Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything

Off the back of another year of purchasing some of the finest broodmares and broodmare prospects at major auctions across the world, the paddocks at Yulong are stacked with quality, and Written Tycoon will once again be exposed to the cream of the crop in 2023.

Having stood for $165,000 (inc GST) last year, the news that the son of Iglesia will be kept private this breeding season comes just two years after he was crowned Champion Sire for the first time, but with the rising 21-year-old entering the twilight of his stallion career, Fairgray has cited age as the driving factor behind the decision.

“This year he is going to be private and we’ll only be taking a handful of outside mares to him,” Fairgray revealed.

“As stallions get older it’s about doing the right thing by the stallion, and he’s getting on in years, so we’re going to look after him.

“We’ll use him ourselves and serve some of our very nice mares to him. He’s been a fantastic stallion here in Australia and if we can keep breeding some nice foals by him then we’ll be thrilled.”

His multiple Group 1-winning Royal Ascot-bound daughter Coolangatta is continuing to fly the flag for him at the very top level, and only two stallions have sired more Australian winners than him so far this season. Despite all that he has achieved in his stud career to date, Fairgray remains optimistic that the best is yet to come from the sire of 12 individual Group 1 winners.

“He has still been churning out the winners, which is something he consistently does, and he’s going to have a bumper 2-year-old crop next season, plus a couple more to follow behind that,” Fairgray added.

“His yearlings are the crop from when he was at Arrowfield, which I’d say on paper was probably the best quality mares that he served in his career. Then with us, he has served a lot of our high-class mares that we have bought, so he’s had some beautiful mares go to him in the last few years.

“Good stallions bounce back and he will. We’re going to see some really nice Written Tycoons on the racetrack in the next couple of years.”

Exceeding expectations

As the farm’s foundation stallion, Grunt (NZ) will always be held in special regard by the Yulong team, something which has made his promising start to life at stud even sweeter than it normally would be.

Standing at a fee of $22,000 (inc GST) in 2023, Grunt is the only stallion on the Yulong roster to have his fee increased this year, and that increase is not without good reason.

From just a handful of runners to date, the G1 Australian Guineas winner has already unearthed a stallion prospect of his own in Veight, who became his sire’s first winner when bursting onto the scene with a 6l maiden win in February, before backing that up with a dominant success in the G2 Sires’ Produce S. at Flemington last month.

The Tony and Calvin McEvoy-trained colt looks destined for a big 3-year-old campaign next season, and given the improvement that Grunt himself made from two to three, there is plenty to be excited about as his oldest crop enter their Classic year.

“Grunt was a very good 3-year-old and nobody expected him to have horses up and running early as 2-year-olds, but for him to get a Group 2 winner in Veight, he has started off tremendously well,” Fairgray said.

“He’s going to go up to $22,000 on the basis that he has started very well, and we believe that he is still very good value at that fee. He’s had two placegetters in the last two weeks as well, who have been very promising on their first starts, and the feedback on them has been very strong.

“There’s a couple who have been put away as 2-year-olds to be aimed at the Caulfield Guineas and so forth next season, so that tells you that trainers have high opinions of them.

“He’s a stallion that has been very popular since he went to stud and he’s very fertile, so that all helps.”

With Grunt off to such a promising start at stud, there is growing excitement surrounding the progeny of his Yulong barnmate Alabama Express, who will be represented by his first 2-year-olds once the new season begins on August 1.

His debut crop were well-received at the yearling sales earlier this year, spearheaded by a Yulong-bred colt out of Ghadaayer (Ire) (Shamardal {USA}), who sold to Ballymore Stables Australia, Catheryne Bruggeman and Paul Moroney Bloodstock for $400,000 at the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale. That figure - the highest price among the first-season sires - helped him finish the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale as the leading first-season sire by average (three or more sold).

A winner of the G1 CF Orr S., just like his breed-shaping sire Redoute’s Choice, Alabama Express will stand the 2023 breeding season at an unchanged fee of $22,000 (inc GST).

A first look

The coming weeks and months promise to be very informative for two of Yulong’s young stallions in Tagaloa and Lucky Vega (Ire), both of whom will see their first weanlings go under the hammer at Riverside Stables on Monday as the Inglis Australian Weanling Sale gets underway.

