ARDEN’S CONCORD provided sire Panspacificflight with his fourth win of the new season when he won over 2400 metres at Winton on 06 September.

Junior driver Rory McIlwrick gave the four-year-old gelding a perfect run in the one-one sit and he powered away to win by two lengths in 3:04.5 in wintry conditions on an easy track. The leaders ran their last half in 59.5 with the final quarter in 29.5.

This was Arden’s Concord’s second win from just five starts and a penalty-free one so he’ll be hard to beat wherever he lines up next.

We’ve already pointed out how strongly Panspacificflight featured in last season’s sires statistics. Well, click on the link below and see how he’s going at this early stage of the new season. Note that his four wins have come from just 71 eligible foals (including his two-year-old crop) whereas all the stallions above him on the premiership have at least three times as many foals.

New season stats for pacing sires in New Zealand

THE MACCA LODGE colours were in the winner’s circle for the first time this season when three-year-old Panspacificflight filly Sally Maclennane broke through maiden ranks at Gore on 23 August.

After making a mistake when well-supported in her first run for the season at Invercargill a fortnight earlier, Sally Maclennane was eased out of the gate by John Dunn in the 2200-metre event. She made a run three-wide with a round to go before pressing on to lead at the 600-metre mark and holding on gamely to win in 2:49 neat.

The McIntyres leased her dam, the Badlands Hanover mare Weka Lass, from owner Leicester Smith for a season to put to Panspacificflight. Sally Maclennane, who trialled in 1:58 as a two-year-old, is the second winner from her sire’s second crop here behind quality filly Arden’s Choice.

Weka Lass, who is out of the big winner Oaxaca Lass, has also left a full-sister to Sally Maclennane called Reciprocity.

Macca Lodge trainer Tony Stratford made it two wins for the day when Ultra Shok backed up his Invercargill effort with the seventh win of his career. The seven-year-old Julius Caesar gelding has won $10,500 from three starts this month and should be in for his most profitable season yet.

BONNIE’S KHALEESI was named the Southland Standardbred Breeders’ Three-Year-Old Filly of The Year at Southland harness racing’s awards night in Invercargill.

The Live Or Die mare, now four, also won the won the Robin Dundee Three-Year-Old Filly Award after recording two wins, two seconds and a third, for $16,000 in stakes, last season. She was also a luckless seventh in the Nevele R/Macca Lodge Southland Oaks Final.

Bonnie’s Khaleesi returns to the birdcage after her first win at Invercargill in February

Bonnie’s Khaleesi is raced by her breeders, Macca Lodge’s Sheree and Brent McIntyre, his sister Jan Nelson and her husband Wally. She’s out of the good mare, Bonnie Lass, who won 10 races for the two couples.

Another Tony Stratford-trained horse, Envious, won the Southland harness award for two-year-old fillies.

And Panspacificflight filly Arden’s Choice won an Award of Excellence for her two-year-old campaign.

MACCA LODGE’S Brent McIntyre wasn’t surprised that Panspacificflight left a two-year-old last season as good as Group 1 winner Arden’s Choice — after all, he’s produced something like 120 two-year-old winners in North America and the number just keeps on increasing.

Take the other day, 15 August, at Hoosier Park in Indiana. Panspacificflight provided three two-year-old winners on the one programme, as well as a couple of placegetters.

Ticket To Fly won a $US15,000 two-year-old fillies race in 1:53.4 with a final quarter in 28.1. Another filly, Made of Jewels As, also won, in 1:55.1, with a second Panspacificflight runner, Sandy’s Flight, third in the same race. And Paver Jack scooted over his final quarter in 27.3 to win a $US10,000 race in 1:56 with Flight of Siam in third place.

MACCA LODGE is getting in behind the New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting club’s efforts to attract more southern-trained horses to Addington during Cup Week.

