Cover image courtesy of Noorilim Park
Only three weeks since his move, Murtagh, a native Irishman, says he’s relying only on first impressions when he reports that things are going well so far. But, having worked in some of the world’s premier breeding establishments throughout his time in the game, it’s an impression well-informed.
“I've been lucky that everywhere that I've gone, those facilities have been there,” Murtagh told TTR AusNZ. “It's very important when you're dealing with the livestock that we're dealing with that everything's up to speed.
“It's obviously nice to have your hands on good stock and they've got some beautiful mares here, a young band of broodmares that are on the rise and they're giving them every chance.
“It's obviously nice to have your hands on good stock and they've (Noorilim Park) got some beautiful mares here, a young band of broodmares that are on the rise and they're giving them every chance.” - Tom Murtagh
“They're sending them to all the commercial stallions and they're also investing in the pinhooking side of it. They've bought some beautiful weanlings to prep and take to the next level as well.
“They're really throwing a fair bit of money at the stumps, which is great, and when you look at the place too, their attention to detail is second to none, from the maintenance of the grounds all the way through to the facilities, they've spared nothing.”
The 1700 acres against the banks of the Goulburn River which makes up Noorilim Park is certainly up to scratch according to Murtagh, despite his arrival coming less than a year after the “devastating” flood which affected the Seymour, Nagambie and Euroa regions.
Noorilim Park | Image courtesy of Noorilim Park
The recovery is testament to the team at Noorilim, says Murtagh, which is run by Business Manager Glen Carrick, son of the farm’s owner Peter.
“Chris (Kent) who was here beforehand and Sherah (Sullivan) before that, all very good people and the place is beautifully set up for horses.
“I can't believe how well they've recovered since the flood. You would never know that a flood had gone through here last year, they've just done an amazing job.”
“I can't believe how well they've recovered since the flood. You would never know that a flood had gone through here last year, they've just done an amazing job.” - Tom Murtagh
A valuable acquisition
Much to the Carricks' benefit, securing Murtagh as operations manager also means bringing in wife Shelly, a qualified vet nurse and one half of a well-oiled partnership.
“Everything that we do, we pretty well do it together,” Murtagh added. “So, although I'm the operations manager, it's a team effort, the two of us - we pretty well finish each other's sentences.
“Everything that we (Tom and Shelly Murtagh) do, we pretty well do it together. So, although I'm the operations manager, it's a team effort, the two of us - we pretty well finish each other's sentences.” - Tom Murtagh
“She specialises in foaling and looking after foals that have any issues at all, that's, that's her big thing.
“She's just very good at what she does, which includes the administration side of it as well, which frees me up. Without her, I couldn't do it.”
Speaking to TTR AusNZ, Glen Carrick said it’s the years of joint experience the pair bring to the farm that he’s most excited about.
Glen Carrick and Peter Carrick | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“I'm looking forward to Tom and Shelly really having a good stint at Noorilim Park,” he said. “The wealth of knowledge they bring is invaluable, and they have a great mix of youth and experience as well.
“They’ve come across from Darren Dance’s, which is a good thing because he's a well-respected person in the industry, so I'm happy to have them on board.”
Leaving on the best terms
The seven years spent in his previous role will assure his new employers that Murtagh is a man who does things the right way - which explains why he’s arrived closer to the breeding season than he’d ideally have liked.
Formerly managing the breeding component of Australian Thoroughbred Bloodstock (ATB), Murtagh set out that he’d only be available once he’d fully tied up loose ends there, a job he was only inclined to leave due to owners Darren and Liz Dance’s decision to downsize.
“He's changing tack,” said Murtagh. “He's getting very elite now, he'll probably end up downsizing to an elite dozen or fifteen mares.
“That's the way he wants to go, and most of the stallions that he wants to go to are in New South Wales, so I thought it was a good time for me to move on, and so I had a chat with him, and he was happy enough for me to move on - it suited him, and it suited me.
“Anywhere that I've gone, I've been very, very lucky over the years, whether it was Cornerstone, or whether it was Darren and Liz (Dance), and when I was in Europe as well, I've just been blessed with the people I've worked for.”
“Anywhere that I've gone, I've been very, very lucky over the years... I've just been blessed with the people I've worked for.” - Tom Murtagh
So, when the Dances asked him to trade the last of the commercial weanlings they were dispersing, Murtagh had no hesitation in seeing out his tenure properly and found the Carricks only too happy to oblige.
Around the world
Although he now finds himself about as far from his roots as possible, Murtagh began his journey at Coolmore Ireland. It’s a time he’s often reminded of, not least because of the small world that racing and breeding often seems.
“It seems to me an awful lot of my friends that I had years ago, the likes of Gordon Cunningham at Curraghmore, Michael Kirwan and plenty of others, all of those were there when I was there at Coolmore a lifetime ago.
“It was a great melting pot of different people and from different parts of the world as well, not just the Irish. You met people from all over the world when you worked there and it was a great stepping stone for me starting off as a youngster.”
Graduating to managing Derrinstown Stud for Sheikh Hamdan, not only was Murtagh beginning to develop a lifelong passion for the thoroughbred, it was there that he met his future wife, Shelly, a New Zealander.
After she left for the States to broaden her experience, Murtagh was similarly inspired…
“I decided to come over to New Zealand and to have a look around, and I told the crew that I'd be back in six months, but I never came back,” he said.
The allure of Sir Peter Vela’s Pencarrow Stud proved too strong, and after some time there Murtagh enjoyed a stint in Japan before returning to New Zealand and establishing his own business, Esker Lodge, which he’d eventually bring over to run within the Dances own operation.
Sir Peter Vela | Image courtesy of Pencarrow Stud
Meanwhile, Shelly returned to her native New Zealand, with the pair eventually marrying and never looking back.
But it was crossing the Tasman to work for Cornerstone Stud, whose Sam Hayes describes Murtagh as “a very gifted horseman,” that proved decisive for Murtagh in the end.
“I can't get over it here in Australia,” he said. “Just how it's about taking over from cricket as the number one sport now. Everybody seems to have a leg or an ear in a horse over here and prizemoney is amazing.”
“I can't get over it here in Australia... Everybody seems to have a leg or an ear in a horse over here and prizemoney is amazing.” - Tom Murtagh
As the type of people that invest themselves fully wherever they go, the Murtaghs look set to become familiar representatives of Noorilim over the coming years and, at a time of strong investment from the Carricks, theirs are some enviable shoes.