Both stallions have had their service fees reduced slightly from last year’s numbers, with Tagaloa available at $27,500 (inc GST) this year (down from $30,250 {inc GST} in 2022) and Lucky Vega set to stand for $16,500 (inc GST), which is down from the $19,250 (inc GST) figure he stood for in 2022.

Fairgray revealed that Yulong has some “very nice” weanlings by Lucky Vega in the paddocks at Nagambie, including a filly out of G1 Australian Oaks heroine Unforgotten (Fastnet Rock) who is bound for the yearling sales in 2024, while the early feedback surrounding Tagaloa’s first weanlings is providing plenty of cause for optimism.

The son of Lord Kanaloa (Jpn) was Victoria’s busiest sire last season, covering 192 mares, and with two large crops already under his belt, Fairgray is particularly excited about the G1 Blue Diamond S. winner’s future at stud.

“Really, really good,” Fairgray responded when asked what he made of Tagaloa’s first crop of foals. “It’s always great when you get feedback from breeders that they’re super impressed with the foals that they have at home, and that’s what we keep hearing.

“He has been really well supported. It’s a good sign when a stallion covers more mares in their second year at stud than the first - it shows you that people are impressed with the physical types that he is leaving.

“He’s thrown plenty of size and substance into his progeny and we have some beautiful weanlings on the farm that we will present.

“He’s certainly going to have every chance based on the progeny that he’s leaving.”

New faces

Earlier this month it was announced that Yulong’s burgeoning roster would be bolstered by the arrival of multiple Group 1 winner Pierata, who had stood the previous two breeding seasons at Aquis Farm’s Canungra property in Queensland.

Despite his first yearlings selling for up to $800,000 this year, helping him to be crowned leading first-season sire by aggregate at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Yulong has opted to keep the son of Pierro’s service fee unchanged at $44,000 (inc GST), a move that has already been well received by Victorian breeders.

“It’s fantastic to have him join the team,” Fairgray said. “When he won the Sydney Stakes he ran a faster time than Redzel did in The Everest that day - he was a very good sprinter and a very tough competitor.

“He has been very popular since it was announced that he was joining the team and that’s off the back of how well his yearlings sold. We bought a couple of his yearlings at the (Inglis Australian) Easter Sale this year and we like them as types.

“He’s an easy horse to mate to, being out of a Flying Spur mare, and he has really impressed people with the physical types that he has been leaving.

“It’s exciting, and now we just have to wait until October and see how we go with his first 2-year-olds.”

The second of two new additions to the Yulong roster for the 2023 breeding season comes in the shape of Diatonic (Jpn), who will be introduced to the Australian market at a fee of $13,750 (inc GST).

A son of Lord Kanaloa (Jpn), who currently sits atop the Japanese Sires’ Premiership, Diatonic is bred on the same cross as two-time Japanese Horse of the Year Almond Eye (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) and was twice a winner of the G2 Swan S. in his native Japan, the same race won by Rich Hill Stud’s exciting Group 1-producing stallion Satono Aladdin (Jpn).

News of Diatonic’s arrival in Victoria has already garnered plenty of attention according to Fairgray, who is hoping that Yulong’s new addition will become the latest Japanese-bred stallion to take the Australasian breeding industry by storm.

“He was a fast, very consistent horse by a good stallion, and because of his bloodlines he has created a lot of interest,” Fairgray said.

“Obviously, with the performance of Japanese sires in the last couple of years here in Australia, people are understanding that the Japanese racehorses are probably the strongest in the world right about now. Whenever they travel them, they are very competitive.

“It’s great that we are able to introduce these different bloodlines here in Australia. With the saturation that we’ve had of Danehill and so forth, I think getting away from that a little bit is going to be a good thing for our genetic pool.”

Identifying the right introductory price point for a new stallion is by no means a simple task, particularly when that stallion raced in a different jurisdiction, but Fairgray is confident that Diatonic’s introductory fee of $13,750 (inc GST) will give breeders every opportunity to breed a nice racehorse and make a handsome return on their investment.

“We looked at where we thought he would sit within the market place and where breeders can breed to him and do relatively well,” he added.

“I think breeders will be able to breed a nice type because physically he looks like an Australian sprinter. He’s got a big hind-end and shoulder on him.

“He himself is a medium-sized horse and he’ll put plenty of strength into mares, so I think as long as the mare has got a bit of leg, it will suit him very well.

“He’s going to be following off the back of Tagaloa having his first couple of crops racing, so if he takes off then I’m sure the Diatonics will be very popular at the yearling sales.”