Horses from the south have traditionally played a significant role in the biggest harness racing carnival of the year, but their numbers have been tending to drop off. So last year, on Show Day, the Met programmed a race solely for horses trained in Otago and Southland and called it “the South of the Waitaki River” race. It drew a strong field and was won by the Tony Barron-trained Phoenix Warrior.

The Met have decided to programme the $20,000 race again this year with Macca Lodge as the sponsor. And this November southern commentator Dave McDonald will be calling the race.

The club built on this idea with a “South of the Waitaki” winter series in which Panspacificflight gelding Wick won two heats and finished second in the final.

PANSPACIFICFLIGHT edged closer to a 50 per cent winning strike rate from his first crop when Arden’s Concord downed a maiden field at Forbury Park on 13 August 2015

The four-year-old gelding came off the unruly position in a 2200-metres standing start event to win easily in the hands of Brent Barclay. Dunedin trainer Graeme Anderson paid $25,000 for the son of Artiscape mare Madam Maroussia at the 2012 yearling sales. He remains in the ownership but the horse is trained by Matt Saunders at West Plains, near Invercargill.

Arden’s Concord became Panspacificflight’s 11th winner from a first crop of 23 live foals, giving the stallion a winning percentage of nearly 48 per cent.

Here’s a list of all Panspacificflight’s winners from his first crop:

Arden’s Concord 4 b g (Madam Maroussia, by Artiscape). Three wins
First Flight In 4 b g (Sharjanter, by Christian Cullen)
Glenisla 4 b m (Touche Franco, by Holmes Hanover). Seven wins in Australia
Last Flight In 4 b m (Orse M Denario, by Washington VC). Six wins, including five in Australia
Little Rascal 4 br g (Evita Franco, by Live Or Die). Six wins, five at Alexandra Park and one at Addington
(Sir) Mac’s Man 4 b g (Galleons Testimony, by Elsu). Six wins in Australia
Schwartz Denario 4 b m (Ergo Denario, by Bettor’s Delight). Two wins
Southern Pursuit 4 b g (Relentless Storm, by Live or Die). Four wins
The Manipulator 4 b g (Luckisaladytonight, by Presidential Ball). Two wins before out with injury
Wattlebank Flyer 4 br g (Careful Seznicki, by Courage Under Fire)
Wick 4 br g (On The Double, by Holmes Hanover). Five wins

WATTLEBANK FLYER became Panspacificflight’s 10th individual three-year-old winner when he won at Addington on 24 July.

The Tim Trathen-owned and trained gelding broke through for his maiden win in the hands of Blair Orange on the same night that Wick recorded one of his three Addington wins. This was the second time Panspacificflight had two wins from two starters at the home of harness racing after both The Manipulator and Arden’s Choice won at the same meeting in April.

Wattlebank Flyer’s success gave his sire a 43 per cent winning record for the season from his first crop. This figure includes two of his Australian performers, Glenisla (seven wins) and Sir Macs Man (four wins), who didn’t win here before they were exported and, therefore, aren’t included in the Harness Racing New Zealand statistics.

Coincidentally, Panspacificflight also has a 43 per cent strike rate in North America, where his 193 winners have come from 447 foals.

Panspacificflight was 10th on the list of sires of three-year-old pacers here last season. Whichever way you look at it, his statistics are most impressive.

All the sires ahead of him had at least twice as many foals — and, in the case of champion sire Bettor’s Delight 10 times as many — but none had a percentage higher than 43. Panspacificflight’s close relative Art Major was the best of them with 34 winners from 85 foals for a strike rate of 40 per cent. Of the others in the top 10, Bettor’s Delight had 33 per cent winners, American Ideal 21 per cent, Mach Three 30 per cent, Changeover 18 per cent, Christian Cullen 28 per cent, McArdle 22 per cent, Gotta Go Cullect 14 per cent and Live Or Die 11 per cent.

