Bernardo Proving A ‘poster boy' At Stud

EMERGING stud sensation Bernardo should be the “poster boy” for many an owner wanting to give their high class race dog his chance at stud.

Bernardo is a son of US stud star Kc And All which has enjoyed a remarkable foray into the stud world clicking with Aussie broodbitches left, right and centre.

Proof of that is Group 1 superstars Striker Light and Orson Allen, and current “boom” youngster Aston Rupee.

BERNARDO AT STUD

Bernardo's dam Surfonic (Fear Zafonic-Surf Queen) proved herself on the track with 17 wins and $37,000 in stakes. She came from a great litter but lifted her game even further when she went to stud.

While, under the guidance of Bill Mcmahon, Bernardo was a Group class race dog on the track and injury restricted his career claims, he wasn't even the standout of his own litter.

That honour belonged to Degani (23 wins, $127,000) which was second in the Group 1 Silver Chief and a finalist in the Group 1 Melbourne Cup.

But, Bernardo could run … and run to match the best of his time. He won 13 races and $99,000 from just 30 starts. He ran second in the Group 1 Harrison-Dawson and was a finalist in the Group 2 Bendigo Cup.

He and Degani came from a litter of 10 named offspring and all 10 were multiple winners earning $532,000 between them. Littermate Marcello won 31 races and $93,000.

But Bernardo earned a shot at stud … and instantly grabbed it with both hands and ran with it, and ran with it very, very fast.

Bernardo has earned a reputation among broodbitch owners right around the country.

You don't get broodbitch owners to sit up and take notice without having the stats to back it.

From just 33 starters in 2020, that number of increased to 62 by the first half of 2021. His winners to runners percentage is a high 19.6 per cent.

Not many sit around the 20 per cent mark – it's a fantastic return.

Those first Bernardo runners are highlighted by Aussie Secret (29 wins, $165,000), Dr Tucker (16 wins, $120,000), Got The Torque (14 wins, $58,000, finalist G2 Warrnambool Cup) and Dr Madison (13 wins, $53,000).

Aussie Secret, in Jason Thompson's care, is a special greyhound.

He won the Pink Diamond Short Course and has been a finalist at Group level in the Silver Chief, Horsham Cup and Ballarat Cup and at Listed level in the Ballarat Derby.

He is out of the Fabregas bitch, Sunset Believer, and his pedigree carries a 4×4 double of Surf Lorian. Broodbitch owners should take good note of this.

It is interesting that Bernardo has done extremely well with a daughter of Fabregas. That's because Fabregas has Larkhill Jo (a son of Staplers Jo) as the sire of his mother. Staplers Jo carries so much of the bloodlines of Fear Zafonic.

Bernardo's son Dr Tucker, which is out of a daughter of Barcia Bale, has won the G3 Great Chase and was third in the G3 Silver Bullet but has spent injury time on the sidelines.

Dr Tucker's pedigree, and that of his classy littermate Dr Madison, brings in the Barcia Bale/Surfonic cross that had already produced G3 Vic-Bred Maiden winner Gilberto and his smart litter brother Haristotle.

The more daughters of Barcia Bale that Bernardo mates the better for his stud success.

But, Bernardo is producing smart race dogs to a variety of bloodlines and his close relations are doing the same which augurs well for a diversity of lines to suit him.

Zachery (10 wins) has a dam with a double of Malawi's Prince and a granddam with lots of the Leprechaun Pace/Zimbabwe family in her pedigree. Bernardo's damsire Fear Zafonic, the English greyhound of the year, also has a cross of this family in his damline.

The promising Phase (10 wins) is yet another whose dam has two crosses of Malawi's Prince and also stems from the Leprechaun Yap family.

And Jet Lee Rose (7 wins, $20,000) has a cross of Talks Cheap in his damline and this too is the Leprechaun Yap family.

Remember, Bernardo has this family via Fear Zafonic in his pedigree.

Bernardo's mother, Surfonic, has produced top class performers in matings to Cosmic Rumble the standout being Alberto a FFA winner at Sandown. This makes Cosmic Rumble and Collision bitches ideally placed to mate to Bernardo.

Dr Knuckles is a son of US star Bella Infrared and his dam Blue Surfonic is a half sister to Bernardo.

Bernardo's litter sister Annasay has produced promising Ridge (by Fernando Bale) 3rd in the G3 Vic-Bred Maiden.

That makes bitches by both Bella Infrared and Fernando Bale “specials” for Bernardo matings.

Broodbitch owners have taken quick notice of the fact Bernardo is getting very fast race dogs to the track.