Wanting the best for breeders

When the Yulong team went about setting its stallion fees for the upcoming breeding season, the market correction that has been observed at the majority of yearling sales on the Eastern Seaboard so far this year was at the forefront of their thinking, according to Fairgray.

That correction was a contributing factor as to why only one of Yulong’s seven-strong roster received a fee increase this year, but in a slightly trepidacious market, breeders can rest assured that Yulong will once again throw heavy support behind its septet of stallions.

“It’s just about making sure breeders are going to be able to do well out of it,” Fairgray said when discussing the fee-setting process. “Longevity for the breeders is important and we want them to be able to breed to our stallions with the confidence that they’re going to do well.

“We might be going through a bit of a tougher time in the industry as we go through a correction in the market, and we want to help the breeders. If people are finding it hard to make a decision financially, then they can speak to us and we can try to work out a way that is mutually beneficial for us and them.

“A major thing for breeders is to be able to breed to these stallions off the back of the support that Mr Zhang has given them with these quality mares. It’s a bit of a guarantee, as such, that they have been given every opportunity.

“If they come out all guns blazing with their first crop and you’re selling off the back of it, then you’re going to reap the benefits.”

Table: Yulong Stud's stallion roster in 2023, *all prices inclusive of GST

Cover image courtesy of Inglis

A long list of high-profile graduates that includes Group 1 winners Redzel (Snitzel), Begood Toya Mother (Myboycharlie {Ire}) and Spright (Hinchinbrook) has made the Inglis Australian Weanling Sale an important and highly-anticipated fixture in the sales calendar.

Saturday’s Listed Anniversary Vase winner Cardinal Gem (Choisir), a $32,000 weanling purchase at this sale in 2019, provided a timely reminder of the quality that can be sourced at this auction for relatively modest sums.

A record catalogue of 448 lots has been assembled for this year’s edition of the two-day auction and with siblings to hugely commercial names starring alongside typically strong drafts from some of the sale’s biggest supporters, Sebastian Hutch believes there is plenty of cause for optimism ahead of this year’s weanling series curtain raiser.

“We are very fortunate in that I think we have the best-credentialed weanling that will go to sale anywhere in Australia this year,” Hutch said of Lot 271, the full brother to Kia Ora stallion Captivant (Capitalist) who will be offered as part of Senga Bissett and Ivan Woodford Smith’s dispersal of Ashleigh Thoroughbreds.

“He’s a full brother to a Group 1-winning 2-year-old in Sydney, and incidences where horses like that get offered for sale as a weanling are very, very rare.

“Combined with the fact that he’s a very nice colt, he’s a pretty special opportunity for the sale and Senga and Ivan have a really lovely draft of horses that have been very popular on the ground.

“Across the board there are some really high-profile horses here. Mike O’Donnell (Fairhill Farm) brings a good draft of foals to this sale every year and he traditionally tends to be very reasonable in terms of meeting the market. There’s also a Farnan half-brother to a colt that made a million dollars at (Inglis) Easter, out of Tavarnelle (Lot 301).

“These are horses that rarely make their way into the weanling market, so it’s a fantastic opportunity for us to be offering them.”

Aside from the stand-out lots, Hutch is also excited at the prospect of selling the first progeny by this year’s first-season sires, a crop that he believes is one of the best credentialed to hit the market in recent years.

“This sale is one that we look forward to every year, primarily because it’s the first opportunity to see the first offspring of the crop of new stallions,” Hutch said.

Gallery: Stand out Lots for the Inglis Weanling Sale

“It’s a particularly interesting crop this year. The likes of Farnan, Prague, Ole Kirk, Bivouac, Wootton Bassett, Dirty Work, Peltzer, King’s Legacy etc - all the first-season stallions who are represented in the sale have some nice weanlings here to represent them well.

“The thing that’s fun about it is that a lot of people have differing opinions as to who the horse that’s making the right sort of impression is.

“Ultimately the market will have a say on Monday and Tuesday as to in what regard these particular horses are held, but it’ll be interesting to see how things prevail on the racecourse in the subsequent years.”

Hanseatic on show

G1 Blue Diamond S. runner-up Hanseatic is one of a number of first-season sires well represented across the two days, which comes as no surprise given the level of support he has received in his first two years at stud.

