By Bren O'Brien

With Dissident's progeny only expected to get stronger into their 3-year-old years, Disruptor's appearance in Saturday's Victory Vein P. at Randwick is a bonus in more ways than one for Newgate's General Manager Bruce Slade.

Disruptor will be the first of Dissident's foals to make his Australian racetrack debut after a filly, Challa was second in a 2YO race at Riccarton Park in New Zealand on Tuesday.

As one of only two Australian Champion Racehorses Of The Year currently at stud, the arrival of his first crop has been eagerly anticipated with the expectation that like their sire, they will improve greatly over the next couple of years.

"If you take a line through Sebring and his own race performance, having won a Blue Diamond Prelude and come into his own at three, then winning four Group 1s at four, I'd say whatever they show at two, you’d expect improvement in their 3 and 4-year-old years," Slade told TDN AusNZ.

"It’s nice to see them at the races early. It just goes to show you that the trainers are seeing good natural ability and horses who have good minds and are clean of limb."

Attracting the best broodmares

Slade believes the great asset of the stallion is his suitability to some of the best 'colonial' broodmares in Australia. That has allowed breeders to produce horses like Disruptor, who is out of Snitzel mare Sweetener, who is a half-sister to G1 winner Secret Agenda.

"With his pedigree, he really suits mares by Not a Single Doubt, Snitzel, Exceed And Excel and I am Invincible, those sharper mares," he said.

"Physically he suits them too. He's got a lot of leg under him, he's a 16.1hh horse with a big action, so he really does suit those neat, square mares. I suppose that combination and having a lot of those style of mares, it assists him with getting horses to the track a lot earlier."

Scott Darby, of Darby Racing, paid $150,000 for Disruptor at this year's Classic Sale. He was one of two of Dissident's first crop that he bought, the other being a $160,000 filly.

"I think it’s important to remember no matter which stallion you go to that the female line is really important. This guy is out of a Snitzel mare and the other filly is out of a Not a Single Doubt mare, so with the Dissidents likely to be peaking later, you can have them up-and-about as 2-year olds," Darby said.

Darby is a huge fan of the stallion but admits it's a tough and competitive market.

"They are not easy to get, the right ones. They've been hard to get at the right sort of price. We don't want to spend huge money, but they are athletic horses and well put-together, a lot of them look like Dissident himself," he said.

"People forget that Dissident was out running at two in a Blue Diamond Prelude and was still doing it into his 4-year old year. I think he’ll be super sire to be honest."

An extra interest

Slade's extra interest in Disruptor is the fact he bought a share in the colt after he was purchased by Darby.

"I bought a little piece for myself and my wife. We saw him as a foal at Segenhoe. Peter O'Brien got us over there to see him and a few other Dissident foals and I just loved him at the yearling sales," he said.

Darby thought given Disruptor's pedigree and physical presence, that he might have been out of their league in terms of price, but the colt's x-rays were not ideal and that changed the market.

"We thought he'd make around the $250k mark, so we were quite surprised to get him at that, even with a couple of things there. He was the sort of horse you wanted to go home with, but whether you were willing to pay top dollar for him, but in the end he was quite good buying."

Ready to race

Sent to Gary Portelli, who Darby Racing had such spectacular success with She Will Reign (Manhattan Rain), the aim was to target the Breeders' Plate.

He wasn't quite ready for that, but his performance in his three trials indicates he has considerable ability.

"He trialled really well first time out, finishing behind Dubious who came out and won the Breeders' Plate," Slade said.

"Every time he has gone to the trials, he's done what has been asked of him and Gary has done a great job of keeping him up the mark and doing what is required to keep him spot-on for his first up run."

"What Ben Melham and James McDonald have both said when they’ve got off the horse is that he's super talented, but you are probably not going to see the best of him until you get to six or seven furlongs and next prep. Whatever we see on Saturday should just be a marker for the future."

As for Darby Racing's other Dissident, the filly out of Charity Belle (Not A Single Doubt), she’s yet to be named, but will be seen in the next few months.