And among those behind Panspacificflight (remember he had 10 winners as three-year-olds from 23 foals) in the rankings, look at these statistics: Gotta Go Cullen, eight winners from 37 foals; Jereme’s Jet, five from 40; Shadow Play, three from 19; Stonebridge Regal, 10 from 82; Elsu, six from 87; Santanna Blue Chip, eight from 52; Badlands Hanover, six from 72, Courage Under Fire, five from 23; Falcon Seelster, four from 48; Art Official, six from 49; Grinfromeartoear, four from 33; Washington VC, four from 45; Ohoka Arizona, three from 25; Real Desire, two from 34; Sands A Flyin, one from 26; Lis Mara one from 37; Extreme Three, none from 60; Flashing Red, none from 28; and Royal Mattjesty, none from 24.

Compelling reasons to consider Panspacificflight for the 2015-16 breeding season.

YOU’D EXPECT a filly by the late great Rocknroll Hanover out of a world champion Artsplace mare to be able to run. And this one certainly can.

Thirty X is her name and she won a $US13,000 fillies and mares race in 1:53.3 at Mohegan Sun Pocono on 09 June.

The three-year-old filly is a half-sister to Net Ten EOM, the Somebeachsomewhere sire whose frozen semen is available to New Zealand breeders at Macca Lodge.

Their dam, Glowing Report, was a world champion, Breeders Crown champion and multiple stakes winner who earned more than $US450,000 each year she raced from age two to five.

CASUAL OBSERVERS of North American harness racing might be puzzled to see a horse by the name of Jd’s Macca Lodge going around in Indiana.

Closer inspection of the breeding of the three-year-old colt points towards the origins of the name. He’s by Panspacificflight.

The stallion’s owner, Jacob Miller, has taken to naming some of his horses after the New Zealand stud that holds the Australasian rights to Panspacificflight’s frozen semen, as well as principals Brent and Sheree McIntyre. So not only is there Jd’s Macca Lodge, but also Brentandsheree and Shereeandbrent — all by Panspacificflight, of course

Jd’s Macca Lodge was a hot favourite in a maiden race at Hoosier Park on 12 May, but was nosed out by another Panspacificflight three-year-old, Pistopackinpiper, in 1:54.2.

Panspacificflight continues to leave a host of winners — both sexes, all ages — in the United States, complementing what he’s doing both here and in Australia.

In the same week, for example, he sired these other winners:

Last Flight In, a four-year-old mare, in a $US12,000 race in 1:55 at Scioto Downs in Ohio on 05 May.

Firstclassflight, a seven-year-old mare, in a $US13,000 race in 1:55.2 at Yonkers Raceway in New York on 07 May.

Makeoutlikeapandit, a four-year-old entire, in a $US14,000 race in 1:54.3 at Yonkers on 12 May.

The McIntyres enjoy a close relationship with Jacob and Doris Miller and were in the US in May for daughter Eva Miller’s wedding. They also caught up with Net Ten EOM’s owners and inspected his first progeny.

FOOTNOTE: Jd’s Macca Lodge posted his first win at Hoosier Park on 28 July in the fast time of 1:52. The three-year-old gelding is out of an Artsplace mare, Southwind Diana.

Did you know Panspacificflight is a half-brother in blood to Art Major? Click here to read about Panspacificflight’s remarkable Artsplace relatives

SIX STARTERS for two wins, a second and three thirds.

That was the record for progeny of Panspacificflight racing in both Australia and New Zealand over Anzac weekend — Little Rascal, first, and Arden’s Choice, third in a Group 1, on premier night at Alexandra Park on Friday, 24 April; Glenisla third at Newcastle in New South Wales on the Saturday; The Manipulator second at Rangiora and Last Flight In third in Tasmania on the Sunday (both badly checked); and, to round off Anzac weekend, Southern Pursuit first, on debut, at Gore on the Monday.

Southern Pursuit was one of the more impressive maiden winners of the season in Southland. The three-year-old gelding was six lengths off the pace when he started his run at the 800-metre mark and was caught three-wide without cover from that point. The final half was cut out in 57.6 off the front.

Take a look at his run here: Southern Pursuit wins on debut