A colt out of the Group 3-winning Savabeel mare Adorabeel (NZ) (Lot 351) spearheads a four-strong offering by the son of Street Boss, who became the most patronized first-season stallion in Victorian breeding history in 2021, covering 195 mares at his introductory fee of $17,600 (inc GST).

Watch: Lot 351 parading

Still buoyed by a 2-year-old stakes double for the farm on Saturday, Rosemont Stud’s general manager of bloodstock Ryan McEvoy feels that this year’s Inglis Australian Weanling Sale represents a unique opportunity for those who have missed out on breeding to Hanseatic thus far.

“He has been unbelievably popular and has covered near enough to 370 mares in his first two seasons,” McEvoy said.

“We were looking at the stats last week and almost 70 per cent of breeders that used him in year one came back to him in year two, which is a great endorsement of the types that he’s getting.

“He was booked out and you couldn’t get into him in his first year, so this sale is certainly an opportunity for those breeders that missed out to get their hands on one.”

In light of his impressive race record at two, during which he landed three stakes races in succession before being beaten a pimple in the G1 Blue Diamond S., plenty will be expected of Hanseatic once his first runners hit the track in the 2024/25 season.

The Group 3 winner has a solid chance of making an immediate impact according to McEvoy, who feels that Hanseatic has done a good job of passing the same sort of speed and precocity onto his progeny that he himself possessed.

“I know it’s a bit of a cliche, but you can go out to a paddock with eight or nine foals and can really identify a Hanseatic almost immediately,” McEvoy said.

“He’s a real, quintessential Australian speed horse with great natural muscle tone. We’re getting some really astute breeders and good judges catching onto him now and he’d have a book of near on 70 or 80 mares already, having only just announced his fee.

“He’s a horse that could have a real impact as a first-season sire and I think that he’s a great punt this year, going into his third season with such a big 2-year-old number set to hit the ground this time next year.”

Despite the temptation to increase Hanseatic’s service fee this year off the back of strong support in his first two seasons at stud, the Rosemont team opted to leave him unchanged at $17,600, owing mainly to the slight drop in yearling sale figures that has been observed so far in 2023.

McEvoy expects this year’s weanling sale market to follow suit, with the middle bracket predicted to be the area that suffers most while the top end remains in rude health.

“I think we have seen evidence of some cooling in that middle market,” he said.

“Certainly in the yearling market, we have seen a bit of strain there for horses in that $80,000-$200,000 bracket. I’d like to think that the Hanseatics are in that space, so it’s going to be interesting to see how that all plays out.

“One thing we have taken out of the yearling sales is that there is still a premium price being paid for good quality stock. I think there will be a level of correction happening, but we’re still seeing that anything with quality can sell above itself.”

A different dynamic

Like McEvoy, Hutch is expecting the top end of this year’s Inglis Australian Weanling Sale to thrive, but against the backdrop of a slowing economy, the very nature of a weanling sale means that other areas of the market are likely to find life considerably tougher.

“As we see year in year out, the clearance rate doesn’t tend to be on the same level as what it tends to be at the yearling sales, just because vendors aren’t quite under the same pressure to sell,” Hutch explained.

“There’s a more relaxed attitude to the sale. Some people will feel that if the market isn’t valuing their weanlings at the level they see them at, they’re happy to take their chances through a yearling sale, or a 2-year-old sale, or on the racecourse in the following years.

“So while I think in certain parts of the market supply is going to exceed demand, I think in the case of foals that are well-credentialed, by stallions who people perceive to be commercial, with commercial pedigrees, there will be a surplus of demand relative to supply.

“I think that the challenges that have been evident in the market this year will be something that pinhookers are sensitive to in terms of what they are prepared to pay for weanlings to trade, for example, but this year is on track to be the second most lucrative year in the history of Australian bloodstock, so I think the challenges need to be looked at in the context of that fact.”

In addition to a strong cross-section of local buyers, Hutch is anticipating involvement from Queensland, Western Australia, New Zealand and further afield over the next two days, with many representatives from those jurisdictions already in attendance at Riverside Stables on the weekend.

Such diversity, combined with some notable pinhook results from last year’s sale, points towards another strong buying bench 12 months on, and Hutch expects both pinhookers and end users to once again come to the fore when the gavel is raised on Monday morning.

“We’re very lucky to be offering the quality of foals that we have this year, but as tends to be the case at this sale, we can only wish that we had more nice horses to offer the buying bench, because it certainly feels that the appetite is going to be there,” he said.

