Mungrup Stud to wind down successful operation

Cover image courtesy of Mungrup Stud

The Williamson family announced on Thursday that Mungrup Stud will be wound down over the course of the next three months with a large dispersal sale also to be held at a date yet to be announced.

The 3000 acre nursery is currently home to stallions Playing God, Oratorio, I’m All The Talk and A Lot (USA) and negotiations are currently underway to decide their futures.

“It is very sad for the family, but life doesn’t go in a straight line all the time and we’ve got differing views on where we want to head so it’s the best thing,” Gray Williamson said.

“Everyone can then go in their own direction. It’s time to have a little bit of a breather, it’s a pretty relentless exercise and my health hasn’t been great in the last few years.

“It’s been a bit of a struggle on a number of fronts so we decided it’s best to pull stumps. The land is not being sold though, it’s just the bloodstock.

“We’ll sell 72 weanlings, 85 broodmares, and some yearlings and 2-year-olds. We are in negotiations with the stallions now – for WA we’ve been a pretty fair operation.”

Williamson and his family have driven Mungrup Stud to the height of its success, but circumstances now dictate a change of pace.

“My wife (Jan) and I split up a few years ago and we’ve been running the business together with other family members,” he said.

“It’s a combination of things and not just one. For me, the main issue is my health and I had cancer diagnosed a number of years ago and now I’ve got a few heart issues so I’ve decided to take it a bit easier and smell the roses.

“Like anyone involved in the racing business knows it's a seven day a week job whether you’re reporting, breeding, training or riding or whatever you do.

“It is a relentless business, it takes a toll on you after a while and I’ve been here all of my life, 62 years.

“We’ll go out on top and Playing God is going really well. My daughter Ann and (husband) Tom and our other daughter Claire have been an integral part over the last number of years, as have our great staff. That’s why we’ve had great sales and they’ve kept the stud running.”

Mungrup Stud has risen from humble beginnings and Williamson had seen plenty of change within the industry.

“From a breeding point of view, I think the x-rays and the governance in regards to selling horses at sales have been issues, as has animal welfare. They have been some of the biggest changes in the time I’ve been here,” Williamson said.

“I was on Aushorse and the TBA for a while and we had some big issues come through then, like artificial insemination and I’m so glad that never got up and allowed us to continue on.”

Major force

Mungrup has been a major player in Western Australia for many years and has produced the winners the G1 Railway S., the G2 Karrakatta Plate, the Perth Magic Millions 2YO and the G2 WA Guineas.

“Very few black type races in WA have escaped being won by a Mungrup horse. It is something we all can be very proud of,” Williamson said.

“Highlights in more recent times include watching Kay Cee, by our sire Playing God, win the G1 Kingston Town, Watch Me Dance, by our sire I'm All The Talk, win the G2 Sires’ Produce and being top vendor at the Perth 2020 Yearling Sale.

“We’ve been extremely lucky over the years to have had horses like Metal Storm and I reckon Playing God is walking a line that’s not far behind him.

“We’ve got a lot of great memories and made a lot of great friends because of the racing industry, it’s very sociable and once you’re in it you can enjoy it on a lot of different levels.

“It’s been a great business to have been in. I’m looking forward to putting my feet up though and maybe going away for a couple of months without stressing out about what is happening at the stud.”

Thank you Mungrup

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