Dirty Work and Overshare will now continue their careers at Widden Victoria, after David Moodie and Ash Hardwick’s Hesket Thoroughbreds struck an agreement with owner Antony Thompson, who told TDN AusNZ he is looking forward to standing the exciting pair in 2022.
"They are perfect for our roster. They are both highly appealing horses to us and the Australian market. They are speed sons of brilliant sires and they are both really good-looking and exciting young horses," Thompson said.
Good value
Dirty Work - a son of Champion Sire Written Tycoon - will be offered to breeders at a fee of $16,500 (inc GST), having covered 155 mares in his first season at a fee of $19,800 (inc GST) last year.
Dirty Work, new to Widden Victoria in 2022 and will stand for $16,500 (inc GST)
“I think at $16,500 Dirty Work represents good value for breeders. He was very popular last year at a slightly higher fee, but we thought he would slot into our roster nicely and would be well-priced. We want to continue to give him the big books of mares,” said Thompson.
“He covered a fantastic book of mares last year and we would like to continue that this year. Widden will be supporting both horses with our own mares.”
An $800,000 yearling, Dirty Work landed five of his 21 starts headlined by a win in the G2 Schillaci S. and he is out of dual-winning Maidel (Ad Valorem {USA}), a half-sister to Group 3 winner Gamay (Pierro) and Listed scorer Meidung (Bernardini {USA}), with the latter also the dam of Group 2 victor Banish (Lonhro).
Antony Thompson | Image courtesy of Inglis
Dirty Work becomes the second son of Written Tycoon to stand at Widden Stud, with G1 Blue Diamond S. winner Written By residing at the stud's New South Wales base.
Written By enjoyed good success with his first yearlings this year, selling 68 youngsters for an aggregate of $9,169,663 at an average of $134,847 and Thompson said his success gives Widden further confidence to stand another high-class son of Written Tycoon.
“Written Tycoon is a Champion Sire and very important to the Victorian industry and given the very successful year with Written By and his first yearlings it certainly gives us a lot of confidence with Dirty Work.”
“Written Tycoon is a Champion Sire and very important to the Victorian industry and given the very successful year with Written By and his first yearlings it certainly gives us a lot of confidence with Dirty Work.” - Antony Thompson
Building momentum
Meanwhile, Overshare has had good success with his first runners from limited numbers, with the son of I Am Invincible having sired a pair of winners - including Group-placed filly Lady Laguna - and a placegetter from only three runners and he will become the first son of I Am Invincible to stand at Widden Victoria.
A winner of the 2018 edition of the G3 Zeditave S., Overshare covered 130 mares at a fee of $11,000 (inc GST) in 2021 and he will stand the upcoming season for the same fee.
Overshare, new to Widden Victoria in 2022 and will stand for an unchanged fee of $11,000 (inc GST)
“Overshare is obviously a horse where momentum has built on from day one, he has covered good numbers every year and he has three runners and he is off to a great start, two winners and a placegetter. He is obviously a very interesting horse and now we have seen his progeny that interest is really growing,” Thompson continued.
Hesket Thoroughbreds will look to support clients of the former Spendthrift Australia stallions as much as possible and all active nomination agreements will be honoured, be that ‘Breed Secure’, ‘Share the Upside’ and ‘Live Foal’ agreements.
“Overshare is obviously a horse where momentum has built on from day one... he has three runners and he is off to a great start, two winners and a placegetter. He is obviously a very interesting horse and now we have seen his progeny that interest is really growing.” - Antony Thompson
Magic Millions has been entrusted with overseeing the process to find suitable new homes for proven stallions Gold Standard and Swear.
Industry in rude health
In January, respected industry real estate figure Clint Donovan was appointed to sell the 600-acre property including staff, on a walk-in, walk-out basis and he told TDN AusNZ that they had over 40 expressions of interest on the property which, given the nature of the sale, was way over what he had expected.
“We are delighted and elated by the outcome. We are grateful for the opportunity the whole team put into it to conduct the transaction. We were also realistic that we did offer up quite a complex business scenario as a walk-in, walk-out opportunity,” said Donovan.
“As much as it appeared to the outsider to take a bit of time to come to fruition, but we were satisfied with the timing.
“It is the perfect time for the breeding season and the new owners to do with the stock and the stallions what they wish. It is a good outcome and has been quite a journey, but it has also been enlightening from an Australian industry perspective. We had over 40 serious expressions of interest and enquiries on the walk-in, walk-out nature of the deal, which given the size of the transaction is huge and it is a real reflection on the health of the industry here.”
“We had over 40 serious expressions of interest and enquiries on the walk-in, walk-out nature of the deal, which given the size of the transaction is huge and it is a real reflection on the health of the industry here.” - Clint Donovan
In terms of the physical assets, the property includes a four-bedroom homestead, two brand new staff houses comprising four bedrooms, two mare barns of 12 and 11 each with another 22 box-barn, which was under construction when it was put on the market. The property also boasts a four-box foaling barn, a 14-box stallion yard, a covering shed and a stallion round yard.
There is also an office, workshop, wash bay and several storage sheds, a further staff room with accommodation and access to dams, bore and tank water.
Donovan said the Spendthrift mares and weanlings on offer at the Magic Millions National Sale were some of the best to come to market in 2022 and therefore offered a rare opportunity for buyers.
“It’s great to see Hesket Thoroughbreds keep on Overshare and Dirty Work,” he said. “It’s great for the current shareholders and supporters of those stallions for them to relocate to a farm with the brand-power such as Widden.
Clint Donovan and Barry Bowditch
“It is also exciting and gives confidence to the buying bench with some really nice weanlings and top-class broodmares heading to the National Sale in an unreserved dispersal, so it is a win-win for all parties.
“There are some world-class and serious mares and some lovely weanlings by some exciting stallions, it is going to give people the opportunity to sink their teeth into some world-class pedigrees.”