“Pinhookers, for want of a better word, are a brave group who traditionally embrace the challenge of variances in the market, year after year.

“You think back as recently to the year of the pandemic and you still saw circumstances where the pinhookers were still prepared to front up and buy weanlings, even though we were in a very, very uncertain market at that stage.

“Our sale has a good record of producing racehorses for people, so I still think it will engage a good representation of end users as well.”

Just the beginning

With the weanlings taking centre stage on Monday and Tuesday, attention will quickly turn to The Chairman’s Sale on Thursday night, and Hutch can barely contain his excitement for what he believes is the best line-up in the auction’s burgeoning history.

“We can say definitively that it’s the best catalogue that we’ve ever assembled for this sale,” Hutch said unequivocally.

“Traditionally we’ve been afforded the opportunity to sell nice pregnant mares, but this is the best group of race fillies and mares we’ve offered for sale across the board. High-profile lots like Montefilia, Nimalee, Icebath, right the way through to race fillies like Jal Lei and Tralee Rose, and then mares like Pantonario, Dashing Legend and Scorched Earth.

“There is great depth to those race fillies and we have some really fantastic covers as well. To be able to go into a sale like this and have mares in foal to Extreme Choice, Gun Runner, Frankel and all the other major proven and young stallions in Australia, and primarily with young mares, it’s a pretty exciting opportunity.

“The sale itself is a cool spectacle, it’s good fun and it certainly seems to be drawing interest from a strong group of buyers. Hopefully that manifests itself in a good sale on Thursday night.”

Cover image courtesy of Eureka Stud

The Darling Downs property will retain a roster of two stallions for the 2023 breeding season, headed by the homebred Spirit Of Boom, Eureka Stud will also stand the blue-blooded Encryption, who will remain at last season’s fee of $13,200 (inc GST).

The dual Group 1 winner Spirit Of Boom has again delivered another strong season on the track, with De Sonic Boom claiming the G3 Blue Diamond Preview (Fillies) and Malaboom claiming the Listed Calaway Gal S. highlighting his effectiveness as a source of precocity.

Spirit Of Boom has also enjoyed strong results from his older progeny, such as the 4-year-old Prince Of Boom, who has claimed the Listed Ascot H. and was placed in the G2 Victory S. at Eagle Farm on Saturday.

The son of Sequalo is currently achieving over 70 per cent of winners to runners.

Spirit Of Boom covered a strong book of 182 mares last season; amongst them was Cristobal (Exceed And Excel) dam of the G2 Blue Diamond Prelude (Fillies) winner Exploring (Brazen Beau), and Iridescente (Commands), who is a stakes producer.

The Listed Calaway Gal S. winner Sweet Dolly (Real Saga), who won four of her five starts, has also visited the Eureka Stud-based stallion in her first season.

Spirit Of Boom’s book also included the Group and stakes winners - Kulgrinda (Exceed And Excel) and Tukiyo (Haradasun).

Harry McAlpine, head of nominations and bloodstock at Eureka Stud, told TDN AusNZ: “We could have increased Spirit Of Boom’s fee last year, but chose to remain at the $33,000 he stood for in 2021.

“His results have continued on and off the track. He’s obviously getting plenty of winners, and they are selling well, I believe up 20 per cent, so we felt he was well entitled to a fee increase”.

Spirit Of Boom’s progeny have averaged $138,795 for this year’s yearling sales and, at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Eureka Stud consigned and sold the sire’s top-priced filly from the Excites mare Madame Fly for $475,000 to Yes Bloodstock, and Spirit Of Boom’s top-priced colt from the Sebring mare Notonyourlife for $330,000 to China Horse Club, Newgate Bloodstock, Go Bloodstock and Trilogy Racing.

“At $38,500 and being a proven stallion, we felt he’s still excellent value for breeders.

“Spirit Of Boom covered a full book of 182 mares last season, on top of covering a strong book of 178 in 2021, he has plenty of ammunition coming through, and the momentum looks to keep building.

“Pleasingly Spirit Of Boom’s interstate support has remained strong throughout his career, and that’s a testament to his outstanding track and sales results across the country. We are very keen to keep that support.

“He’s a very fertile horse, and we hope to achieve a similar number of mares as last season (182).”

Blueblood remains in Queensland

Joining Spirit Of Boom is the royally bred Encryption, who is standing his fifth season at an unchanged fee of $13,200 (inc GST).

