Cover image courtesy of Western Racepix
With this our second-last edition of 2023, it is an opportune time to press pause and revisit the biggest stories of the year. Most of our list is comprised of memorable moments - and there was no shortage of them to choose from - however, there is never a dull moment in this sport, and, again, there were some major controversies that took us by surprise.
So, in no particular order, here are the biggest stories The Thoroughbred Report covered in 2023.
Oliver’s final bow
Not all farewells go to script, but that can’t be said for champion jockey Damien Oliver.
In late August, Oliver announced that he was calling time on his stellar career following Perth’s summer carnival in December. ‘Ollie’ was keen to finish where he started, in his native Western Australia.
On his final day in the saddle, at Ascot on December 16, Oliver was winless through four rides ahead of Race 7. That all changed when, much to the delight of the huge crowd, he guided Devine Belief (Playing God) home for trainer David Harrison. Oliver made it a double in Race 8, partnering Magnificent Andy (Magnus) home for Stephen Miller, before finishing on the perfect note, producing an absolute peach of a ride to win the race named in his honour - the G3 Damien Oliver Gold Rush - on Nick Ryan’s Munhamek (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}).
Oliver rightly returned to the mounting yard to a hero’s welcome.
“Dreams do come true, aye. That was unbelievable,” he told Sky Racing post-race.
Damien Oliver returns to scale victorious aboard Munhamek (GB) in a race named in his honour, on his final day in the saddle | Image courtesy of Western Racepix
“There’s a bit of relief, I suppose, attention is not really my area. But the crowd here at Ascot today, what a wonderful reception.”
Not only was it one of the greatest moments of the racing year, many will have it high up on their list of biggest stories in Australian sport for the year.
Winx’s first foal to be offered for sale
In mid-September, it was revealed that shoppers would have the opportunity to buy the first foal of the great mare Winx (Street Cry {Ire}).
The Pierro filly will be offered by Coolmore, the farm on which Winx herself was raised, on behalf of her owners Peter and Patty Tighe, Woppitt Bloodstock, Elizabeth Treweeke and Rick Treweeke on Day 2 of the 2024 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
“It’s as excited as I’ve been in my time at Inglis and I can’t imagine too many times in my bloodstock life that I’d be more excited,” Inglis Bloodstock CEO Sebastian Hutch said. “It’s a fantastic opportunity for our business, but generally speaking it’s just going to be fantastic for the Australian thoroughbred.”
Incredibly, Winx won 33 consecutive races, 25 of which were at the highest level, and she is the only horse to win the G1 Cox Plate on four occasions.
Rosehill bombshell
Earlier this month, seemingly out of nowhere, the massive news broke that Rosehill Gardens would be sold off and turned into a ready-made community, with up to 25,000 new homes, a metro station, and a school.
The Australian Turf Club (ATC) said it will invest up to $5 billion into racing and racing infrastructure by developing Rosehill Gardens Racecourse as a housing and entertainment mini city.
If it goes ahead, racing and training will be moved in stages from Rosehill Gardens to new tracks by the end of the decade.
ATC Chairman Peter McGauran said the proposal was the most significant opportunity in the history of Sydney racing.
Peter McGauran | Image courtesy of Australian Turf Club
“This future-proofs Sydney racing for a century to come,” he said in a statement.
“It will cement Sydney racing as the best, most modern and financially secure jurisdiction anywhere in the world.”
Rosehill-based trainer Gerald Ryan told TTR AusNZ: “Now I’ve digested everything they put forward, I think it’s terrific, it’s progress.”
Hall of Fame trainer Gai Waterhouse, however, was scathing of the proposal, saying: “I think it’s the saddest decision they’ve ever made. I think the government are completely wrong. I don’t think they’ve thought it through and haven’t done their due diligence. I bet there’s not one racing person there that has any idea.”
Racing to cease in Singapore
Staying on the theme of closures, in June we were confronted with the huge news that the racing in Singapore would come to an end after more than 180 years.
The Singapore government will be closing its lone racecourse to make space for public housing, with the final meeting to be held in October 2024.
The chairman of the Singapore Turf Club, Niam Chiang Meng, said the club was saddened by the decision, but that it also understood the “land needs” of Singapore. The 120-hectare site was a valuable resource, he said, adding: “This transition will serve to optimise land use for the greater good of the local community and future generations.”
Proisir on top in NZ
The 2022/23 season saw Savabeel’s eight-year reign as champion New Zealand sire broken, with Rich Hill Stud resident Proisir toppling Waikato Stud’s kingpin.
Proisir sired 47 winners from 89 runners on New Zealand racetracks, with eight individual stakes winners and total progeny earnings of NZ$4.1 million.
Proisir | Standing at Rich Hill Stud
Savabeel finished runner-up with 53 winners, five individual stakes winners and prizemoney of NZ$2.6 million.
Proisir’s stellar season included five individual Group 1 scorers, they being Dark Destroyer (NZ), Pier (NZ), Legarto (NZ), Levante (NZ) and Prowess (NZ).
Cox moves from Godolphin to Yulong
In early October, we learned that Vin Cox was leaving Godolphin Australia for Yulong Stud.
Widely regarded as one of the most respected leaders in racing and breeding, Cox was influential during his tenure at Godolphin Australia, which lasted close to six years.
“There’s no doubt I will miss the people and the horses immensely,” Cox told TTR AusNZ.
Cox commenced his role of general manager at Yulong Stud in early December.
Yulong’s star-studded broodmare band grows
Top-quality race mares were again highly sought-after, with no less than four of them fetching at least $3 million at the 2023 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale on the Gold Coast.
Triple Group 1 winner Forbidden Love (All Too Hard) realised $4.1 million, with Yulong Stud buying her from the Newgate Consignment. