The founder and Managing Director of Blazer Menswear sees a fundamental difference between the often-brutal reality of the business world and the way in which those in thoroughbred breeding industry operate.
Having raced horses and bred from fillies off the track since 2000, Peter Murray has stepped up his broodmare band over the last three years, building it to 12, and working with a team of trusted people.
"Even though he is now retired, I have done a fair bit of work with Brian Messna on the genetic side of things," Murray told TDN AusNZ. "Boomer is my bloodstock agent and we have worked closely together for some time.
"The rest of the team I have is Susannah Hawke as my vet, and Danny O'Brien is my main trainer. I love working with Three Bridges and all my mares are there. I also work with a breaker called Brian Maher, while Lee Everson also helps out with any sort of rehab and pre-training as well."
Building the band
Murray's strategy has changed as more of his race fillies build records worthy of pursuing them as broodmares himself, complemented by some other acquisitions. The 'M' brand, introduced to define his portfolio, was seen on the shoulder of several Three Bridges' presented yearlings at the recent Inglis Melbourne Premier Sale.
A Street Boss (USA) colt from Misty Rock (Fastnet Rock) was the highlight, knocked down to the bid of Ciaron Maher for $210,000, with Coolmore relegated to an unfamiliar underbidder position.
Lot 194 - Street Boss (USA) x Misty Rock (colt)
"In the last two or three years I have decided to get back into breeding. So I have 12 broodmares and a few of those are ones I bought and raced in Extreme Pride, Invincible Pride, Made Me Shiver and Tenderly," he said.
"I also try to buy mares that have raced in Europe, whereby someone has brought them out here and they might be in foal. We’ve had some lovely foals out of those mares, especially a mare called Al Dhakira."
"I also try to buy mares that have raced in Europe, whereby someone has brought them out here and they might be in foal. We’ve had some lovely foals out of those mares, especially a mare called Al Dhakira." - Peter Murray
Al Dhakira (USA) (Elusive Quality {USA}) was purchased for $75,000 by Murray Thoroughbreds and Boomer Bloodstock at the 2018 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale in foal to Choisir.
The resultant foal, a filly, sold for $150,000 at last year's Inglis Premier Yearling Sale, while the following colt by Manhattan Rain was purchased for $70,000 by Liam Howley last week at Oaklands Junction.
"Al Dhakira is related to Puissance De Lune and I sent her to him this year to get her a line-breeding plan. I am just trying to re-enforce that female family as much as I can, and who knows, I might breed another Puissance De Lune," he said.
Lot 468 - Manhattan Rain x Al Dhakira (USA) (colt)
Confidence built on advice
Murray secured a breeding right in Darley's young stallion Microphone ahead of his first season, and has two mares, Sanadaat (Not A Single Doubt) and Extreme Pride (I Am Invincible), in foal to the son of Exceed And Excel.
Murray said what he is trying to achieve in his breeding operation is commerciality and sustainability.
"Whenever we go to a yearling sale, we want to make sure we have the best stock we can sell. We are quite ruthless in that we will take weanlings to the weanling sale, not because they aren’t right, but because we feel it is the right time for that horse. The market might say that we need to do that and we just try and keep the cash flow going all the time," he said.
"The whole thing for us in our breeding program is to stay in the business for a long time. We want to survive, we want to keep going, and we want to be there all the time. We want to be as commercial as possible.
"The whole thing for us in our breeding program is to stay in the business for a long time." - Peter Murray
"There's an element of trust and they’ve grown up around horses and have way more experience than I do. They are happy to impart their knowledge onto me and help me. They've been fantastic all those people. That's the whole thing about the racing and breeding business, everyone is very happy to help and guide you."
Murray has built his confidence as a breeder off the back of those who have helped him out, not just within his own 'team' but across the broader industry.
"Harry (Mitchell) from Yarraman has been great for me and John Messara has given me great advice. John (Muir) from Milburn Creek and Antony (Thompson) from Widden have been fantastic too. Rick Jamieson from Gilgai Farm is a great friend and he has given me lots of help as well.
"Then there's the team at Darley, and people like Brent and Cherry Taylor at Trelawney, who have been great friends to my wife and I," he said.
"I've been very lucky that I have made some great friendships with those sorts of people and I'm very lucky to have that group behind me that are happy to help.
"I wouldn't be still doing it if I didn't have the support of all those people I have spoken about and the level of kindness that they have shown to me."
Early industry fascination
Murray's passion for his breeding and racing comes from a childhood fascination, fostered by his father, who first took him to the races when he was 10.
"I remember him taking me to Caulfield races for the Boxing Day meeting, which was on his birthday. Prior to that, I'd never been allowed to go and then he took me and I was sort of hooked after that," he said.
"I was always interested in going to the races and having a bet, but I didn’t really get involved in breeding until around 2000. That came from having been able to buy some race fillies and then trying to work out what I was going to do with them, so I decided to become a breeder."
Early success on the racetrack always helps and when Murray got involved with a filly called Porto Roca (Barathea {Ire}) with O'Brien, it started him down a path of success. She won five races, including the 2001 G1 Coolmore Classic, and after being purchased by Darley would go on to be an influential broodmare, producing 10 winners, including the G1 Dubai World Cup winner Monterosso (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), while she is the grandam of G1 William Reid S. winner Silent Sedition (War Chant {USA}).
Murray also raced another Group 1 winner with O'Brien in Juste Momente (Giant's Causeway {USA}), who won the 2008 G1 Robert Sangster S.
"I was also involved with another mare with Danny O'Brien and Antony from Widden called Golden Delicious, and she was a beautiful stakes-winning mare from Western Australia, who ended up being the dam of Star Turn. So we bred Star Turn collectively and I learned a lot from Antony," he said.
The Pride effect
It was the purchase of a mare called Mamasan (NZ) (Shinko King {Ire}) in 2012 in New Zealand, which really set Murray on his way to becoming more than just an occasional breeder. A winner of three races, she would cost him NZ$30,000 in foal to then first-season Rich Hill Stud stallion Shocking.
"I tried to sell the resultant filly about three or four times, but I was never able to sell her. I ended up keeping her and as Pure Pride (NZ), she won a Listed race at Flemington on Turnbull S. Day," he said.
"She nearly won the race that I had sponsored for about 10 to 12 years, the Blazer S. and was fifth in the Myer Classic. She had a lot of talent that was really untapped. She was really a 2000 metre horse, but she kept winning around the 1400 metre mark. She loved Flemington."
Pure Pride (NZ) (Shocking) is now a part of Murray's broodmare band and her first foal, a colt by Pierro, sold for $190,000 to Henry Dwyer at last week's Inglis Premier Yearling Sale. She produced a Russian Revolution colt last spring and then went to Zoustar.
Lot 260 - Pierro x Pure Pride (NZ) (colt)
In 2014, he and Rounsefell teamed up for the first time to purchase a Reward For Effort filly out of the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale for $94,000. She was out of Shabtis (Elusive Quality {USA}), the half-sister the multiple Group 1 winner Mummify (Jeune {GB}). That filly was named Take Pride.
"She went on to win the (G3) Champagne S. at Moonee Valley. She was also placed in the Talindert, and she led all the way in the Thousand Guineas, into the last furlong and ended up fifth. You couldn't hold her, you had to let her run. She was a lovely horse and in the end I sold her to Yarraman as a future broodmare prospect," Murray said
"At that time, I was more interested in buying fillies, racing them and selling them onto the breeding market."
Given Murray's goals for the future and thorough approach utilising collective industry wisdom, the 'M' brand will be one to note should it stand in front of yearling buyers at sales to come.