“We stand Encryption in conjunction with Darley, and we evaluate each year where he will stand, so we are thrilled to be offering him to Queenslanders again.”

The son of the recently pensioned Darley stallion Lonhro has had his first crop of 2-year-olds hit the track this season. Among them is the Rex Lipp-trained Cifrado, who posted another black-type placing when third in the Listed Dalrello S. at Eagle Farm on Saturday.

Encryption has had two individual winners and four placegetters from 13 runners.

“Encryption is going well; we are pleased with his results. He has a promising horse in Cifrado, who ran a cracking race in the Listed Dalrello S.

“Excitingly Cifrado has been set to contest the $1 million G2 Sires’ Produce S. over 1400 metres, we feel the 1400 metres is going to really suit that horse.

Godolphin raced Encryption, and he could challenge to be one of the best-bred stallions available to breeders anywhere in Australia, the son of Lonhro is the first foal from the four-time Group 1 winner Guelph (Exceed And Excel) who has produced Encryption’s full sister the Group 3-winning Emanate.

On the track, Encryption showed ability from day one when winning the G3 Black Opal S. as a 2-year-old. However, it was as a 3-year-old that he blossomed, winning the G2 Danehill S. The following autumn, Encryption recorded a placing in the G1 Oakleigh Plate at Caulfield.

“Encryption raced pre-Christmas, but it was as a 3-year-old where he flourished, and I feel his progeny are heading the same way.

“Trainers who have his unraced stock have said plenty of good things about them, and they just require some time. I think we will see many of his runners towards the back end of their 2-year-old seasons and the start of their 3-year-old seasons. We are very excited about what they could do.”

Encryption covered a book of 120 mares in the 2022 breeding season, among them Regal Tier (Royal Academy {USA}) who is the dam of the Listed winner Wisdom Of Water (Headwater), and Mystic Princess (NZ) (Iffraaj {GB}) who is a half-sister to the dual Group 3 winner Ubiquitous (NZ) (Tale Of The Cat {USA}).

While in the sales ring, Eureka Stud sold the top-priced Encryption, a filly out of Express Air (Piccolo {GB}) for $170,000 to Best Bloodstock at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

“Encryption has covered solid books of around 120 throughout his five seasons. He achieved the figure of 120 last season, and pending results between now and the breeding season, we hope to achieve that figure again.”

Table: Eureka Stud's stallion roster in 2023, *all prices inclusive of GST

Godolphin Flying Start was founded in 2003 and is the brainchild of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum of Dubai. The two-year full-time international management and leadership training program is centred around the thoroughbred industry.

Successful applicants are exposed to the thoroughbred industry globally with the program including phases in Ireland, the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia and Dubai.

The Godolphin Flying Start program has supplied countless graduates who have made their mark on the thoroughbred industry globally, such as Newgate Farm founder and Managing Director Henry Field, Adrian Bott, the co-trainer to Australian racing royalty Gai Waterhouse, this publications' co-owners Gary King and Vicky Leonard, and bloodstock agents such as Craig Rounsefell, Andrew Williams, Steve O'Connor, James Clarke and Emma Pugsley, amongst others in a diverse range of positions.

On Wednesday, the latest intake for the prestigious course was unveiled and proudly two representatives from Australasia, Mitchell Whelan and Harrison Everett, will join successful applicants from Ireland, USA and the UK.

Whelan, from New Zealand, and Everett, from Australia, are both passionate and hard-working young men hailing from vastly different backgrounds and with ambitions in two varying fields.

Harrison Everett

Everett is the son of Michael Everett and Sue Woodcock, who run the family-owned Meredith Park in the idyllic Southern Highlands of New South Wales. The family-owned business was acquired in 2004 and is responsible for co-breeding the Group 1 winner Steps In Time (Danehill Dancer {Ire}).

Everett, therefore, has been exposed to the thoroughbred industry since his earliest days and has developed a strong interest in architecture, particularly equine.

Currently working at the renowned Three Chimneys Farm in Kentucky, home of the outstanding Gun Runner (USA), TDN AusNZ caught up with Everett to discuss his background and successful Godolphin Flying Start application.

Everett has held roles at industry-leading organisations such as Arrowfield Stud, led by John Messara.

“That was a fantastic experience getting to be in the covering shed alongside the stallions the calibre of Snitzel and Maurice,” Everett said.