"She's in work now with the Hawkes team. She's had a couple of small preps. They are going to push her a long a bit more this time in and she looks pretty precocious herself," Darby said.

Written by Paul Vettise

Victorian vendor Kane Harris is expecting his Warhorse (NZ) colt to be one of the stars of Monday’s Inglis Ready2Race Sale at the Riverside Stables.

Lot 84 breezed up in 10.62 seconds at Cranbourne and is a half-brother to the G1 Schweppes Oaks winner Sopressa (So You Think {NZ}). Their dam is the G2 Marsh Classic S., winner Hidden Strings (Weasal Clause).

“He’s a real Derby sort of horse. I would be very surprised if he wasn’t a stand-out of the Sale,” Harris said. “He’ll sell himself on type alone.”

Watch: Lot 84 (outside) breeze up

He will also offer a daughter, Lot 80, of Fastnet Rock and the former champion filly and the G1 Australian Oaks and G1 Arrowfield Stud S., winner Heavenly Glow (Spinning World {USA}.

“She breezed up very well (10.73s) and did it within herself,” Harris said. “I’d expect her to make good money. She’s got a nice career ahead of her and she’s got that residual value.”

Watch: Lot 80 (inside rail)

His 13-striong draft will also include Lot 136, a Sepoy colt who is a half-brother to the former champion Singapore Miler and Stayer Better Life (Smarty Jones {USA}).

“He’s a neat colt, a solid-bodied horse,” Harris said. “He’s a pretty laid back customer and breezed well (10.33s). He did it on the bridle, no questions asked, and he’s got an international pedigree.”

Everest timing

Inglis Managing Director Mark Webster is thrilled with the quality of the catalogue for this year’s auction.

“It is the strongest ever offered to an Australian buying bench,” he said. “It’s a great time of year for our industry in Sydney with The Everest Carnival, highlighted by the running of the $13m The Everest and two days later the Inglis Ready2Race Sale.

“We have deliberately moved the timing of this year’s sale to coincide with the running of The Everest.”

Back in July, Inglis claimed the G1 The Goodwood and the G1 Stradbroke H., winner Santa Ana Lane (Lope De Vega {IRE}) to represent them in Saturday’s Randwick feature. He has since added the G2 Premiere S., to his record.

“Among the catalogue of 183 juveniles are horses by the likes of leading sires such as Fastnet Rock, Pierro, So You Think, Sebring, Written Tycoon, Zoustar, More Than Ready, Hinchinbrook, Nicconi, Spirit Of Boom, Tavistock and Not A Single Doubt.

“First season sires represented include Brazen Beau, Deep Field, Dissident, Hallowed Crown, Olympic Glory, Rubick, Sacred Falls, Shooting To Win and Toronado.

“There are siblings to Group 1 winners, 2YOs out of Group 1-winning mares and a quality line-up of juveniles, who have all breezed up well at Cranbourne, Warwick Farm or Taupo.”

Nominations paid up

Of the entries, 51 are already nominated for the $8 million Inglis Race Series and 118 are BOBS Eligible.

“Those that aren’t entered for the Inglis Race Series, which includes the inaugural $2m Inglis Millennium for 2-year-olds at Warwick Farm in February 2019, can be paid up upon purchase,” Webster said.

“The Ready2Race concept is undeniably popular in many racing jurisdictions globally, but it is fair to say it is yet to realise its full potential in Australia.

“At Inglis, we firmly believe there is a strong demand for this style of sale in this part of the world. We have worked extremely closely with our clients, both vendors and buyers, to make changes to ensure we provide the best possible platform for this sale to further develop and reach its potential in Australia.

Graduates from the past five editions of the Ready2Race Sale have won nearly 875 races between them and collected in excess of $33 million in prizemoney across Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, China and Macau.

Written by Paul Vettise

Flying Start’s colours will be becoming a more familiar sight across Australia in the future.

That’s the view of director Cameron Bennett, who believes the best is yet to come from his Queensland-based syndication company.

