Five Minutes with... Colm Santry

Colm Santry - Coolmore Australia Nominations & Sales Manager

Coolmore Australia’s Nominations & Sales Manager Colm Santry has a wealth of experience in the industry at many different levels. He has purchased Group 1 winners like Fenway, Costa Viva, Sacred Choice and Vegas Showgirl, dam of the mighty Winx at the 2008 MM Broodmare Sale.

TDNAusNZ: Where are you from and what is your earliest racing memory?

CS: I'm from Cork in Ireland and was born into a horse family. I spent my weekends show jumping, hunting, pony racing and working around horses. The racing career of El Gran Senor (USA) was my first real racing memory. European Champion 2 and 3-year-old. He was a bit of a life changer for me as he led me to Ashford Stud in 1990 where I looked after him for two breeding seasons, and afterwards his son Al Hareb (USA) led me to Australia on the shuttle planes with Champion sires Danehill (USA) and Last Tycoon (Ire) for a few seasons until I stayed here full time.

TDNAusNZ: Can you tell us a bit about the work you do, the farm, and the exciting new stallion prospects for Coolmore Australia?

CS: I commenced employment at Coolmore in Ireland in 1987 after leaving school. I was lucky enough that they sent me to Cambridge Stud for the first two off-seasons and then to America for two years. I was then on the shuttle planes for the next four years to and from Australia each season and working with the stallions full-time in Ireland. We had Danehill and Sadler's Wells (USA) in full swing at the time and it was a great learning experience.

My main role now, and over the past 20 years, is Nomination Sales, keeping the stallion books full at Coolmore. This involves dealing with a lot of breeders on a daily basis, mostly on the phone or at sales/races.

Coolmore Australia is a world class facility, justifiably known as the ‘Home of Champions’. We stand only horses who were champions on the track or are potential champion sires. The farm has, during our tenure (since 1996) ‘raised and grazed’ 58 Group 1 winners, 21 of those since 2015; they include Redoute’s Choice, Fastnet Rock, Vancouver and Pride of Dubai (the last-named three of which currently stand at Coolmore as stallions). Graduates also include Winx herself, along with Pinot, Unforgotten, Oohood, Catchy and so many others.

The most exciting of this season’s new stallion prospects is obviously Justify (USA), Scat Daddy’s best son and the only U.S. Triple Crown winner ever to retire undefeated. Another son of Scat Daddy is Mendelssohn (USA), a gorgeous $US3-million yearling, Group 1-winning 2-year-old on turf and one of the best-bred horses in the world, who stands for a great-value fee. And then there is Saxon Warrior (Jpn), the fastest son of world-leading sire Deep Impact (Jpn), out of a champion 2-year-old by Galileo (Ire) and himself an unbeaten Group 1 winner at two and G1 Guineas winner at three.

TDNAusNZ: What was the highlight of the season for you?

CS: Winx winning all those Group 1s and Fastnet Rock’s son Prince Fawaz winning the final Group 1 2-year-old race of the season for Anthony Cummings.

TDNAusNZ: What do you love most about your job?

CS: Diversity of the people we meet and deal with every day. We are busy every day of the year. Horses are 24/7. Also, part of what drives me is the desire to ‘make a difference’ for both Coolmore and our clients - to help breed a better horse for the benefit of client return, for the mare’s resume and for our stallion statistics. When a horse wins a Group 1 many years after you might have had little input into the mating is a good feeling and a major accomplishment for his breeder and his current owners.

TDNAusNZ: What is your favourite day on a racecourse?

CS: Winning the G1 Vinery Stud S. at Rosehill after purchasing Fenway, a High Chaparral (Ire) filly at Inglis Easter for friends Greg and Jenny White of Alpara Lodge in SA.

TDNAusNZ: Do you have a favourite book and favourite movie?

CS: Robbery under Arms was a great read.

Or any Bond movie will do…

TDNAusNZ: What was your favourite weanling or mare purchase this year?

CS: Eckstein at Magic Millions. Purchased to visit Justify this season.

We decided to race her on for a few runs and she ran a blinder for us in the G1 Tattersall's Tiara coming from last to be beaten only 1.5L.

Her next assignment is the Winter S. at Rosehill so hoping for a win before she goes to stud. My wife Nikki purchased a share so something better happen!

TDNAusNZ: What stallion do you consider to be ‘under the radar’ and why?

CS: If I was a young trainer or breeder out there it would have to be Choisir. He can consistently get you the big horse worldwide and is not a fake Group 1 sire.

11 Group 1 winners and many of them world class horses like Starspangledbanner, Olympic Glory (Ire), Obviously (Ire), Sacred Choice, Japonisme, Divine Prophet and The Last Lion (Ire).

He is a sire of 95 Stakes Winners to date and over $117 Million in earnings. He's great value in the sale ring and they consistently take you to the winning post at Randwick and Flemington. He's still going strong at Coolmore at a fee of only $27,500 inc GST.

TDNAusNZ: Who do you think are the rising stars in the racing industry? (Persons, not horses)

CS: Young lads like Adrian Bott, Blake Shinn, Mark Newnham, James Cummings, James McDonald and Joseph O’ Brien in Ireland are all amazing, world-class horsemen.

These young kids could win everything! If I was a young lad today I would be getting involved with them and learning as much as I could.

TDNAusNZ: Do you have any hobbies outside of work?

CS: I rode in the NSW Picnic Race circuit for a season and had great fun. I met a lot of great country people, many of which are good friends and clients today.

I also have Gai Waterhouse’s four-time Group 1 winner Juggler off the track and had great fun and experiences eventing him for a few seasons all over Australia.

Gallery: Colm Santry taking on the eventing scene with the retired G1 winner, Juggler and as a jockey at the Yass Picnic races

TDNAusNZ: If you were an Everest slotholder, who would you pick?

CS: Santa Ana Lane and the Freedman Factor.

TDNAusNZ: What positive change would you like to see in the industry?

CS: I would like to see Group 1 2-year-old races for fillies and no geldings allowed to run in the Golden Slipper. Also extending the breeding season by a month to bring it into line with both the Northern Hemisphere and South America.

TDNAusNZ: If you weren’t in the thoroughbred industry what would you be doing?

CS: With my family background it was always going to be horses from a very early age. Asking me now, probably looking after kids in some way.