Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
In today's Q & A, we feature a quick-fire round with Leonard Russo, owner of Bluegrass Bloodstock (FBAA).
Favourite moment - racing, sales or breeding related - for the 2022/23 season?
Leonard Russo: Watching the post-race interview with Chris McCarthy after his Grand Annual win on Rockstar Ronnie, encompassed everything about my love for thoroughbred racing. Just a brilliant interview.
Which sire do you consider a value sire? Fee <$50k and not a first-season sire.
LR: Zousain - the Widden stud stallion standing at $22,000 (inc GST), his yearlings this year were a lovely crop of really good-moving athletic yearlings that very much look like Zoustar himself, from 25 yearlings sold at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale they averaged $228,800 and 21 yearlings sold at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale for an average of $99,333, pretty good going off a $19,800 (inc GST) service fee when they were conceived.
Zousain | Standing at Widden Stud
What young sire (less than three crops) do you think will one day be Champion Sire?
LR: The Rich Hill Stud stallion Satono Aladdin has started his stud career very well, with only 50 runners on the track in New Zealand and Australia he has already sired four stakes winners including the Group 1 Oaks winner in both NZ and Aus in Pennyweka, and showing his versatility he also has a 2-year-old Karaka Million winner in Tokyo Tycoon, definitely a sire on the up, his stallion fee for 2023 has risen to NZ$45,000 (plus GST) so he would be expecting some better-credentialled mares.
Which yearling purchase in 2023 are you most excited about?
LR: Very hard to narrow them down but there are three that really excite me from this year and they’re already showing great signs with their respective trainers.
Zousain x Dulverton colt for Dream Thoroughbreds and Amy and Ash Yargi, a three-quarter brother to Hissy Fit and Group-placed Battleton, he was a great-moving colt and showing plenty.
Written Tycoon x Quiet Kitten filly for Regal Bloodstock and John McCardle, she is a half-sister to winner Regal Zeus whom the stable love, a filly with more substance than her half-brother, broke in very well. And the U S Navy Flag x Entirely Saintly colt for Toward Reward Thoroughbreds and Emma and David Browne, he had lots of Pentire about him this colt and the stable feel he is showing stakes-class ability.
Gallery: Some of the yearlings purchased by Leonard Russo that he is excited about
What, if any, is your greatest current-industry concern?
LR: Racing clubs and racing states not aligning, we need to be one so we can grow our sport and compete with the other sports in Australia.
Name an emerging human talent in the industry, and say why?
LR: Josh Rodder, Racing and Media Executive MRC - highly respected and loves and knows racing, would be great in a senior leading position in the near future.
If you had $10 million to invest in an industry initiative, what would it be and why?
LR: A National thoroughbred training course for racing and breeding enthusiasts to be held in every state.
This training course would be recognised by racing and breeding powers and graduates be paid accordingly when entering the working ranks. There needs to be an incentive for young people to want to work in our industry and therefore they need to be trained accordingly.