“While at Arrowfield, I also worked with the yearling team to prepare and sell yearlings at the 2022 sales, including at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale and the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, all gave me a chance to work with a large variety of quality horses.”

Everett’s first role in the thoroughbred industry, outside of his family property, was at the Woodpark Stud Training Facility for trainer Jean Dubois.

“Whilst at Jean’s I attained my stablehand license and attended racedays, trials and jump-outs. I also improved my general horse handling and husbandry on the farm,” Everett told TDN AusNZ.

Commencing university at the University of New South Wales in 2019, Everett graduated in 2022 with a Bachelor of Design.

As part of his degree requirements, Everett was required to complete an internship, which he did with a firm called Taylor Construction in Sydney.

“I targeted Taylor Construction due to their range of builds and at the time they were the lead contractor of the Winx Stand at Royal Randwick - I was lucky enough to be given the responsibility of overseeing sub-contractors to complete defects throughout the Grand Stand. The knowledge I gained from my involvement helped shape my thoughts on the thoroughbred industry.”

“Whilst at Taylor's I kept in contact with an equine architect named John Ladd-Hudson, who I previously approached to discuss parts of the thoroughbred industry which can be improved through infrastructure upgrades. Having dialogue with a dedicated equine architect, whilst I was interning in construction, was a great convergence of the two perspectives.”

Equine architecture is an area that Everett feels strongly about and one he feels can be slightly overlooked in the scheme of things. By being accepted into the Godolphin Flying Start program, Everett is looking forward to viewing facilities overseas and learning how, or what, can be implemented in Australia to make facilities horse and people friendly while maintaining functionality.

“It is something that is often overlooked. Facilities are critical, not only for the safety and welfare of the horse and groom but the efficiency, of say, how a barn works. You want to prioritise making a safe environment, but also an efficient one.

“We are blessed to be involved with the thoroughbred industry; we wouldn't be here without the horse. Racehorses are professional athletes, so they should have the best facilities.

“Perception is another crucial area; we need more people in our industry who feel and present it as clean and safe. I think the best way to attract a broader audience to both support and work in the industry, is to showcase the care our horses get, and the groom’s safety while working in a high-risk environment - one of the ways we can do this is through infrastructure. We need a good public image; without it, our industry dies.

“Working at Arrowfield Stud, I saw the effectiveness of world-class equine facilities. The Arrowfield yearling barn is an incredible design with a wide range of practical and innovative ideas taken into account, designed by Paul Messara. It was some of the reasoning for my desire to work at Arrowfield in 2021; it was great working there and seeing the effects of an efficient and safe barn housing some future quality Group 1 winners,” Everett told TDN AusNZ.

“I think globally, people want what is important and best for the horse, and that goes outside of a facilities standpoint also. I am very much looking forward to starting the Godolphin Flying Start - the program will allow me to explore the opportunity for further travel, to connect with a wide range of individuals with differing perspectives and will ultimately allow me to evoke a change in the future of the thoroughbred industry and what it means to build a sustainable and safe equine future.”

Everett wanted to thank all his industry mentors so far, including the team at Arrowfield Stud, Henry Field from Newgate Farm, Steve Grant from Silverdale, and trainers Jean Dubois and Richard and William Freedman. And the team, importantly, at Three Chimneys Farm.

“The guidance from these individuals and their industry knowledge has led me to the Godolphin Flying Start program. I am very thankful to them all.”

Mitchell Whelan

Across the Tasman, the 23-year-old Kiwi is equally excited to start seeing the world and how the thoroughbred industry runs globally.

Whelan hails from the opposite background to Everett, as somebody who found the industry through working summer jobs during school and university.

As Whelan described, “You could almost call it an addiction.”

Former General Manager of Cambridge Stud Marcus Corban could see the potential in young Whelan when he started his summer job at the renowned industry farm, set up by Sir Patrick Hogan and now under the leadership of Brendan and Jo Lindsay.

“Marcus is a good family friend, and I needed a holiday-job while I was at school, he got me to work at Cambridge Stud. It started as just a job, however I kept returning and continued to do so, transitioning from school holidays to university breaks and before I knew it, it was a passion.

“I did four yearling preparations at Cambridge Stud; one was under Sir Patrick Hogan and the other three under the Lindsays.”

Whelan attended and graduated from the University of Otago, where he completed a Bachelor of Commerce in Human Resource Management and a Bachelor of Science in Sports Management and Development.

