s second foal (of 12) the 1984 Lordship entire, Reba Lord, who amassed 17 wins and $384,880, including the 1990 New Zealand Free-For All winner. He later went on to record a 1:56 mile in the United States.
Aberfeldy's eighth foal, the 1992 Soky's Atom mare, Tosti, left the $195,000 NZ Yearling Sales 2yo champion of 2005, After The Reckoning (1:57.6), who nailed 12 wins and $289,295.
Black Watch established herself as a leading miler when driven by Peter Wolfenden in the late 1960’s, with most of her victories coming in her younger years with an impressive run of consecutive wins to start her racing career.
She produced a number of daughters that would all prove magnificent broodmares. Their off-spring reads as a whose who of harness racing Down Under. Black Watch had 16 foals, Aberfeldy 18, Nancy Iola 10, Burgundy Lass had 15, Vicario (the mother of Stunin Cullen) 10, Sparkling Burgundy (the mother of Gotta Go Cullen) 12, Corbie (the mother of Agios Nikolaos and Black Maire) 17, and Black Maire (the mother of Lauraella) 11 foals.
The late 2005 Christian Cullen mare – Lauraella – was a multiple Group One champion, who banked almost $650,000 in stakes. Her first foal, Express Stride (Bettor’s Delight) won five races ($147,890) for Tony Herlihy (MNZM) and then 9 more in Australia ($273,605). Express Stride also recorded a 1:49 mile after he left Australia. He sold for $210,000 at the 2013 Yearling Sales at Karaka.
The multiple Group One winning 2005 Christian Cullen entire, Stunin Cullen (1:54.1) won 18 races in his career with $1.4m in stakes. The 2009 Great Northern Derny and dual Sires Stakes 3yo champion also left 38 winners as a stallion.
Chicago Bull (1:51.6), a grandson of Black Watch three times removed has written plenty of harness racing history himself winning the WA Derby, Fremantle Pacing Cup and Western Australian Pacing Cup. He retired in August 2022, the winner of 62 races, and a whopping $2.4m in purses.
Black Watch's 1989 Vance Hanover grand-daughter Pacific Flight N (1:51.2), won 47 races with $562,345.
Alta Christiano 2009 Christian Cullen entire, and great-great grandson of Black watch was also another champion Group-One winning pacer, who won the 2013 Western Australia Derby.
There were lots of others that have gained Group and Listed glory, including the 2003 Christian Cullen entire, Gotta Go Cullen (1:58.6) who was also a multiple Group One winning entire who won 24 races and $1.1m, including the 2008 Auckland Cup and 2008 New Zealand Messenger Championship.
More recently the 2017 Captaintreacherous gelding, Its All About Faith (1:56.4), won eight races and $231,064, including the 2020 Sires Stakes 3yo Final. Plus, Group and Listed winner, Penny Black (1:54.9), who is currently racing in Western Australia.
Black Watch's younger sister, the 1967 un-raced black mare, Black Fury, was also a breeding giant. In 1984 she left the un-raced chestnut Noodlum mare, Burgandy Lass, who in turn was the mother of Il Vicolo (1:55.6) – the 1991 champion son of Vance Hanover, who won numerous Group One events including the 1995 and 1996 New Zealand Trotting Cups, the 1995 New Zealand Free-For-All, the 1995 New Zealand Derby, and the 1995 Great Northern Derby.
All-up Il Vicolo won 31 races and placed in 8 others for a grand total of $1.5 million in purses. He retired to stud after his November 1996 New Zealand Cup triumph and then fathered 193 winners ($2.1m) as a stallion.
“He was the first millionaire pacer we bred,” Yarndley said.
One of the most influential broodmares at the New Zealand Yearling sales over the last 50 plus years, the Black Watch dynasty shows no sign of slowing down.
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DR DEWAR ESTATE SALE
