Cover image courtesy of Matt Vella
Written by Georgie Dennis
There are few sectors of the racing industry that Matt Vella’s business doesn’t cover, however he might not have entered the breeze-up game if not for his good friend, and Newgate Farm Managing Director Henry Field.
Making his trade as a breaker, pre-trainer, and trainer in his own right, Vella was approached by Field, along with Billy and James Mitchell to take on a couple of breeze-up horses for them.
Entering the breeze-up world was something he had always thought about doing, but finding time in-between running such a large business for Sir Owen Glenn was difficult.
But since dipping his toe in upon the request of Field and the Mitchells, he said it’s something he plans to do every year.
“I do a bit of work for, and are good mates with, Henry Field. He, Billy and James Mitchell from Mitchell Bloodstock approached me and asked me to get a few going,” Vella told TDN AusNZ. “I thought, 'If I’m to do their horses, I’ll get a few more'.”
"I thought, 'If I’m to do their horses, I’ll get a few more'.” - Matt Vella
“We got a couple of our own, so Sir Owen put a couple of his own in, and we’ve taken a couple for Roulston Bloodstock and one for Harron Bloodstock.
“It pretty much came about through word of mouth from Henry Field.
“I’ve always wanted to do it but we’re just so busy that I never really thought of going and buying any to do myself. It was just more so that I was approached to do other people’s and I thought ‘this would be a good experiment.’ And now we’ll most likely do it every year.”
Glenn Haven Horse Farm | Image courtesy of Go Bloodstock
Compared to breaking and pre-training, the breeze-up arm of Glenn Haven Racing only makes up a small percentage of the business.
“Five per cent, not even, probably two per cent,” Vella said. “It would be 40 per cent breaking, probably 30 per cent pre-training and the rest would be training.
“My clients are all high-end clients and I’ve got a good set-up here at Hawkesbury here on the racecourse so I’ve got access to all the good tracks. I’ve got a big team of about 15 workers under me and we always have between 50 and 70 horses.”
"I’ve got a big team of about 15 workers under me and we always have between 50 and 70 horses.” - Matt Vella
As we head into the ready to run sales season, Vella said most of his draft are ready to go. They’re back in work and have been trained as though they were his own horses being targeted towards the early 2-year-old trials.
“They’ve all had little jump-outs, they’ve all breezed up the straight a couple of times, they’ve been in and out of the system quite a few times to just go through the motions,” he said.
“They’re like seasoned horses and they were already very well educated before I brought them back in.
“I give myself six weeks to get them right which is more than enough time. Obviously I’ve got the tracks at Hawkesbury here, we’ve got a great Polytrack and all of that, so they’re actually working on the track that they are going to breeze-up on, almost every day.”
The polytrack at Hawkesbury | Image courtesy of Go Bloodstock
Ready2Race draft
The Inglis Ready2Race Sale will, at this stage, take place on October 20 at Riverside Stables and Vella will offer eight 2-year-olds under the Glenn Haven Thoroughbreds banner. Of his draft, he said two by young Newgate Farm sires were the standouts.
“I’ve got one by Capitalist out of a fast mare in Lady Sniper. I really love him, he’s a very fast horse that will go early. He’ll be at the early trials.
“I’ve also got another one from Newgate by Flying Artie out of Excellent Lady, who is a half-brother to a Group 2 winner. He’s very sharp - he’s going to make a nicer horse in six months time - but he’s very sharp and I’ve got plenty of time for him.
“Out of the eight horses I’m breezing up, probably six of them I really like.”
Vella has had plenty of experience with the progeny of this season’s first-season sires through his breaking operation and so far, he has been very impressed with the first-crop of Newgate’s G1 Golden Slipper S. winner Capitalist.
Capitalist | Standing at Newgate Farm
“Definitely Capitalist has stood out to me of this year’s first-season sires,” he said.
“Shalaa and Flying Artie as well but I must say, on the whole, Capitalist for sure is a standout. He’s got very sharp and very early types so to me he’s the number one.”
It’s been a tough year for buying and selling horses, but Vella thinks that the breeze-up market will be one that holds up with it already being so online-based.
“I don’t think that what’s going on will affect the prices because the buyers are still getting to see the horses breeze-up,” he said. “You do that online as is and as far as I know you can attend the Sale but either way I think this is one particular sale that it shouldn’t impact because everything is provided.
“X-rays, breeze-up, vet checks, everything is provided online so I can’t see it being affected too much.”
