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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Gallery: Industry messages

While Aquis is a national and international racing and breeding operation now, it is very much connected to the state it set up its business in five years ago, with the farm at Canungra in south-east Queensland at the heart of its success.

Managing Director Shane McGrath said a Group 1 win in either of the feature races at Eagle Farm on Saturday would be tremendous fillip for the Fung family and the entire Aquis team.

"The Magic Millions Carnival and Queensland Winter Racing Carnival are significant parts of the Australian calendar. For us, Queensland is the heartbeat of the company and it'd be a massive thrill if we could get a Group 1 success. It’s exciting to be part of it," he said.

Given Aquis' amazing success with 2-year-olds this year, highlighted by G1 Golden Slipper S. winner Farnan (Not A Single Doubt) as well as Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner Away Game (Snitzel), who is part-owned by Loretta Fung, it comes as no surprise that it holds such a strong hand in Queensland's only juvenile Group 1 race, the JJ Atkins.

Five of 18 runners in the race have Aquis or the Fung family in their ownership, three of which were bred at the farm, while Aquis also bred one of the other runners.

It has recently bought into leading Queensland 2-year-old Wisdom Of Water (Headwater) as part of a deal with existing owners Golden East Horse which secured future breeding rights for the last-start G3 Ken Russell Classic winner.

"We acquired an interest in the stallion rights of Wisdom Of Water. He's an extremely exciting colt. He's run fast times and he has rated really highly racing against what look a really quality bunch of 2-year-olds in Queensland. He's right at the top of that pecking order," McGrath said.

"He's drawn 10 on Saturday and with the speed outside of him, Trent and Toby (Edmonds) have done a great job with him so far. Robbie (Fradd) knows him really well. We are going in there with a fair degree of optimism."

Saffiano (More Than Ready {USA}) will be the flagbearer and carry the aqua and black colours in Saturday's Group 1 test. Bred by Aquis Farm, he was then purchased by an Aquis connected syndicate through Newhaven Park's draft for $600,000 at the 2019 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale and has won one of his three starts.

"He's a well-bred horse and will really appreciate the step up to the 1400 metres. Chris Waller has always got a sense of timing this time of year with the Queensland carnival," McGrath said.

"You can imagine he will be running on strong later in the piece and if they run along hard in front, he will be the one to watch to get over the top of them."

Aquis-bred and part-owned Macroura (Snitzel) is considered the leading chance of the fillies in the race having won her three starts to date for Ciaron Maher and David Eustace.

"She's a gun and we've had great success with Ciaron and David throughout the year. We've had a phenomenal year with the 2-year-olds," he said.

"She's still on the way up having won a stakes race last start. She's got really solid Sydney form, has got a good gate and a good rider on board. You can see her stalking the speed and she makes her own luck. She's tough, she's three from three and she's definitely one of the favourites."

Beans making it count

There are also two runners by former Aquis stallion Spill The Beans, who died last October and whose first crop has made quite the impression with 10 2-year-old winners, the most of any first-season sire in Australia.

Way Beyond was bred by Aquis, which retained a share when he was sold to Stuart Kendrick for $50,000 at last year's Magic Millions March Yearling Sale.

"Way Beyond is a really good Queensland story. We put the horse with Stuart Kendrick and raced him with a few of the stable stalwarts. He's a homebred and he's got the blinkers on and Spill The Beans himself really appreciated the blinkers," he said.

Kendrick also trains the other 2-year-old by Spill The Beans in the race, Cosmic Gossip, who is part-owned by Loretta Fung.

"Stuart does a good job with his 2-year-olds. Mrs Fung is delighted to have one by her favourite stallion," McGrath said.

Aquis also bred the Richard and Michael Freedman-trained Not An Option (Not A Single Doubt), who has been a Group 2 winner in New Zealand for her owners which include Cambridge Stud's Brendan and Jo Lindsay.

"He's a colt that we bred and sold through Curraghmore Farm as a yearling. We still have the mare Chintz, and we sent her to America. She's residing at Woods Edge Farm and she is in foal to US champion sire Curlin," McGrath said.

"If she could get a Group 1-winning 2-year-old that would be phenomenal. There are several significant New Zealand breeders involved with him and from the mare's profile, it would be enormous."

The many parts of Aquis on display

The six runners with the Aquis connection in the JJ Atkins S. all reflect different parts of the Aquis business, something which is not lost on McGrath.

"From the breeding side, you have the progeny of Chintz, from a stallion perspective, we've got two by Spill The Beans and from our stallion-building side of things, we’ve got Saffiano and Wisdom Of Water. It's a great illustration of the many parts of Aquis within the race," he said.

Aquis' influence also extends to the Stradbroke H. where it holds part ownership in two runners, Dawn Passage (Dawn Approach {Ire}) and Graff (Star Witness).

"Dawn Passage is a leading chance and while he's drawn wide, speaking to the trainers, we are not too concerned with that as he is a free rolling horse. We were happy enough to be drawn outside as he is a horse that needs galloping room," he said.

"He's got a winner's profile, 3-year-olds have a great record and with the weight, he's the one they have to beat."

Along with Australian Bloodstock, Aquis bought into Graff, a close relative of Dawn Passage, earlier this year and McGrath thinks the 4-year-old can prove a knockout chance from an inside barrier with a light weight.

Success in the final Group 1 races of the Australian racing season would prove an excellent way to cap a brilliant year for Aquis.

