Mullaglass Stud hoping weanling plunge can pay dividends

Cover image courtesy of Inglis

The question thoroughbred fanatics so often ask themselves - is it possible to have too many horses? Breeders both established and new often find themselves with a few - or maybe a lot - more horses than they intended to have; there is definitely something addictive about involvement in this rather challenging world.

Just ask Dr Richard McClenahan who, along with his wife Kim, calls Mullaglass Stud home.

Whilst enjoying successful involvement with breeding and selling for a number of years, with the 2018 G1 William Reid S. winner Hellbent the star of their equine show, it was just five or so years ago that they decided to take the plunge with their own farm.

Was this a long-term plan and a major business strategy? Maybe partly, but more due to the fact that the couple's love of thoroughbreds saw them end up with just too many mares to keep agisting out.

"It just made economic sense to have our own place," Dr McClenahan told TDN AusNZ.

And it was a lifestyle decision, with the McClenahans now enjoying all aspects of running their own farm.

"Every part of it - the broodmares, the pedigrees, the foaling down, the raising of young stock, we love it," Dr McClenahan enthused.

Whilst Kim has been part of the racing world since youth, going straight from school to working with yearlings at Yarraman Stud, Richard was born into a farming family in Northern Ireland.

"My uncle had a cattle farm and that is the world I grew up in. But that led me to being a vet which then led me to horses and I soon caught the bug."

A commercial model

Owning one mare in Ireland, he enjoyed his minor involvement but it was upon moving to Scone in the Hunter Valley that his interest flourished and he now keeps very busy at Mullaglass, while also maintaining his veterinary career and was quick to heap praise on his wife: "Kim does all the hard work!"

Previously selling horses within other stud’s drafts, the McClenahans head to this week's weanling sale under their own name and they are looking forward to giving Mullaglass its own presence within the racing world.

"We want to establish ourselves as producers of nice horses," Dr McClenahan said, adding that this draft is the culmination of "a twelve-month plan."

"We have been breeding and pinhooking for a while but with our increased number of mares we decided to take things more seriously and make it more than just a hobby."

A recent pinhooking success came from a horse who caught Kim's eye on the Inglis Digital June Sale last year.

Purchased for $4500, the son of Harry Angel (Ire) and Fervent Delight (Ferocity), who is herself a daughter of the 1990 G1 VRC Oaks winner Weekend Delight (NZ) (Racing Is Fun {USA}), fetched $100,000 when purchased by Payne Racing at the HTBA Yearling Sale last week.

Having focussed their attention to buying mares in foal and also breeding a few foals of their own, the McClenahans decided that selling weanlings suited their operation more so than yearlings - though they will continue to sell yearlings through other drafts.

"We don't have the number of boxes for yearling preparation and there are staff issues as well. Weanlings are easier to prepare - yearlings are a different ball game."

Continuing to enjoy working with young horses, the McClenahans set up a foaling unit on their 230-acre farm and they also foal down mares for a number of smaller studs in the area.

"We have a nice client base," Dr McClenahan said, happy with where the business sits at this stage though he is open to changes that may crop up.

"This is a hard industry to make long-term plans in, you have to be prepared to adapt - you can't stick to one model."

Mullaglass' debut draft at the Inglis sale consists of 13 well-related youngsters by highly commercial stallions, including one lot by their favourite horse, the now Yarraman Park-based sire, Hellbent, who they sold for $95,000 at the 2014 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale.

"His Group 1 win has been our biggest thrill in racing," said Dr McClenahan. "He was a nice foal, so easy-going and it was very exciting cheering him on. We have used him every year he has been at stud."

The Hellbent colt is the first foal for the four-time winner La Biere Choisie (Choisir), daughter of the stakes-placed mare Lagerphone (Fastnet Rock).

Sale-topper farm favourite

Capitalist is another Mullaglass favourite; not surprising given the Newgate Farm resident provided the stud with the top-lot at last year's Inglis Classic Yearling Sale.

Now called Capital Theatre, the colt was purchased by George Moore for $625,000, and is in training with Team Hawkes. He trialled once last spring, finishing second at the Gold Coast, and he is now back in work. His dam Theatric (Casino Prince) from the family of Pierata was served last spring by Kia Ora-based Farnan, having foaled a colt by Magna Grecia (Ire) in 2021.

Mullaglass will offer three Capitalist fillies at the sale; Lot 235 is out of the imported mare Mae Gone West (USA) (Gone West {USA}), a three-quarter sister to dual US Grade 1 winner Grand Slam (USA), Lot 258 a member of the prolific Easy Date (Grand Chaudiere {Can}) family and Lot 287 a half-sister to the multiple city winner Rule The World (Hallowed Crown).

Describing the Mullaglass draft as "a really nice group of horses," Dr McClenahan paid special mention to four.

"We have a really lovely Russian Revolution filly," he said. Catalogued as Lot 126, the filly the first foal for Mullaglass' lightly raced mare Fantastic Destiny whose fourth dam Easy Date is also the dam of Snitzel's dam Singles Bar and sire Snippets .

"If our Zousain colt is anything to go by, he is a stallion to look out for," said Dr McClenahan. The colt is catalogued as Lot 297 and is out of the unraced Sebring mare Rainbow's End whose Listed-winning dam My Mo Rally also produced the South African Grade 1 winner Le Drakkar."

Gallery: Some of Mullaglass' weanlings to be offered at the Inglis Australian Weanling Sale, images courtesy of Inglis

Another to make note of is Lot 188, a colt from the first crop of Newgate Farm-based Cosmic Force and the second foal out of Jawhara (Exceed And Excel) from the extended family of dual Group 1 winner and successful Coolmore Stud stallion Fastnet Rock.

The farm is also offer Lot 405, a half-sister to the stakes-placed Kanga's Eye (Denman) by Arrowfield’s Dundeel (NZ). The filly is out of Watchme (Bel Esprit), who is herself a daughter G2 Grand Prix S. winner Sky Watch (Star Watch).