A virtual window into Newgate's exciting future

Cover image courtesy of Newgate Farm

Like several other major farms, Newgate launched its Virtual Stallion Parade this week, in what was a necessity in times where COVID-19 protocols make it impossible for the Hunter Valley studs to host traditional in-person stallion parades.

Director of Stallions, Bruce Slade, said with three of its 13-strong roster making their debut, Newgate was keen to ensure it met breeders' curiosity in the video by highlighting the best attributes of the freshmen trio.

"Our view on it was trying to make it as short and sweet as possible, bearing in mind, people don’t want to sit through detailed coverage of every stallion. We think they'd prefer to pick through the ones they want to look at," Slade told TDN AusNZ.

"For the most part, it’s the new horses. People want to see them physically, because they haven’t been able to get to the farm and see them in the flesh. That was important to get out there. The older stallions, we did a quick touch on them with a view that most people have seen them and have got a good idea of what stock they are leaving.

"We thought it would be most interesting to focus on the first-season sires. We've got a bit more walking and standing footage of them just to help people with their mating decisions if they are deciding what mare to send to them."

Watch: Newgate Farm's 2020 Virtual Stallion Parade

There are several factors breeders are keen to assess when they physically inspect a sire and Slade said those key questions were things Newgate sought to address through its virtual parade video.

"The video itself allows you to see their actions. How they walk front and behind and how they move side on and the general quality and feel of the horse," he said.

"I also thought it was really important to highlight the size, stature and quality of the horses as well as being able to see them. To talk people through that and get a good guide on height. Those are the things that are most difficult to gauge from photos and videos.

"It also comes down to relationships. People need to feel comfortable enough to pick up the phone and talk to someone on the farm and look to what might suit physically based on their mare type, pedigree and profile."

A sign of the times

Regardless of where COVID-19 might take things in the future, Slade sees virtual stallion parades as something which will become an additional asset for studs.

"There is no doubt that this is the best way to do it in these times. We'd love to have everyone on farm and see them, there is nothing like being up close and personal with the living, breathing equine athlete. That's a whole different type of feeling," he said.

"But the virtual stallion parade concept might become an important part of our annual marketing strategy, bearing in mind there is so much information available online and a lot of people, for different reasons, don’t get to go to stallion parades. It’s something we will probably look to do anyway, alongside the fixed physical parades going forward.

"Everyone has been very adaptable, and that's been helped by the fact we have been through all the yearling, weanling and mare sales having to rely heavily on videos. Everyone is engaged in that space anyway."

Brutal in demand

As a G1 Doncaster H. winning son of four-time Champion New Zealand stallion O'Reilly (NZ), Brutal (NZ) is the highest profile of Newgate's new additions and stands his first season at $27,500 (inc GST).

"He's just turned five and he is genuinely a beast of a stallion, a real man's man in that regard," Slade said. "He has been really well received by breeders and he's been booked out for a month or so now.

"He's got the added benefit of being Danehill-free and standing for $25,000 plus GST. He's a nice horse that so many people can use on so many different fronts.

"He's affordable, easy to mate, genetically and physically. Being a John Hawkes yearling purchase, he's a gun physical, and a big part of that commercial equation is breeding that type that goes to the sale and can be found attractive by the leading stables."

Force for a new generation

Cosmic Force, who stands at $16,500 (inc GST) becomes the first second-generation Newgate stallion, following in the footsteps of his own sire Deep Field, who has made a lightning fast start to his career, with 108 winners from his first two crops. That includes five stakes winners, among them Cosmic Force himself who won a G2 Roman Consul S., and a G3 Pago Pago S.

"A bit like his own sire, Cosmic Force didn’t win his Group 1 but did some special things on the racetrack," Slade said, "He's very impressive physically, a great mover, heaps of quality and super athletic.

"It’s an interesting season for horses at the price point, there is a lot of them. Cosmic Force was an elite horse and produced elite performances, including breaking a race record in the Roman Consul and winning by big margins. That says he had real x-factor just like Deep Field did."

Tassort intrigues

Tassort, the son of Brazen Beau who debuts at $11,000 (inc GST), is an intriguing prospect, having had just two starts, including a 5.3l win on debut, and then a second in a G2 Silver Slipper before injury ended his career.

"We really believe in him. I've said it to a few people, it's not a cheap exercise in terms of launching a horse and getting behind them and giving them a chance at stud," Slade said.

"He's there with huge support from Emirates Park and ourselves in terms of our own broodmare bands, and he's got a lot of support from key breeders.

"He's a horse that is here because we believe elite performances can be judged outside of a Group 1 win. Time data over a certain distance at a certain track can give you a great indication that a horse is in that top 0.01 per cent. That's what he was. It was an incredible debut on the clock."

Slade also expects Tassort to appeal from a pedigree perspective as well, being a half-brother to Group 1 winners Alizee (Sepoy) and Astern (Medaglia D'Oro {USA}).

"When you couple his performance with the fact his mother is a blue hen and then you hear what James Cummings and James McDonald say about him, there are a lot of things pointing in the direction of how good Tassort is," he said.

Excitement builds ahead of crucial season

This season is not only important for Newgate in terms of its freshman trio, with four of its other young stallions set to have their first runners in 2020/21 in Capitalist, Flying Artie, Extreme Choice and Winning Rupert.

"It’s a massive year for us. It’s not just any four stallions with 2-year-old's hitting the track. One's a Golden Slipper winner, one's a Blue Diamond and Moir S. winner, one's a Coolmore winner, and one was a freak talent who was a record breaking flying machine. It’s such an exciting year," Slade said.

"For us as a young farm, our aim is to become the leading stallion farm in Australia and to do that we have to make champion sires. We need to continue to make the right calls on what sires we stand and give them the opportunity to help the breeders."

With Deep Field already making a substantial impression as one of Australia's most prolific young sires, Newgate is already getting the runs on the board, and Slade said there is no excuse for the next generation of Newgate sires not to follow in his footsteps.

"Deep Field has been a real success story for us and we think he's a horse that can continue to rise in those ranks. We’ve got one tick in that box, but we'd love another two or three or four. The next few years we are going to find out," he said.

"We've got the breeders in behind us, and we have a great team here at Newgate raising a lot of these horses on farm, so there's no excuses for these horses not to make a major impact."