Q and A: Adrian O'Brien - Hazelwood Bloodstock

Images courtesy of Tattersalls and Hazelwood Bloodstock

We caught up with Adrian to chat about a successful 2019, the importance of his time in Australia to that success, his reflection on what he learned in his time at Jerrys Plains and his plans for the future.

Bren O'Brien: Adrian, it’s been a very busy and successful sales season for Hazelwood Bloodstock, how do you reflect on the past couple of months?

Adrian O'Brien: I am still processing the enormity of what we achieved in the yearling sales ring this year - October was like a whirlwind. To achieve 3.6 million gns (AU$7.18 million) on Day 1 of the sale and follow it up with 1.8 million gns (AU$3.59 million) just 72 hours later is almost unbelievable for an operation like ours, that prepares a relatively small number of yearlings on behalf of our clients.

Bren O'Brien: What was the feeling like when Godolphin and Coolmore were going head-to-head for the Dubawi colt you foaled and raised at the Tattersalls October Sale?

Adrian O'Brien: The consignor/vendors dream is for Godolphin and Coolmore to target one of your horses in the ring, and amazingly, it happened to us twice that week. We knew that both camps liked both colts, but there is so much depth to the Tattersalls Book 1 catalogue, that we never thought that lightning could strike twice (for us) at the same sale.

Bren O'Brien: How important are results like that to a relatively new entrant in the game like Hazelwood Bloodstock?

Adrian O'Brien: It is not quite four years since my family and I moved back from the Hunter Valley to start up Hazelwood Bloodstock. We are constantly trying to improve facilities and maintain the high quality of care for the horses that is now synonymous with our brand. Therefore it is incredibly satisfying that the systems we put in place seem to be working successfully.

However it is one thing to produce high quality sales horses, now the next step is to watch them fulfill their potential on the racecourse. We have already produced Group winners for owner/breeders and the Kingman colt (now named King Leonidas) that topped Tattersalls Book 2 Sale in 2018 won impressively in his only start as a 2-year-old and is a very exciting prospect for next year. So the signs are encouraging.

Bren O'Brien: That Dubawi colt had a connection back to Australia through Sun Bloodstock. How important have been the network of contacts you built in your time in Australia, in terms of where you are generating opportunities now?

Adrian O'Brien: Our client base at Hazelwood Bloodstock was based initially on contacts I made in Australia. That said, I did spend over two decades there, latterly as Stud Manager at Coolmore in Jerrys Plains. It’s fair to say that if I did not meet a few influential people in all that time, I would not have been paying attention! In fact I first met Sun Bloodstock’s adviser David O’Callaghan way back in the 90s when I was involved in a stallion shuttle to Japan. Sun have been loyal supporters since we first opened our doors in February 2016. It was fantastic to see their colt top Book 1, as they are huge supporters of racing and breeding in several jurisdictions around the world.

It should also be noted that David bought the dam of the sale-topping yearling for just 65,000 gns (AU$129,675) when she was carrying Barney Roy. The success of that (Alina) family on the racecourse and in the sales ring is testament to David’s extensive knowledge of global bloodstock.

Bren O'Brien: Have you identified a need for these Australian clients to have someone on the ground there in the Northern Hemisphere managing their stock?

Adrian O'Brien: We didn’t consciously set out to create a niche for Australian breeders, and there are several stud farms in this area that offer a similar service to us. But people tend to gravitate to those with whom they are familiar, so it was crucial that I had existing relationships with some internationally renowned breeders and their advisers.

With the growing number of quality stallions in Newmarket who do not shuttle, it is becoming quite fashionable to send some good Australian mares up here to be bred either Northern or Southern Hemisphere time. That is how the 1.8 million gns (AU$3.59 million) Kingman x One Last Dance’ 18 colt came to be. He is from a mare trained by Peter Moody to win a Blue Diamond Prelude and by Kingman who is now one of the most sought-after stallions anywhere in the world. The colt is truly international and bred by our good friend John Camilleri who needs no introduction to your readers.

Bren O'Brien: Who are some of your main Australian-based/connected clients?

Adrian O'Brien: As well as the aforementioned breeders who have provided us with success in the sale ring this year, I am also very fortunate to act as UK racing manager to Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Maktoum, who breeds and races a select few in the UK. He is such an enthusiastic owner/breeder and deserves every success on the racetrack.

Hopefully Pride Of Dubai can continue the brilliant start to his career as a stallion. His Highness also has a few impressive 2-year-olds in Australia at the moment, most notably Muntaseera who caught the eye in Sydney recently. Tim Stakemire is a joy to deal with and does a brilliant job for Sheikh in Australia, with a steady stream of top-flight winners in those very famous colours.

Bren O'Brien: And your reflection on your time in Australia, what did you gain out of your time out here?

Adrian O'Brien: We have been very lucky with all our success this year, but without a shadow of doubt the luckiest thing to ever happen me was meeting my wife in Jerrys Plains! Our two daughters were born in Maitland and it has obviously been a huge part of my life. I have very fond memories of my time there, I love the people and the sporting culture. I am forever indebted to the Magnier family for giving me the opportunity to live and work on such a magnificent property, alongside some of the best bloodstock of any generation.

Bren O'Brien: Getting the right team together is such an important part of a successful bloodstock operation, do you feel getting that right from the outset is what has set Hazelwood up so well for early success?

Adrian O'Brien: My wife Philippa is our resident Veterinarian and that gives us an immediate edge. We have Rossdales hospital on our doorstep also in the event of the dreaded but inevitable emergency. Our stud team is led by Tom Hughes, who I first knew when he was yearling manager at Segenhoe Stud. We were fortunate that Tom and his family moved back from Australia to the UK at around the same time we did. He had the vision to see that although we were a new set-up, we had the support of some heavyweight breeders to afford us the opportunity to make an immediate impact in the marketplace.

He is supported by a handpicked team, with a good mix of youth and experience. I could not have been more proud of the condition that the yearlings were presented this year. And that is due to the strong, cohesive group working behind the scenes.

Bren O'Brien: What's the strategy now for Hazelwood Bloodstock in the next 12-18 months? How do you continue to build on such a spectacular start?

Adrian O'Brien: It’s fair to say that the bar has been set pretty high! If we never repeat the feats of this year, it will not be for the want of trying. As it stands, we have consigned at eight Tattersalls yearling sales over the last three years and topped the sale an extraordinary four times.

We do not intend to increase our numbers significantly and have no intention of trying to rival the bigger consignors numerically. The aim has always been to keep the numbers down and the quality up, and that will remain our mission. We have some fabulous weanlings on the ground at the moment and we are expecting some regally-bred foals next Spring - some will be offered at sales and others will race for their breeders. In any case, the future looks bright.

Bren O'Brien: Thanks for your time!