“This is my third year and it can be hard to begin with and we’ve got a lot of young horses,” he said. “It’s a time thing and we’re hoping over the next two or three years we’ll really be away.

“We’ve got about 30 horses on the books and we buy tried horses as well. The babies take so long before they can get out there and race in my colours.”

Bennett celebrated a proud moment recently at Flemington last Saturday when Amphitrite (Sebring) remained unbeaten for the season after the Darren Weir-trained filly won the G2 Edward Manifold S.

“That was a great result and a good day for the business,” Bennett said. “We’ve got another younger horse with Darren, Above Authority who is a 2-year-old colt by Smart Missile.”

Adelaide purchase

Amphitrite was bought at the Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale for $50,000 and is out of the Redoute’s Choice mare Ocean Dream, who is a half-sister to the G1 Toorak H., winner Marble Halls (NZ) (Nassipour {USA}).

“My price range is between $20,000 and $70,000, no more than that,” Bennett said.

“I like Sebring and she had a good page. I used to back Marble Halls a bit and I don’t mind buying fillies with residual value.

Watch: Amphitrite's win in the G2 Edward Manifold S.

“She was a very athletic filly, who’s needed a bit of time and she’ll get even better with age.”

The decision to back Amphitrite up in Saturday’s G1 Schweppes Thousand Guineas after winning the Edward Manifold was left with Weir.

“We were always leaning toward going that way, but we said to Darren it’s all your call,” Bennett said.

She will again be ridden by Craig Williams, who has been aboard the filly in all three starts this season.

Prior to establishing Flying Start, Bennett was involved in the industry for nearly two decades.

“I did the form for a professional punter for 12 years and sold horses as an agent for five years and I thought syndication was the way forward,” he said.

Watership Down Stud’s Dubawi (Ire) colt out of the multiple Group 1-winner and budding blue hen mare Dar Re Mi (GB) (Singspiel {Ire}) (lot 325) was widely expected to be the star attraction on the second day of Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, and the handsome bay made good on that promise, fetching the top price of the sale thus far when knocked down to David Redvers at 3.5-million gns.

“That’s the future of our operation, finding these horses that are good enough to be the most commercial and most exciting stallions,” said Redvers. “To have one of the very best-bred Dubawis is very hard to put a value on. You’ve seen horses this week make 600,000 gns, 800,000 gns, 1-million gns; they’re nice horses, but they’re not the very best. We just have to hope now that he gets to the racecourse and does what his pedigree, genetics and physique suggests he should. These horses don’t come up very often, and if he’s as good as his full-brother he’s a very cheap horse today.”

Coolmore And Phoenix Duel

The full-brother to Oaks winner Was (Ire) and European yearling sales record-holder Al Namaah (Ire) (lot 217) created plenty of fireworks on Wednesday afternoon when a repeat of last week’s duels between Coolmore and Phoenix Thoroughbreds ended, this time, with MV Magnier having the final say at 1.3-million gns for the son of Galileo (Ire).

Le Havre Filly To Gosden

Le Havre (Ire) had just two yearlings catalogued for Book 1—a colt and a filly—and it was the latter who was one of the leading lights of Wednesday’s session at Tattersalls when sold to John Gosden for 850,000 gns (lot 266).

Competition was fierce for the half-sister to dual Group 3 winner Home Of The Brave (Ire) (Starspangledbanner), a late scratching for this weekend's The Everest. American agent Shawn Dugan was involved in the skirmishes along with the duo of John Camilleri and Hubie de Burgh, the eventual underbidders, but it was Gosden, standing beside Tom Goff, who signed for the filly.

Harry McCalmont’s Norelands Stud consigned the filly on behalf of her owner Bob Scarborough, who listened to the bidding via telephone from Australia.

Adrian Nicoll, who had been on the phone to Scarborough throughout, added, “We bought the mare privately for Bob last year when she was in foal to Frankel and with this filly at foot. Sadly she lost the foal.”