However, Whelan admits completing the university degrees was all part of a bigger plan that involved gaining a spot on the Godolphin Flying Start program.

“While I was at university, I worked the mornings predominantly at Terry and Debbie Kennedys Stables in Wingatui and worked at White Robe Lodge, where Ghibellines stands.

“I would return from my university breaks and head to Cambridge for a couple of years, and then I ended up spending one of my summer holidays working for trainer Stephen Marsh.”

Working for Marsh Racing ignited the fire within Whelan and inspired him to want to become a Group 1-winning trainer. Returning after another university break, Whelan told TDN AusNZ, “I went back and got my foot in the door there, finished uni in July 2022, and I have been at Stephen’s since then.”

We asked Whelan why he felt working with thoroughbreds went from being just a job to now his life, and being accepted onto one of the most prestigious courses available, he stated: “It was a combination of things; the stud side piqued my interest, however, when I started to get involved in the training side of things with Marsh, the whole process of training them, taking them to the races, seeing them perform and getting winners - it was pretty addicting and turned into a passion.”

“The breeding side is awesome, preparing a yearling, taking it to the sales and making good money, however, once I got involved with the racing side and saw all the factors, it is personally so much more fulfilling and got me on the path of wanting to be a trainer.”

Marsh has been impressed by Whelan so much so that he was promoted to foreman at Stephen Marsh Racing, trusted to travel to Australia in April with the G1 New Zealand Derby runner-up Andalus (NZ) (Almanzor {Fr}), although unplaced in the G1 ATC Derby, Whelan was blown away by the facilities on offer at Royal Randwick.

Whelan cannot wait to pack his suitcase; with his inspiration of becoming a trainer, Whelan is eager to see the hallowed ground of the Newmarket Training Grounds, or ‘the home of horse racing’.

“I don’t have any particular place I want to train from or train for; I just want to be a Group 1-winning trainer,” Whelan laughs. “So, this will be eye-opener for me; I can’t wait to see Newmarket - it is second to none.

“America will be unique for me, and I can’t wrap my head around how they don’t have a home-base and travel from track to track; I am very eager to see that and the effects on horses.

“Also, to see how dirt racing would be from a training perspective, and to learn the key differences between dirt and turf horses and the strengths and weaknesses of each training-style.

“Seeing Fasig-Tipton and Keeneland is something on my bucket list. Dubai is another one - visiting Meydan, that will be unique.

“I am equally excited about the part of the course closer to home, especially in Australia, going to a Magic Millions sale; I have never done that before, so I am very keen. Overall, my goal is just to soak up as much information as possible and make new connections.”

A very humble man, Whelan was eager to thank Rhys Mildon, the assistant trainer at Marsh Racing, “Rhys taught me a lot including how to run a barn properly. Rhys was the assistant trainer between Steve and me, and he showed me the hands-on stuff - medications, recovery, all those day-to-day one percenters that make a difference on the racetrack.”

Whelan, like Everett, also wanted to thank and show his gratitude towards all his mentors throughout his short career thus far.

“I have so many people to thank who helped shape me to get to this goal. Terry and Debbie Kennedy kept me on the path and involved me significantly in their stable happenings.

“Steve Marsh has helped me a lot and inspired me to train; he also taught me so much about inspecting yearlings; I attended numerous sales with him.”

Going through the checklist, Whelan mentioned TDN AusNZ’s Vicky Leonard, “Vicky won’t like me saying this, but she has been a massive help to me and has always been there when I needed her; I don’t know how to explain, but she just does ‘Vicky things’ - like how to write properly or present yourself, and things I wouldn’t think of.

“I also want to thank Mark and Lorraine Forbes as they helped me learn to ride, which was a requirement of the course, and without them I wouldn’t have been able to cross that off.

“Sir Patrick Hogan, Brendan and Jo Lindsay and the whole team at Cambridge Stud, and of course Marcus Corban who was instrumental in me finding out about the Godolphin Flying Start; Marcus also gave me my first opportunity and we are still very close, I know he is rapt for me, and I feel proud I have achieved this for him.

“I am very grateful and overwhelmed with the messages of support I have received. All the messages do mean a lot,” Whelan told TDN AusNZ.

With the successful applicants set to pack their bags and head to Darley’s Kildangan Stud, Ireland on August 14, on behalf of the TDN AusNZ team, we wish Whelan, Everett and all the students a successful, safe and prosperous journey of a lifetime.