Cover image courtesy of Inglis
In today's Q & A, we feature a quick-fire round with Peter O'Brien, general manager at Segenhoe Stud.
Favourite moment - racing, sales or breeding-related - for the 2022/23 season?
Peter O’Brien: Amelia's Jewel winning the G1 Northerly S. for Peter and Annie Walsh. Walshe is one of life’s great blokes and this was his first Group 1 win after many tears of close seconds. He is a man who constantly strives for perfection in everything he does and to fly overseas, buy a mare and then send her to Siyouni is typical as to how he operates. Peter and Annie have been very loyal to me and nothing would give more joy than to see the filly dominate the spring this year for them.
Which sire do you consider a value sire? Fee <$50k and not a first-season sire.
POB: Pride Of Dubai for me is ridiculous value. He was a top 10 sire last season with five Group winners which included stars Bella Nippotina and Dubai Honour and his biggest book of mares covered are rising 2-year-olds. If you send the correct type of mare, he will throw you a type (a quality, short-couple mare generally) and he is ideal for maiden mares as he instils size and strength.
We have been and will continue to be big supporters of him at Segenhoe.
Pride Of Dubai | Standing at Coolmore
What young sire (less than three crops) do you think will one day be Champion Sire?
POB: Hard to choose as we have been big supporters of Wootton Bassett, Maurice and Too Darn Hot and all three have legitimate claims. To choose one it would have to be Too Darn Hot and we have been, I would think, one of his biggest supporters to date. He has to be arguably the best-bred stallion worldwide presently, what a racehorse he was and what a start he is having with his 2-year-olds in Europe.
He doesn’t necessarily get you an ideal sales horse and he is a stallion you have to be conscious of breeding strength into with your mare, especially in Australia. However, his father was the exact same and Too Darn Hot is already surpassing him on the track with his first crop. We are all in with him, and if he doesn’t make it, you may see me on a bin lorry in the near future!
Which yearling purchase in 2023 are you most excited about?
POB: The Too Darn Hot x Majesty colt that we sold at Inglis Easter and who was a pinhook from Fairhill Farm. He wrote the book on quality and had an extraordinary action whereby he pointed his toes like Dame Margo Fonteyn and was all class. He is in training at Lindsay Park, and Sir Andrew and Lady Lloyd Webber I believe have bought into him. Purchased by my co Too Darn Hot lover Johnny McKeever, the early reports are extremely positive.
Too Darn Hot (GB) x Majesty (colt) purchased for $500,000 by McKeever Bloodstock, Lindsay Park Racing and Watership Down from the draft of Segenhoe at the 2023 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale | Image courtesy of Inglis
What, if any, is your greatest current-industry concern?
POB: Obviously, welfare and staffing shortages are front and centre, and previous interviewees have dealt with them at length.
My concern is how the veterinarians have taken control of the sales process and how they are now mostly the defining factor. Yearlings having to have repeated scopes for example, which is not only a danger to the welfare of the animal but also the handler and this has to be addressed now as otherwise there will be a major accident.
Ludicrous cosmetic surgeries are also a welfare issue and result in animals standing in for foolhardy lengths of time which is not in any way beneficial for their wellbeing. Breeders need to gather together once and for all now that these animals are our product and it should be us who decides the format of how they are sold, of course with consultation with sales companies and veterinarians but we need to take the lead.
Having multiple different opinions on x-rays and scopes now is really getting out of control. For the life of me I cannot understand how we have such differences of opinion on scopes for example when there is an international rating scale?
There also seems to be issues with the repository and confidentiality that needs to be addressed also. The process needs to change as if not you will see the number of breeders start to diminish rapidly as it has become so difficult now to get a horse sold and sold well. There is a need obviously for veterinary opinion, but how that is sought and then utilised in the sales process is what needs to be streamlined.