Other Notable Lots:

Mark Richards purchased a Kodiac (GB) colt (lot 308) for 525,000 gns, and a Camacho (GB) colt (lot 215) for 325,000 gns. Brad Spicer, of Spicer Thoroughbreds, came away with a Sea The Stars (Ire) colt (lot 272) for 125,000 gns.

A record single yearling session at Tattersalls, in which the aggregate passed 40-million gns for the first time, was boosted by seven millionaire-plus yearlings. The day one clearance rate of 85% had been encouraging enough but that shot up to an impressive 91% on Wednesday when 129 yearlings sold from the 142 on offer.

Accordingly, figures in all other sectors also improved. Turnover of 40,944,000 gns represented a rise of 21%, while the median rose from 160,000 gns to 190,000 gns (+19%) and the average was up by 7% at 317,395 gns.

China Horse Club And Ballylinch Team Up

China Horse Club purchased two yearlings alongside Ballylinch Stud on Wednesday. A Speightstown (USA) colt (lot 248) for 76,000 gns, and an Oasis Dream (GB) colt for 350,000 gns.

"China Horse Club is very happy to partner with Ballylinch Stud. The two outfits previously joined forces to secure the Group 1-winning son of Dubawi (Ire), New Bay (GB), who currently has a fantastic first crop of foals on the ground," Mick Flanagan told TDN AusNZ.

"We wanted to further our relationship by starting a European racing stable for which we have purchased yearlings at Arqana, Goffs and Tattersalls. The two in particular we bought yesterday are both well put together colts by proven stallions out of good mares."

Written by Blake Shinn

My mental health journey has shaped my life.

It has almost ruined my life on several occasions - from gambling to depression. But it has also made me a stronger person, a more aware person, with the capacity to handle stress and challenges.

This week is the spotlight is on mental health, with World Health Awareness week. I have written this in the hope that this might help others become more comfortable talking about their mental health challenges.

I tend to be an over thinker. I’ve always been a bit like this since I was young with things going round and round in my head, so I struggle to switch off. Sitting on the sidelines the last six weeks hasn’t helped too much.

Typically I’m thinking about race form, how to improve my riding, reviewing beaten and winning rides, how to keep feeling fit and healthy, and everything else that comes with striving to be the best. But right now, with not many of those a primary focus, it’s a lot harder to channel my mental energy into positivity.

I know I’m not alone in this mental health struggle. A lot of jockeys have battles. Actually, it affects a lot of people in the racing industry, and is not often publicly spoken about or admitted to, especially by men.

If my story helps even one person who is struggling and gives them a little pick-me-up or the confidence to seek help, then I’ve achieved something by sharing this.

I love being a jockey.

Riding has always been very natural for me. I feel at home on top of a horse galloping at 70kmph. My rise to being a top jockey was a very quick one. I burst on the scene as an apprentice in my second riding season and found immediate success in Melbourne, winning the Scobie Breasley medal and almost taking out the main jockey premiership.

After being apprentice to my step dad Lee Hope and riding for my first four years in Melbourne, I moved to Sydney to ride for Gai Waterhouse. This was an important two years as I arrived a very naive kid (somewhat arrogant I can admit!), and was quickly knocked into shape by Gai.

I had wonderful opportunities riding some incredible horses in those first six or so years of my career. I won my first Group 1 as an apprentice, then in the following few years took out the Melbourne Cup, TJ Smith, Sires’ Produce Stakes, Epsom, etc.

Finding quick success had obvious financial benefits and I also had an abundance of spare time. I’d ride track work in the mornings and racedays on three or so afternoons a week, then fill in the rest of my days watching races or catching up with friends.

I was 23 years old, with a love of horse racing, a lot of disposable income and a lot of time on my hands.

So, I turned to gambling.

But of course I couldn’t gamble in my own name, it’s illegal being a jockey, so I would use my family and friends to place bets for me. I found after I crossed the integrity boundary once, it got easier and easier as time went on.

This very quickly spiralled out of control, until I had a real problem. I lost a lot of money, which made things worse. Then I got caught.

And my whole world came crashing down, bringing everyone else down too.

I was a total idiot, risking everything I had to gamble.

