Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything

Think About It’s dynamic display in The Everest at Randwick on Saturday was a result celebrated by many, not least the hundreds of thousands of punters whose support saw him jump off as favourite for the world’s richest turf race.

It was a richly deserved first win in the $20 million contest for his trainer Joe Pride, who also saddled the third placegetter Private Eye (Al Maher), while jockey Sam Clipperton was another breaking his Everest duck, having made a sensational return to the saddle since taking some time out from the game only a few years earlier.

Then there is Think About It’s enigmatic ownership group, a Proven Thoroughbreds-assembled syndicate who have watched the apple of their eye rise from a provincial maiden to the very top of the sprinting tree in a little over 12 months.

For first-time slot holders Newgate Farm, the overriding sense of joy comes from the fact that Think About It was born and raised on the hills of the Aberdeen property, and a home grown success of this magnitude has Field feeling particularly grateful for the tireless work of everyone at Newgate who helped bring it to fruition.

“It was amazing, and it was extra amazing because we’ve had so much to do with the horse from the day he was born,” Field told The Thoroughbred Report of Think About It’s Everest triumph.

“It’s an interesting story. When Pierro came on the scene we put together a huge syndicate of international money to try and buy him and we underbid him to Coolmore. The Kolivos family were so grateful for the bid that we put in that they said, ‘We’ll send our mares to you’, so that’s how we ended up with their mares on the farm.

“They have been great clients to have on the farm for a long time now and to see them breed an Everest winner, and arguably the best horse in Australia, is amazing. It’s incredible for the team at Newgate too, from all our managers and farmers to the foaling unit and the yearling crew, they work so hard and it all culminates in raising a horse at this level.

“We take few risks when we raise horses at Newgate. We’re happy to put them in huge paddocks in big mobs and try to keep it really natural, they’re not cotton wooled, and it’s the fruits of everyone’s labour to see such a tough horse like this fighting out the finish in a race like The Everest. It’s very special.”

Special is the perfect word to describe Think About It, whose Everest success took his already impressive record to an astonishing 11 wins from 12 career starts.

The 5-year-old only made his debut at Kembla Grange in July of last year but has taken almost all before him since that day, rising through the grades steadily at the behest of his expert trainer Joe Pride.

The dual Group 1 winner has never won a race by more than two lengths, however, even in Class 1 grade at the provincials, which begs the question of how much more lies underneath the bonnet.

“Who knows how long a piece of string is,” Field mused. “He’s virtually unbeaten, he’s a big, scopey horse and he’s still maturing.

“Sam Clipperton made the point that I Wish I Win loomed up to beat him and didn’t catch him on the post, but the most impressive part was after the post when Think About It galloped away from I Wish I Win.

“The only thing that really matters in this industry is the winning post, and this horse loves the winning post.”

The ugly duckling

He may have developed an uncanny knack for getting his head in front where it matters most, but for a long time it looked as though Think About It would be destined for far more modest heights than the race named after the world’s tallest mountain, a contest which has quickly become the pinnacle of the Sydney spring carnival.

By Field’s own admission, the son of So You Think (NZ) had few admirers as a young horse and was initially passed in at the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale, but thanks to the due diligence of Jim Carey and his team at Newgate, he quickly found an interested party in the shape of Jamie Walter’s Proven Thoroughbreds.

“He was a very immature yearling, a big ugly duckling, and we passed him in at the sale,” Field recalled. “We had no one to buy him, and Jim Carey our stud manager, as he always does, went back through the people who showed an interest in him at the sales.

“Literally the only people in Australia who second and third looked at Think About It were Jamie Walter and Joe Pride. Jim managed to cut a deal with them at $70,000 and all credit to their foresight to pick such an amazing horse when he was an ugly duckling as a yearling.

“He was a very well-put-together horse from a biometric point of view, but he was a big, raw, lanky horse so to speak.”

Think About It’s purchase price of $70,000 now looks like a drop in the ocean when compared with the fraction shy of $11 million and counting that he has accrued in prizemoney to date, and with an almost unblemished record, the son of So You Think is well and truly staking his claim for the much disputed title of Australia’s best racehorse.

Jamie Walter’s Proven Thoroughbreds also purchased the third placegetter in The Everest on Saturday, the hugely-talented Private Eye, for $62,500 as a yearling, and Field is a firm believer that fairytale results like these in the country’s biggest races are a huge positive for the health of the Australian racing industry.

“It’s well documented that in this part of the world we breed the best sprinters in the world, but If you look at the yearling sales price of all those in The Everest, every yearling that was sold bar one made less than $200,000, and I think that’s actually a wonderful thing,” Field said.

“It just shows the value that can be found in the middle market when you’re buying horses in Australia, and a real highlight for me is to see the syndicators that go in and buy these yearlings - and there’s no better example than Jamie Walter - give so many people such a great ride.

“That’s why Australian racing is the envy of the world and that’s why Australian racing will always be the envy of the world, if we protect that.”

A job well done

The introduction of The Everest has undoubtedly helped elevate Australian racing’s standing on the world stage, whilst also attracting a different demographic of racegoer, the importance of which can not be understated.

Field, who was involved in early discussions about the makeup of The Everest, admits that he could never have foreseen the 1200-metre contest capturing the public’s imagination like it has, and was quick to praise all those involved at Racing New South Wales for their part in revolutionising the Sydney spring carnival.

“I obviously do a lot of work with SF Bloodstock, Gavin Murphy and Tom Ryan in America, and from my experience there I could see how The Pegasus went, so when Peter V’Landys was brainstorming how to execute this race, we spoke on numerous occasions,” Field recalled.

“He has done an amazing job to get the formula perfect for this race. It’s phenomenal and it's the most talked about race in Australia.

“On Saturday it reminded me of being a kid when the Melbourne Cup was on. It didn’t matter where you were or what part of Sydney you were in, the excitement of the whole city was just electric.”

Such is his affection for the world’s richest turf race, Field jumped at the chance to get a slice of The Everest pie when the opportunity presented itself earlier this year, having initially rued the decision to keep his powder dry when the original 12 slots were available to purchase before the race’s inaugural running in 2017.

“We didn’t initially take a slot and I’ve regretted it ever since,” he added. “Greg and Barb Ingham, who are just the most lovely people, live in New Zealand for the most part and approached me early in the year and said they wanted to be in partnership with someone in the slot who was on the ground and who had their finger on the pulse in Sydney racing.

“They kindly offered us to partner in the slot with them, so the slot is essentially owned by myself, my partners in Newgate - Gavin Murphy and Matthew Sandblom - and the Inghams.

“They put a lot of faith in us to go and find the right horse and I’m really grateful that they gave us the opportunity. I’m proud that we were able to deliver in the first year that we’ve been in business together.”

Pulling the right rein

Securing one of the coveted slots for The Everest is one thing, but going out and finding the right horse to fill it is a whole different ball game.

Having secured a number of stallion prospects in the midst of their racing careers, Field has plenty of experience in trying to identify the right time to move on a horse, and he put that experience to good use when making an early move to lock in Think About It for Newgate’s newly acquired Everest slot back in June.

That decision was vindicated almost immediately when the ultra progressive gelding won his second elite-level contest on the bounce in the G1 Stradbroke Ha, a victory which would almost certainly have prompted a clamour for his Everest participation had he not have already been secured for the world’s richest turf race.

Locking him in early was already starting to look like a masterstroke, and Field believes that it proved invaluable for Think About It’s Everest preparation.

“We work very closely with Daniel O’Sullivan and he was really clear in his view that we should try and get Giga Kick and I Wish I Win, and if we couldn’t get those two then the clear third pick to try and get was Think About It, based on the fact that he was progressive, on an upward spiral and improving all the time in his ratings,” Field revealed.

“So we went in and did a deal with Jamie (Walter) pre the Stradbroke. They were so great to deal with and it was a very fair deal.

“We went early but I think it’s a great way to play the ball. It meant that Joe Pride could focus on one race and one race only in the spring, and he did that. He had the horse with plenty of improvement in the Premiere (Stakes) and that wouldn't have been the case if he hadn’t had a slot already, he would had to have peaked early to try and get the interest of a slot-holder.

“When you can go early on a horse you believe in with a trainer you believe in, and they can set the horse for one grand final run, I think it’s a big advantage.”

Aside from the obvious draw cards of being involved in what has become one of the biggest races in the calendar, Field’s motivation for staking an interest in The Everest stems from a desire to give something back to those whose support has helped turn Newgate into one of the country’s preeminent stud farms.

It has worked wonders with Newgate graduate Think About It, and with a long-term deal in place with the slot’s other shareholders GPI Racing, Field is relishing the opportunity to team up with more of Newgate’s supporters in the years ahead.

“One of the appeals to having the slot for us is that we want to support those who have supported us at Newgate, be it those that have bought yearlings off our consignment, those who are sired by Newgate stallions or horses that we own in our racing partnerships,” he said.

“That’s what we did on this occasion with Jamie Walter and Think About It, and it’s a great tool for us to be able to really get behind those who have got behind the Newgate product.”

Keeping the faith

Whilst everything panned out perfectly for Think About It and Field in The Everest, the same cannot be said of another of Newgate’s most exciting propositions, star colt Militarize (NZ) (Dundeel {NZ}), in Saturday’s G1 Caulfield Guineas.

Fresh off the back of a breathtaking last-gasp victory in the G1 Golden Rose S., Militarize was slow to begin and endured a torrid run throughout the 1600-metre contest won by Trapeze Artist colt Griff, who led from pillar to post and controlled the race at the head of affairs.

Militarize, who is raced by Newgate in conjunction with China Horse Club, Trilogy Racing and partners, still ran with great credit to finish fifth according to Field, who is adamant that the three-time Group 1 winner had valid excuses for his defeat.

“We strongly feel that it was a total forgive run,” he told TTR AusNZ.

“He was in the gates for a long time, he was slow out of the gates and the shape of the race meant that it was very hard for horses out the back to get into it. To be honest I think he did a great job to run fifth given the way the race shaped out.

“He has come through the race well and we’ll just consider our options over the next 48 hours.”

One such option is a crack at the G1 Cox Plate at Moonee Valley in two weeks’ time, and Field confirmed that the son of Dundeel (NZ) will likely take his place in the stallion-making contest provided that he remains at the peak of his powers between now and October 28.

“Fortune always favours the brave and the Cox Plate would certainly be the way that we are leaning, but the horse comes first and he won’t be going to the race unless he’s 100 per cent,” Field added.

“It’s not every year that you get a horse that’s a live Cox Plate chance, and when you get one you’ve got to take it very seriously because it is such an important stallion-making race.

“If you look at the 3-year-old colts that have won the race in the last 20 years, there’s been four of them that have progeny and all of them have sired Group 1 winners, including Savabeel, So You Think and Shamus Award.

“It’s a very important stallion-making race for a 3-year-old colt and we’re certainly tuned into that.”

You need only look at the sires of this year’s Everest quinella to provide a most timely reminder of that fact.

Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything

Don't discount the South Australians! Despite the state's breeding industry operating on much smaller numbers than other Australian states, the 'city of churches' continues to churn out quality racehorses.

On Saturday, the prominent South Australian breeder Harry Perks enjoyed the day of all days when his Toorak Thoroughbred Trust bred three individual stakes winners in three different states.

The headline act was the handsome Attrition (Churchill {Ire}), who provided his young trainer Mitchell Freedman and jockey Beau Mertens with their first taste of Group 1 glory when taking out the Toorak H.

In Sydney, the Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou-trained Arctic Glamour (Frosted {USA}) put her hand up as a genuine chance in the G1 Thousand Guineas, with a thrilling win in the Listed Reginald Allen Quality H.

While in South Australia, Air Assault (Justify {USA}), co-owned by Perks, showed himself a G1 VRC Derby hope with a show of sustained stamina in the Listed Hill Smith S.

However, Perks is no one-trick pony. His presence and navy blue and white star silks are some of the most recognisable in South Australia.

From a broodmare population of less than 40, Perks has bred stars such as the G1 Caulfield Cup heroine Southern Speed (Southern Image {USA}), the late Rebel Raider, a victor of the G1 VRC Derby, while the triple Group 1 winner Gold Guru (Geiger Counter {USA}) is another product of Perks' program.

As good as it gets

On a rather wintery Sunday in Victoria, Perks was visiting another of his former superstars - Dalasaan. The good-looking and Group 1-placed son of Dalakhani (Ire) is standing his first season at Riverbank Farm.

“Saturday was very exciting. From a breeding point of view, it was huge, as good as it gets breeding a Group 1 winner and two Listed winners.

“Air Assault is the horse I co-own, while I sold the other two (Attrition and Arctic Glamour). As an owner, winning a Caulfield Cup and a VRC Derby are very special, but this is right up there: an extraordinary Saturday,” Perks told TTR AusNZ.

“I've got 24 mares in my name, and I am involved in about 10 others in a partnership.

“I really like breeding to Group 1 performers; I sent mares to Blue Point and Too Darn Hot. So, I like stallions with that sort of performance.

“With a bit of help from Adrian (Hancock), we discussed what stallions suit the mares best.”

Learning the ropes

Perks has been involved with racing since the late 70s.

“I bought my first racehorse right back in the late 70s. But in the early 80s, we actually set up our own stud - Toorak Park Stud, in about 1980 and stood a couple of stallions there.

“So, I learned by the school of hard knocks. We only had a little money and bought cheap mares and all that stuff, but you learn as you go along.

“Sending all your mares to one or two stallions, and if they're unsuccessful, doesn't help your mares. We moved the mares to Mill Park around '93, which is a fantastic facility.

“It is built upon limestone on the Limestone Coast and is near places like the Coorong National Park in eastern South Australia. It's been very successful.

“Chris (Watson) and the team all do a terrific job raising horses. Having the mares down there with people who know what they're doing is so much easier.

“It's a very professional organisation.”

Key update

Although the Listed-winning filly Arctic Glamour was one Perks sold, he has the filly's dam, who is carrying an early cover to Dalasan.

“Fartoo Flashy is in foal to Dalasan, a very early cover. We've sent six mares to him, and I will support him as much as I can. Dalasan is a lovely horse; he had speed and versatility and raced against the best of his generation.”

Lovely and Assault to carry the flag

Perks is also looking towards the career of Air Assault, the galloper he kept after failing to field a bid when offered at the 2022 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale.

“We've bred some good horses from Elegant Eagle, like Go Indy Go and Essay Raider. Air Assault was a bit immature at the sales. I had two Justify's there, and at the end of the day, I said, “I'm not giving this horse (Air Assault) away. I'll just give him time,” and that has worked out.

“I syndicated him with some people in Adelaide. Some pleased people now. Air Assault won very easily on Saturday. We will chat about where to go now and whether we push on towards the Derby.

“Andrew (Gluyas) has done a great job of getting the gelding to run 1800 metres after missing last start due to the needle getting broken when they went to take blood. He wasn't allowed to run that day, so he went into Saturday with only one race.

“It's a fair climb 1200 to 1800 metres. So, it was a great result, and he's a very promising horse.

“I'd love to win another Derby; you don't get sick of winning Derbys. But whether it's a Derby this time or another in the autumn will be worked out.

“Because Air Assault is still learning, he still bounces around a bit before the races, and then it can take two to lead him around the mounting enclosure. We had to geld him at one stage there because he had just been getting too out of control.”

Perks also looks forward to Lovely Lookin', a daughter of American Pharoah (USA), playing a role during the spring.

She, like Air Assault, is trained by Gluyas and has won two of her three starts. Lovely Lookin' is the first foal from the New Approach (Ire) mare Gogo Grace, a victress of the G3 Bow Mistress S.

Gogo Grace descends from the outstanding broodmare Cotehele House (GB) (My Swanee {GB}), the dam of Commands and Danewin.

“Lovely Lookin'. I am looking forward to seeing her in Melbourne. She's won her last two starts and won easily by about 4l.

“Jason Holder rode her, and he didn't even have to ride her out. She'll be heading towards the Thousand Guineas Prelude, I believe.

“Gogo Grace, her dam, was a pretty good filly. She won a stakes race and needed time, but this filly has showed plenty of potential.”

Hancock helping out

The respected bloodstock agent Adrian Hancock of Hancock Quality Bloodstock (FBAA) and Chris Watson of the family-owned Mill Park Stud are instrumental to Perks' success.

Hancock and Watson's Mill Park Stud all played a vital part in the selection and upbringing of Saturday's super trio.

Hancock, a self-described 'proud South Australian', has been Perks' right-hand man when it comes to sourcing mares.

“For Harry to have all that success on Saturday is great. He's a typical breeder; you hear about the good parts, but you don't always hear about the sad parts,” Hancock told TTR AusNZ.

“Harry is a very successful breeder and keeps it pretty simple. Days like Saturday don't come along often, but that's what it's all about.”

Sourcing the mares

Perks and Hancock purchased the dams of Saturday's trio in 2008 and 2009.

The Toorak hero, Attrition, is the ninth foal from the French Deputy (USA) mare Queen's Kiss, who Hancock Quality purchased for $54,000 at the 2008 Magic Millions Winter Broodmare Sale.

While Air Assault's dam, the Zabeel (NZ) mare Elegant Eagle (NZ),was the most expensive of the trio at $75,000 from the 2008 Inglis Sydney Broodmare Sale.

Rounding out the purchases was the Galileo (Ire) mare Fartoo Flashy, who was bought as a yearling by Adrian Hancock at the 2009 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale for $30,000. Fartoo Flashy is the dam of Arctic Glamour.

“I help Harry. I give my two bobs' worth of opinion and more so help with the physical side of things with the mares. When we buy mares, make sure the mares are the suitable types.

“Queen's Kiss, the dam of Attrition, was a mare we bought on the Gold Coast. She was off the track, and she was surplus for her owners at the time.

“But we thought we could win a race or two with her. Harry generally only breeds from mares that have city form or metropolitan winners. It's a basic requirement.

“So as long as they've shown good city ability, it's a bit of a blueprint for where he buys mare. Sometimes, we buy black type when they're affordable. But we paid $54,000 for Queen's Kiss, and she won a race in Adelaide.

“She was a lovely sort of mare, medium-sized and a lot of quality. She's been an excellent broodmare and bred a few nice horses by Rebel Raider, another horse Harry bred. But that's why we bought Queen's Kiss, a lovely running mare.

“She was rising five when we purchased her, and there was nothing wrong with her. It was a good old South Australian family, and Queen's Kiss had Without Fear in her blood. I knew the family well, and she's done the job for Harry.

“Before Attrition, she produced Royal Rumble, a very good horse who won half-a-million dollars racing around in South Australia. That's a big effort because prizemoney was maybe $20,000 to the winner at the time.

“Danger Deel was another good produce of hers, and now she's got a quality horse like Attrition.”

Focus on quality

“Harry likes to breed to good proper races horses like Churchill, Justify and Frosted. We've bred to American Pharoah also, and we latched onto horses such as Zabeel and Galileo in their early days as broodmare sires. We have managed to buy a few mares by those stallions, and that has stood Harry in good stead,” Hancock said.

“He's happy to breed horses with stamina, which makes him in a small minority of Australian breeders. It is getting harder with all the imports but he's happy to target the 3-year-old Classics.

“Air Assault proved yesterday he has a natural heart and lung capacity by winning over 1800 metres, having only one 1200-metre run under his belt.

“They are bred to run well out of that family. We bought his dam Elegant Eagle at a Sydney broodmare sale in 2008 for $75,000. Her first foal was Essay Raider by Bernardini, again a multiple Group 1 winner. She produced Go Indy Go to him, and she won a (G1) Champagne,” Hancock told TTR AusNZ.

“Elegant Eagle had a bit of a quiet run, and now she's popped up with Air Assault, against all the old mare prejudice. He couldn't get a bid at the Inglis Premier Yearling because he was a big, narrow, leggy, backward and immature Justify out of an old mare. It's Not an ideal recipe for a yearling sale. But Harry believed in him.

“I remember talking to Chris (Watson) about it, Air Assault was always backward. The old mare thing is a bit of a fallacy, Mill Park with the attention to detail and the management of these old mares, you get the best foals. Same with late foals, Harry is more happy to cover a mare in December Harry doesn't follow the rules.

“Arctic Glamour's dam, Fartoo Flashy, was only lightly raced and she placed but had some issues so she could never be trained properly.

“But at the yearling sales Harry, Leon McDonald and I went down to look at her right towards the back of the complex, and we liked her, so we bought her.

“Fartoo Flashy went to Frosted to produce Arctic Glamour. Again, a very fast racehorse that hasn't been that successful here, but he was a great-looking horse.

“So, we chose to send a Galileo mare to horse that could run a mile or 1800 metres to try and breed a similar horse and that's what we have with Arctic Glamour.

“You watch all of her wins; she's been a bit of a standout. Arctic Glamour was very well-named because she is a glamour. She has the Galileo and the Success Express, the grandmother, who's a huge influence is by Vain.

“Harry also was part of the group that bred Rose Quartz, who placed in a Group 3 on Saturday. But I'm just the spoke in the wheel of the team. I'm part of the team that helps put the pieces together, and Harry pulls the trigger.

“Harry is a great racing man. He enjoys the win, and he takes the hard losses and moves on. Harry rang me up when Air Assault missed a run last start because when they took pre-race bloods part of the needle broke in the horse and they couldn't get it out, he said, “Mate you wouldn't believe it, there's another chapter in the book of why I can't get to the races,” but he moved on. He's a great, very positive owner, win, lose or draw.”

Watson and Mill Park vital to the operation

Chris Watson, the general manager of Mill Park Stud, a vital cog in the wheel. The Watson/Mill Park Stud relationship with Perks stretches back to the Toorak Park Stud days.

Watson oversees the management and development of Perks' broodmares and foals.

Watson was well-acquainted with Saturday's trio. However, due to the devastation of COVID around travel and staff restrictions, Air Assault and Arctic Glamour were consigned under different vendors at the 2022 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale.

Stonehouse Thoroughbreds consigned the passed-in Air Assault and Noorilim Park presenting Arctic Glamour who sold for $185,000 to Ryan and Alexiou Racing.

“The relationship with Harry stretches back to the late 80s. It's a good sort of 30-year relationship we've had.

“Harry is a great breeder. And if you look at the stock from South Australia on a statistical level, the amount we've bred and the number of stakes winner we've (Mill Park) raised or sold in South Australia, and not only us many other properties it would read extremely well, I think.

“I've had numerous conversations with Adrian Hancock in the past regarding South Australia. It was a real juggernaut back in the 60s and 70s, and the population has sort of declined a little bit here, and the breeders have dropped off.

“The numbers and volume haven't come out of the state, but I think on a statistical level the number of stakes winners bred or sold would show a positive outlook on the South Australian breeding industry.”

Attrition pleases the eyes

“Harry loves and is heavily influenced by international breeding. He loves a stallion that brings performance and a big, deep family.

“Attrition was part of the first crop of Churchill that year (2021). We sold him in Melbourne for $180,000 to Mitch Freedman. Attrition always had a lot of quality even though it was obvious he wasn't going to be an early 2-year-old, but he had the look that he would be a 3-year-old and get over a bit of a trip.

“He was a beautiful moving horse, just really gorgeous to look at. I thought that the price for a Churchill at that stage was pretty well found. I think a lot of people were quite attracted to him and obviously, Mitch was really taken with Attrition,” Watson told TTR AusNZ.

“Arctic Glamour was a little different. She was quite a strong filly. Arctic Glamour had a lot of power and strength to her. She was a very well-put-together filly, and probably Frosted, not really on everybody's radar, held her back.

“Gerald Ryan had a lot of difficulties trying to sell her shares in her early on. I think the Frosted factor was probably the reason. So much of the Australian marketplace is after the Australian colonial sprinting lines, so this was a little bit different, but she was a gorgeous type.

“It also shows they can come anywhere. The first crop of Justify's we had were from mares with stout bloodlines as we were trying to chase that sort of middle-distance aspect.

“When Air Assault arrived the others were very tall, leggy, lean-looking horses that you could see needed a heap of time.

“Air Assault was very immature as a yearling. However, he was very athletic but certainly wasn't your typical sales horse. He found it very difficult to find a home at that stage. But Harry, being so persistent, was very happy to take him home, and it turned out to be a successful move.

“It's very exciting for Harry, and it's all looking very promising for Air Assault and that stallion.”

Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything

Breedshaping stallions of the ilk of Redoute’s Choice and Lonhro have taken out the Caulfield Guineas over the years, and the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained Griff added his name to the race’s illustrious honour roll after a dominant 1.75l victory over talented colt Veight (Grunt {NZ}), with the previously unbeaten Steparty (Artie Schiller {USA}) going down all guns blazing in third.

The race wasn’t devoid of drama either, with short-priced favourite Militarize (NZ) (Dundeel {NZ}) slowly into stride and Griff almost snatching defeat from the jaws of victory when he veered to his right and into the path of his nearest pursuers in the closing stages.

Sent off at odds of $31, Griff was the least fancied of the four Maher-Eustace runners despite winning both a Listed race at Flemington and the G2 Stutt S. on his previous two outings, but the colt overcame a horror draw in 15 of 15 to become the first horse since Whobegotyou (Street Cry {Ire}) in 2008 to complete the Stutt S.-Caulfield Guineas double.

On a day of firsts, Griff also became the first Group 1 winner for his Widden Stud-based sire Trapeze Artist, whilst also providing his ecstatic owner Sean Griffiths with his very first Group 1 winner as an owner.

“It’s still sinking in,” a delighted Griffiths told The Thoroughbred Report. “I was telling the Mrs beforehand that I was still getting over his win at Flemington!

“I thought he had a chance until the barrier draw, and then I thought no one really wins from out there that often, so we’re going to need luck.

“I thought we’d burn some energy coming across, but I was next to Toby from Ciaron Maher’s and once they settled down I said to him that we’d just gone a 12 and a half sectional, which is perfect. I thought we might be able to hold on for a drum, I was thinking third, but I knew he was tough. He’s got a bit of heart and when he’s in front he’s hard to get by.

“He’s never drifted like that before either, he’s been pretty tractable. I think they said he shied at the screen or something, but I was completely lost by that point.”

The way Griff wandered about in the shadows of the post suggests that he is far from the finished article, a sentiment that is in keeping with what Griffiths has been told by the Maher and Eustace camp ever since his star colt first stepped foot in their stable.

It promises to be a hugely exciting future for a horse who only broke his maiden at Warwick Farm as recently as June, and Griffiths is more than happy to leave that future in the hands of his esteemed trainers.

“They always had a good opinion of him, but they always said that he was very immature, very lean and very narrow, so whatever he did as a young horse was a bonus and on pure ability,” Griffiths added.

“Even his maiden win was a surprise because we thought that he’d need a prep or two to mature. I was happy with that one and I was thinking of the autumn in my hopes and dreams, but they gave him a freshen up and the bar just kept raising.

“I thought maybe 1600 metres would have found him out, but that’s why I leave it to Ciaron and Dave. They’re the best in the business and they’ll tell me what’s on the cards next. I’ll be happy to have a rest, but we’ll see if he goes for anything else.

“I don’t know if next year he’ll go back in trip to 1200 (metres), but I think a race like The Everest is on every owner’s menu, as is a Cox Plate. You just don’t consider these sorts of races when you set out, it’s a bit overwhelming really.”

Exceeding expectations

As a Group 1-winning 3-year-old colt by one of the country’s most commercial young stallions in Trapeze Artist, suitors are likely to be forming an orderly queue to secure Griff for stud duties once his career on the track has come to a close.

Griffiths, however, is intent on enjoying the ride for a little while longer yet and currently has no plans to relinquish his prized asset, whose name holds special significance as a family moniker.

“Never in my wildest dreams did I think he’d become a stallion prospect, but I didn’t get into it to make money, so I’m going to race the good horses for as long as possible,” Griffiths said.

“After his maiden win there were a few little bites from Hong Kong, but I wasn’t going to sell one with a little bit of a namesake. There’s obviously a few Griffs and Griffos in the family, so he’s probably got a bit of a following.

“Once I saw the mare’s name I thought that it was an opportunity to call him after the family nickname and get everyone involved a bit, but it’s backfired a bit as now I seem like an arrogant p****, a one owner who has called the horse Griff after himself, and that’s the last thing I want. I’m not that sort of person, I’m not a limelight man.

“I didn’t think he’d win at Moe, let alone this.”

Out of the Sebring mare Chateau Griffo, who was placed in the G3 Blue Diamond Preview for fillies as a juvenile, Griff was initially passed in at last year’s Inglis Premier Yearling Sale, before trainer Levi Kavanagh snapped him up on Griffiths’ behalf for $80,000.

With the majority of his ownership interests already in the Maher and Eustace stable, Griffiths elected to send his new acquisition into training with the all-conquering operation, joining the two other horses whom the Mornington-based carpenter owns outright.

Having observed the careers of both his sire and dam from afar, Griffiths kept a close eye on Griff when he was offered for sale by his co-breeders Widden Stud as a yearling, but given the racetrack exploits of Trapeze Artist and Chateau Griffo, he didn’t hold out much hope of landing a bid on the distant member of the fruitful Hips Don’t Lie (NZ) (Stravinsky {USA}) family.

“I followed the dam Chateau Griffo because of the namesake and I knew she was a good horse, so when I saw him come up at the Melbourne sale I thought as long as he’s fit and healthy then I’d have a crack,” he recalled.

“I thought that I could easily upgrade the dam’s race record because I think she should have beaten Limestone and Tulip on her first start in the Blue Diamond Preview - I think she ran some of the best sectionals of the day. I thought that Trapeze Artist was underrated, he just kept winning and at big odds too, so I wasn’t worried about the sire either.

“I watched the sale to see what he would go for and I didn’t think I’d ever be able to get him. When he passed in I thought that he might have something wrong with him, so I rang Ciaron and Gab (Nutt) to see if maybe he scoped badly or something, but they had nothing bad to say about him, and Levi said he was fine, so I thought we’d roll the dice.

“He looked athletic to me, physically, so on the outside he was all good, but I think the roman nose threw a few people off. He hasn’t got the prettiest head, but who does?

“I thought he’d maybe run at Moe on a Thursday or something and it would be a bit of an interest for us, but he just keeps raising the bar.”

Like father like son

Griffiths, whose interest in racing can be traced back to his teenage years, currently has varying percentages in six horses with Maher and Eustace, but it wasn’t until his Dad fell ill a few years ago that he decided to ramp up his ownership interests.

His father, like Griffiths himself, is an ex-military man, and following the progress of Griffiths’ string of horses has proven to be a huge source of enjoyment for the pair.

“I used to work at Tony Noonan’s stables as a teenager and I’ve loved horses from there,” Griffiths said. “I’ve always been a mad punter and bet on the weekend, and as you get older you can afford some shares.

“As the finances dictate I’ve got a little bigger. My old man had a bad medical diagnosis a few years ago and we thought he might not be around that long. We’ve punted together every Saturday for the past 20 or 30 years and I thought getting involved with a few shares could be a good way to keep an interest together and keep him involved.

“At the time he wasn’t given that long but they gave him a bit longer and he’s still here. Every time one of the horses wins you think the excitement might give him a bit more, he’s loving it.

“Getting the emails is a big part of it and Ciaron Maher is so good at keeping the owners updated with videos every week. Even when they’re not racing it keeps your mind busy and stimulated, which is good for everybody.”

The Maher and Eustace juggernaut was also experiencing a first on Saturday as the dynamic duo added the G1 Caulfield Guineas to their burgeoning resumes, and Griffiths could not be more effusive in his praise for Victoria’s Champion Trainers.

“You can’t go wrong with them,” he said. “I only know from my years of experience punting, but if you want to get with the best then you’ve got to put them with the best.

“They’re that much larger that they can offer so much variety. The horses can be at the beach or a quieter training area in the paddocks and out of the city - they can be anywhere. They just figure it out, send them there and all without the extra costs that other trainers have as it’s part of their regular package.

“They know more than me and, like anything, you just have to trust them until you can’t, but they have never given me any reason not to. They are very professional and they’re good blokes as well.”

Living the dream

Griffiths also has a share in the stakes-winning filly Zoukerette (I Am Invincible) with the Maher and Eustace team, a filly who cost decidedly more than her Group 1-winning stablemate Griff having been secured by her trainers in conjunction with Suman Hedge Bloodstock (FBAA) for $800,000 at last year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

With both a stallion prospect and a valuable broodmare proposition among his small team of horses, it’s hardly surprising that Griffiths’ enthusiasm for the game shows no sign of relenting, but despite his remarkable success, the ex-military man is managing to keep his feet firmly on the ground.

“I said to the boys (Maher and Eustace) that I’m a bit worried that it’s all downhill after this,” he quipped. “To get a Group 1 this early in the venture is amazing really, but I think I’ve set myself up for disappointment now.

“I remember being in the paddock with one of Ciaron Maher’s team and they asked what race I wanted to win, and I said I’d be happy if I won on a Saturday. I don’t care where they run, I just like the interest of having them run around.

“A lot of people give you a little bit of stick if you own horses, they think it’s a bit of a nothing venture, but I love the sport and I’ll always be a part of it. It’s such a great thrill.

“The emotion is more than going to war, I can tell you that. I didn’t expect it and I thought I’d be able to handle it a bit better - I’m still getting over having a Flemington winner!”

Judging by that time scale, it will take Griffiths far more than a few weeks to get over his latest triumph.