Cover image by Greg Irvine courtesy of Magic Millions
Grant's breeding and racing ambitions have taken him to places those passionate about thoroughbreds can only dream about. In 2016, Kimena (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) owned by a syndicate of mates including close friend Ken Lowe, won the Duke Of Edinburgh S. at Royal Ascot, while just this year, Grant and Lowe were part of the ownership of G1 Golden Slipper S., winner Stay Inside (Extreme Choice).
It was with now Glen Eden Stud stallion Rebel Dane that Grant and Lowe experienced some of their greatest moments as owners with the dual Group 1-winning sprinter holding a special place in their hearts. It was there where the frankly remarkable journey towards Subterranean's victory on Saturday began.
"Kenny Lowe and I had put a lot of effort into trying to find a place for Rebel Dane when he finished his racing career," Grant told TDN AusNZ.
"I remember being in New Zealand for the sales and I reckon Ken went and talked to every studmaster that was there, trying to get a spot and it was the same in Australia. We couldn't get him a start and Adam Sangster eventually agreed to take him on at Swettenham Stud."
While Rebel Dane had his spot on a roster, the next challenge for the ownership group was getting him the mares to give him a chance to prosper, something that largely fell to Grant and Lowe, who arranged to send 10 mares to him.
Rebel Dane | Standing at Glen Eden Stud
Grant, who owns Silverdale, had also identified a mare by Bernardini (USA) for purchase at an Inglis Sale in Melbourne, but, unable to attend, sent Lowe down to bid on her.
"Rebel Dane goes very well with Bernardini mares, it’s just cracking pedigree," Grant explained.
But Lowe was all a bit new to this bidding caper and got a little carried away.
"He rings me up and said 'I've bought four mares' and I was like what?! I asked if anyone had looked at them, and he said that after he bought them, he had Peter Ford run his eye over them," Grant said.
Steve and Eliza Grant | Image courtesy of Silverdale Farm
"I needed to give him a quick lesson on the economics of horse ownership, and said 'you know it will cost the same to feed those as it would for the most expensive horse on the property'. The whole thing was a very funny episode."
The intended Bernardini purchase, Shoepeg, cost $33,000, but Lowe had also purchased another of his daughters, a racemare called Caves, for just $1000.
"We lined them all up and sent them down to Swettenham and we got them in foal and sent them to Silverdale," he said.
A special colt
From the moment the colt by Caves arrived as one of the first on Silverdale 12 months' later, Grant felt there was something a bit special about him. He may have been from a $1000 mare and by a stallion which had attracted just 36 mares in his first season, but he quickly won his breeders over.
"With Subterranean, we have a couple of photos of him when he was young and he was just a cracking little horse. There is one of me sitting beside him when he was laying down in the paddock. He was always such a sensible and smart horse, but of course being a first foal, he wasn't overly big," he said.
"With Subterranean, we have a couple of photos of him when he was young and he was just a cracking little horse." - Steve Grant
When Silverdale was amping up its commercial offering and upgrading its broodmare band a couple of years back, the mares that Lowe had bought on impulse in Melbourne were among the first under scrutiny.
"Kenny's mares were the first on the chopping block, but I said, let’s hang on to Caves, as the second foal, a full brother, had just arrived, and it looked good," he said.
"We kept her and then we had these Rebel Dane yearlings we couldn't sell at the sales. We did deals where we gave guys the horse and offered shares and the like, but with this Caves colt. I thought, I want to keep him, he is such a nice little horse."
The Worthington touch
It was this point here the Subterranean story takes a sentimental shift, with Grant opting to send his good mate, the late Rick Worthington, who was suffering through ill-health, a couple of yearlings and an unbroken mare to take his mind of his struggles.
"Rick broke in both him and the Auckland Beauty-Maurice filly in as well as this other mare. Unfortunately they were the last three that Rick ever broke in," Grant said.
"The filly has now gone to Gai Waterhouse and has been named Miss Worthington."
The late Rick Worthington
Grant was then keen to give Subterranean to a trainer but couldn't get takers for the first-crop son of Rebel Dane.
"I eventually rang Matty Dunn, who trains a few for us. He came back and said he liked the horse and wanted to give him a crack," he said.
"He took the horse up to Murwillumbah and got the horse ready to trial and put it in against an older horse that he had. He rang me so excited that he had trounced this older horse.
"He took the horse (Subterranean) up to Murwillumbah and got the horse ready to trial and put it in against an older horse that he had. He rang me so excited that he had trounced this older horse." - Steve Grant
"The client that owned the older horse was there watching trackwork and he said, 'what was that'? When he found out that there was half a share there, he said, I’ll buy it. That's Mitch Lowe.
"The craziest part is that he is related to Kenny Lowe, through his grandparents in Quirindi."
Quick off the mark
The touch of serendipity about Subterranean has flowed into early success on the racetrack and at his second start he won a Saturday 2-year-old race at Doomben in December. He was then third in the G3 BJ McLachlan S.
After resuming with a fifth in the G3 Kindergarten S. at Randwick this time in, Subterranean then finished third in a 2-year-old race at Doomben, before having blinkers added for the Ken Russell Memorial Classic at the Gold Coast last Saturday.
He charged late under Nash Rawiller to win by the barest of margins.
"It meant so much to us. I thought we had just gone under and lo and behold, when the cameraman changed his shot, I thought we might have this!" Grant said.
"We have won at Royal Ascot, we had Group 1 wins with Rebel Dane, and we have had an interest in a Golden Slipper winner, but when you have a little one that comes off the farm himself, and you thought about giving the horse away, and you put him in work and it all just comes off - it’s amazing."
It was also a big result for all of those at Silverdale.
"For Silverdale, he is from the first group that was foaled and reared on the farm. And for him to win, it’s a really big thing for us, we are so excited about him," he said.
"For Silverdale, he (Subterranean) is from the first group that was foaled and reared on the farm. And for him to win, it’s a really big thing for us, we are so excited about him." - Steve Grant
"It’s amazing what keeps happening with him. It’s a bit like the Jack and the Beanstalk story of Kenny going to market and coming back with things he shouldn't have bought."
The 'magic beans' that Lowe purchased, Caves, is still on Silverdale and as well as a yearling by Rebel Dane, and has a Smart Missile colt that has impressed, while she is in foal to Kitchwin Hills resident Sooboog.
"I've been dragging out the pedigrees today to find something very good for her to go to this year," Grant said.
Caves
Atkins ambitions
Subterranean, meanwhile, is being targeted at the G1 JJ Atkins S. next month.
"That was the plan from when he finished his last prep. He always felt the horse would be so much better over 1400 to 1600 metres," he said.
Saturday's success came after Silverdale came together with Suman Hedge Bloodstock to secure four foals from the Inglis Australian Weanling Sale last Thursday, including a filly by Justify (USA) for $300,000.
Lot 177 - Justify (USA) x Now Now (filly)
Grant and Hedge have had considerable success pinhooking horses from the weanling sales.
Grant was also keen to further bolster the Silverdale broodmare band at the Inglis Chairman's Sale and Australian Broodmare Sale, but found it hard to get a bid in a hectic market.
"We did well at the Weanling Sale but I think we used all our luck there. We got hammered on a couple we were bidding for. That's the way it goes, it’s a horse auction. If someone wants to pay more than me, so be it, and we have got a pocket full of money to take north to Queensland," he said.