But the hardest reality when everything was exposed wasn’t that my career could be gone - it was the impact my actions had on those closest to me. I had used their names to place bets, so they were hauled into the stewards room too, copping penalties and time. They were publicly named, which was humiliating for them and devastating for me.

Reflecting back on this now, it still deeply pains me to think back on how much I hurt those closest to me.

I copped a 15 month disqualification from the stewards for breaking the rules of racing many many times.

During my DQ, I sought help for gambling and worked through some underlying issues. I saw counsellors and worked out solutions. I learned to channel my time and energy into constructive projects, like helping out at a homeless shelter each Thursday.

Many of my great friends stuck by me during this period, I’ll never forget their friendship and generosity. People were prepared to forgive me for the massive, dumb mistake I made and I’m very thankful for that.

I returned to race riding on the 21st of December in 2011, riding a winner in mum’s silks. That opened the doors again for a few more winners and I rode a double my first meeting back in Sydney for Cummings & O’Shea.

However, it was never going to be that easy...

Because then the black dog crept in and took up residence.

I was going through a difficult personal situation that really knocked me around both mentally and emotionally, I didn’t cope.

I’d always had challenges with depression. But this time it was different - I was struggling to get moving. I was abusing my body by feeding it the wrong food then punishing myself for it. I couldn’t complete proper preparation work for my rides and I was in a dark place.

The depression felt like physical exhaustion. It took every ounce of motivation just to get up each day.

Eventually, it caught up with my riding and my form totally lapsed. The worst day for me was on the 24th of March 2012, three months after returning to riding. I butchered two rides for John Thompson on Trusting in the Ranvet and Hussousa in the Reisling.

John was a total gentleman and handled the poor performance with grace - I can’t imagine how hard it must’ve been for him to contain his disappointment. He had done his job, had two top horses fit and ready for the occasion, then I gave them little chance to win. Yet he copped it on the chin.

My mind was foggy and I was struggling. I then copped a suspension at Randwick, and at that point literally couldn’t get out of bed.

But the light did come back.

One of the turning points was when Gai realised how much I was struggling. She sent a masseuse around to the house and a book to help me change my frame of mind. She forced me get out of bed and back down to track work.

I went on anti-depressants. Seeking chemical help was a mental barrier that I’d struggled with in the past, but once I realised I wasn’t going to win this battle alone, anti-depressants helped me turn the corner.

Then I started heading out to Warwick Farm most mornings, riding track work for Guy Walter. It’s difficult to overstate the impact this wonderful man and his wife Wendy had on turning my life around again. A kind and generous man, Guy taught me so much about what really matters in life and helped me put things in perspective. I still miss him every day.

I started riding in places that I never had before, like Nowra and Mudgee. I worked my butt off riding a lot for Guy and David Van Dyke, covering an enormous number of kilometres around country NSW.

That period of travelling and riding every single day, from Randwick to Wagga Wagga, changed my mindset and helped me become a better, more resilient version of myself. I won my first Group 1 post-DQ for Guy Walter on Appearance in the Coolmore.

I haven’t had a bout of depression that bad since.

But I’m very aware that it can happen. As a jockey, unless you’re winning, most people don't want a bar of you and it’s a lonely place. For me, the black dog will always be lingering.

Now I’m armed with tools to help me through those times. I’m using education and knowledge to help me in all areas of my career, especially around eating and reaching peak physical fitness.

I’ve never had a particularly healthy relationship with food, which is probably something that most jockeys can relate to. When you’re battling to hit a target weight for a ride, food becomes the enemy. The old adage ‘what you think about most will manifest in reality’ rings true. I’d fight against the urges and obsess over food, then emotionally overeat after a race meeting. I’d punish my body to get it back.

I’m filling in my time on the sidelines by learning more about diet and nutrition so I can utilise this knowledge effectively when I get back riding. My mental frame of mind has changed to considering it as a nourishing source of fuel; not something to battle against.

Since being out of action with a broken neck I am aware I am more susceptible to depression during this time. So I have been channelling my energy into other areas and being careful to consciously consider how I’m feeling each day.