"It’s been a year like no other. It's what you set out to do, but not in your wildest dreams we would have thought we would have had the success we have had. It’s testament to that system we have in place," McGrath said.

The Thoroughbred Aftercare Welfare Working Group (TAWWG) was formed earlier this year by Thoroughbred Breeders Australia in conjunction with major stakeholders such as the Australian Trainers' Association and the Australian Jockeys' Association.

It consists of an independent four-person panel, chaired by former Victorian premier Dr Denis Napthine, who with the assistance of a steering group of key thoroughbred industry figures, has been charged with identifying issues and formulating recommendations to ensure the lifetime health and welfare of a thoroughbred is a prime consideration for horses leaving the racing and breeding industry.

The panel's formation came in the wake of a series of horse welfare issues, highlighted by a story on equine welfare on the ABC's 7:30 last October which garnered national attention.

Gallery: The Thoroughbred Aftercare Welfare Working Group

TAWWG's first significant milestone has been reached with the release of a discussion paper, which has identified seven key issues for consideration by those in the industry.

"There's certainly been a lot of work done within the panel. You can see the fruit of that work in terms of identifying what the key issues are and what are the key questions that the panel is looking to get answers to," panel member Jack Lake told TDN AusNZ.

"It’s now a matter of firstly seeking input from the broader community but then focusing on those key stakeholders, not only in racing, but in the broader horse community, and developing understanding around what their priorities are."

The consultative process, which involves public submissions taken until July 24, will be followed up with further discussions by the panel with key stakeholders and interested parties.

Lake, a senior advisor on agricultural policy in the Hawke, Keating and Rudd federal governments, sits in the panel along with vet and former politician Dr Napthine, the RSPCA's Chief Science and Strategy Officer Dr Bidda Jones, and experienced vet and former director of the Australian Veterinarian Association Dr Ken Jacobs.

"When you combine the panel's experience with the practical expertise of the steering group, then you have a wealth of knowledge and experience that is brought to bear," Lake said.

"But the consultative process is really important in this. I see that process as identifying and engaging with key interest groups and there will be hopefully a broad community view from people who want to have a view on it."

Consultation crucial to process

The process is initially inviting submissions broadly and the panel will then seek advice from stakeholders and subject matter experts for further comments on particular aspects.

"We will be engaging with those particular groups and will also looking for expert input into various issues as well. We won't be waiting for everyone to come to us. We will be going out and engaging with those interest groups and stakeholders as part of the process," he said.

"It's important to engage with those groups who have an intimate knowledge and understanding of the various aspects of the policy framework of what we are looking at. Whether that be a PRA like Racing Victoria, or Equestrian Australia of the Australian Thoroughbred Sports Horse Association, there are a whole range of organisations and individuals as well, who have expertise who will significantly value add to the process."

The seven issues identified as part of the TAWWG paper are:

- What is good welfare

· Thoroughbred breeding

- Traceability

- Programs for horses leaving racing and breeding

- Regulatory framework

- Humane processing of horses

- Research and Development

The first of the seven issues covered in the paper 'What Is Good Horse Welfare' is an extremely important one, according to Lake. With the intention that recommendations established through this process can be put into law, a clear understanding of the community standards which underpin the horse welfare discussion is all important.

"Firstly, the standards and guidelines have to reflect contemporary science, they have to be science-based. Secondly they have to reflect community expectations or standards. What are the community expectations around how animals are treated? That's why that question is in there. Community attitudes change and so it’s an important starting point for this sort of process," Lake said.

Panel working towards spring deadline

The challenge for the TAWWG panel having undertaken that level of consultation, will be then to work through the process of collating the feedback to formulate recommendations, something that is expected to occur by the end of 2020.

"We are working to a loose deadline of the spring. It will certainly be this year, but late this year, These processes are always a challenge because the process itself identifies a whole range of issues that may be important but might sit outside the frames of reference," Lake said.

"The panel has got to address the terms of reference because that is what it has been asked to do. There might be an opportunity to identify areas where there are additional issues that need to be addressed. If things present and we identify areas that we think warrant work or further research, we aren’t precluded from doing that."

With such a strong background in public policy, Lake is very familiar of the process of formulating into recommendations which can then establish standards and guidelines. He said previous work done in this area over a decade ago may prove useful in helping this process.

"There was a whole lot of work done from about 2005 onwards and that was called the Australian Animal Welfare Strategy. That process was really about developing a set of standards and guidelines that provide for the welfare of animals," he said.

"It’s really a matter of someone taking the initiative to revisit that process and Thoroughbred Breeders Australia have taken that initiative, along with the jockeys and the trainers, to revisit it, Work has been done and I feel the model is still the right model.

"The model is, you develop standards, which become enforceable and you have guidelines alongside of that, which are not enforceable. It’s then a matter for each state, because they are responsible for animal welfare, to put legislation in place to make those standards enforceable. You then have an enforceable regime that puts a floor in the standard of care of horses."

What is also key, according to Lake, is the willingness of state governments to make the necessary legislative change to ensure standards become a legal requirement.

"The model is a good one, but it takes a level of effort on the part of each state to draft the relevant legislation, get it through their respective parliaments and then you have the system. It's worth a try to get it back on the agenda and there is a level of goodwill around various state governments to get that to happen," he said.

Those wishing to make submissions, the can be emailed to secretariat@thoroughbredwelfareinitiative.org.au or posted to TAWWG, PO Box 149, Canterbury, NSW 2193.