Cover image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
The all-cerise colours of the former Woodlands Stud operation of Bob and Jack Ingham dominated Australian racing for the better part of 30 years, highlighted by champions such as Lonhro and Octagonal (NZ), but these days are reserved for the handful of runners bred and raced by the next generation of the Ingham family.
In the wake of the sale of Woodlands Stud in 2008, Ingham Bloodstock signalled its intent to remain a fixture in Australian racing by spending $18 million across 24 lots at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale. Among the purchases that year were a host of well-bred fillies which are still the backbone of the Ingham family's relatively small broodmare band of 13 mares, which are kept at Coolmore Stud.
Group 3 winner Dystopia (Redoute's Choice), stakes-placed Shawnee Girl (Encosta De Lago) and the unraced Mingshan (Encosta De Lago) were among those sourced from that Easter Sale along with multiple stakes winner Little Surfer Girl, and 13 years later all of them are still producing the next generation of Ingham-bred stars.
Gallery: some Ingham-owned mares when racing, producing the next generation of stars
Little Surfer Girl always shaped as a filly who would be top of whatever class she occupied. The daughter of Encosta De Lago was a $1.5 million purchase from the Coolmore Stud draft, where she was offered on behalf of her breeder Grant A'Hearn, who had enjoyed great success with her multiple Group 1-winning dam Special Harmony (Spinning World {USA}).
She joined the stables of a young, emerging trainer named Chris Waller, who had been chosen to foster the next generation in the cerise colours and she would become an early flagbearer for the post-Woodlands era, winning the Listed Reginald Allen Quality in 2009 and following that up with two further Listed wins later in her career.
"She's one of our start-off mares," Debbie Kepitis, the late Bob Ingham's daughter, and one of the quartet of his children who operates Ingham Racing, said.
Debbie Kepitis | Image courtesy of Bronwen Healy
"She was one that was bought by Ingham Racing in 2008, when Woodlands was sold. We have got a handful of those mares, the likes of Shawnee Girl and Milshang left. We’ve just kept those ones that have gone on and kept some of their progeny."
Continuing the legacy
Even when the cerise colours were in their pomp, and the Ingham brothers were winning Group 1 races for fun, the family liked to keep a low profile, and it’s not any different these days.
Kepitis, who hit her own racing fame as the co-owner of the wonder mare Winx (Street Cry {Ire}), said while Inghams loved to see the cerise colours hit the line first, it was as much about continuing the legacy of their father and uncle as it was about winning races.
Winx with part-owner Debbie Kepitis | Image courtesy of Bronwen Healy
"We've just got a handful of mares that we are breeding and we love racing the homebreds as did Woodlands," she said.
"The cerise is very, very important to us, we love to preserve it and see them succeed, just how Dad and Jack did."
"The cerise is very, very important to us, we love to preserve it and see them succeed, just how Dad (Bob Ingham) and Jack (Ingham) did." - Debbie Kepitis
Keeping that low profile might prove difficult if Fangirl continues on her current trajectory. Having just her fourth start, the daughter of the late Widden Stud stallion Sebring elevated off an impressive 5l maiden win at Goulburn to charge over the top of a promising collection of fillies and breakthrough for a stakes success at Randwick on Saturday.
"It was lovely to see that she won the race her mum had won, that was a little bit of synergy. We are all very pleased with how she performed and hopefully she can go on with a couple of more races this prep. You just never know how far she can go," she said.
"It was just great to see a horse break their maiden as she did and then to go on get the black type, it's brilliant."
"It was just great to see a horse break their maiden as she (Fangirl) did and then to go on get the black type, it's brilliant." - Debbie Kepitis
Kepitis defers to Waller when it comes to assessing the future of the filly, and little wonder given the remarkable success he has had, but did indicate that the master trainer always held Fangirl in considerable esteem.
"He hasn't set a plan just yet, and it was more about getting through Saturday, because she had won so well at Goulburn. He thought the Thousand Guineas could be on her radar, but that came up a bit quick for her, so she went to the Reginald Allen," she said.
The Coolmore connection
Fangirl is one of four winners out of Little Surfer Girl, who has a yearling colt by Pariah, but missed last year. She resides back at Coolmore on Jerrys Plains, along with the rest of the Ingham Racing band.
Pariah | Standing at Arrowfield Stud
"We had a great relationship with Coolmore when we were next door with Woodlands, and when the company sold Woodlands to Godolphin, it was natural for us to put our mares at Coolmore," Kepitis, who also runs Woppitt Bloodstock, said.
"They had very similar ways of doing things. A lot of the guys that had worked there had worked at Woodlands, so it made it feel a bit more like home. It just works very well for us.
"Coolmore give our mares outstanding service and now that they are doing a bit of breaking in, it’s very similar to how we had our processes going at Woodlands."
"Coolmore give our mares outstanding service and now that they are doing a bit of breaking in, it’s very similar to how we had our processes going at Woodlands." - Debbie Kepitis
For simplicity, the Ingham Racing broodmare band is kept under 15, with a focus of retaining some promising ones to race, and then possibly breed on with.
Among them is Group 2 winner Catkins (Dubawi {Ire}), who has produced two winners in the cerise, including Gracilistyla (Medaglia D'Oro {USA}), who broke his maiden impressively for Waller last Wednesday at Warwick Farm.
Be it midweek or on the big stage, Kepitis and her family are just happy to see the colours salute.
"They are beautiful colours and so easy to watch in a race. We are so proud to continue on the legacy that was started for us," she said.