I’m doing media training, and have started with SKY Racing as a guest contributor. I’m going travelling, will visit friends around the world and attend some of the best race meetings that I’d love to ride at one day. USA, Europe and Hong Kong are all on the bucket list.

I’m 31 years old and feel like I’ve learned some very valuable lessons already in my life. I now cope better with the stress of being a jockey.

There’s still a few months to go before I return to the saddle, but the support I’ve had since my accident has been incredible. The racing industry is a wonderful family and there is a huge amount of support. If you’re struggling, please seek help and remember; it will get better.

Looking Ahead puts the spotlight on runners of interest across Australia and New Zealand. Whether they are a particularly well-bred or high-priced runner having their first or second start, a promising galloper returning to the track or a horse which has trialled particularly well, we’ll aim to give you something to follow.

On Friday, we start out at Timaru where a promising filly looks poised to break her maiden, then head to Cessnock for a very well-related filly making her debut and check out Ballarat where a Darren Weir colt is looking to make it two wins from as many starts.

Phar Lap Raceway Race 2, Onceuponatime Maiden, $10,000, 1200m, 12.27pm NZDT (10:27am AEDT)

Upscale (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}) has given strong accounts in both of her starts for Riccarton trainer Danny Crozier. She finished strongly for fifth in her lone appearance last season and she produced a big finish for second when resuming last month. Upscale isn’t nominated for the G1 gavelhouse.com New Zeasland 1000 Guineas, but victory here could sway her connections.

The 3-year-old was a $22,500 Karaka purchase and is out of the Stravinsky (USA) mare Precious (NZ). She is a grand-daughter of the G3 Tea Rose S., winner Sabre Dancer (Twig Moss {FR}) and the family of the G3 Winter Cup winner Quiltella (Riverton {FR}).

Cessnock Race 4, Peden’s Hotel Maiden, $22,000, 1150m, 3.05pm AEDT

Hinchinbrook 3-year-old Brazenbrook has a deep and speed-orientated pedigree to back her claims here for trainer Kris Lees. She is out of La Boisselle (Danehill {USA}), who was successful up to 1200 metres. She is a half-sister to the former champion colt and three-time Group 1 winner Assertive Lad (Zeditave) and his sibling Assertive Lass, who won twice at the highest level. She in turn left the G1 Australian Guineas winner Reset (Zabeel {NZ}).

Brazenbrook has been given a couple of quiet recent trials to ready her for this and with a touch of early luck from an awkward gate she could shine on debut.

Ballarat Race 8, Melbourne Cup Carnival Country Series Heat 2, $50,000, 1600, 4:30pm AEST

Tavidance (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}) steps straight from an impressive maiden win into a showcase BM64, but looks to have talent to burn. He worked home very well late on debut and looks like he will relish the step to 1600m.

He was a $220,000 buy at the Premier Sale last year and is out of Zadancer (Zabeel {NZ}), who was an unraced half sister to the very speed Heatherly (Lonhro). The dam of those two mares, Dancing Heather is a half-sister to G1 Stradbroke H winner Linton.

We hope you enjoyed reading today's edition of TDN AusNZ. If you have any feedback or ideas, please don't hesitate to reach out.

TDN AusNZ Team & Contacts

President - Gary King | gary@tdnausnz.com.au

Managing Director - Vicky Leonard | vicky@tdnausnz.com.au

Editorial | editorial@tdnausnz.com.au

Australian Editorial - Bren O'Brien | bren@tdnausnz.com.au

New Zealand Editorial - Paul Vettise | paul@tdnausnz.com.au

Advertising | advertising@tdnausnz.com.au

Advertising & Accounts - Eliza Quinn | eliza@tdnausnz.com.au

Content Coordinator - Melissa Gillis | melissa@tdnausnz.com.au

Photography is largely supplied by The Image is Everything - Bronwen Healy and Darren Tindale, and complemented by Sportpix, Trish Dunell (NZ), Racing.com Photos and Western Racepix.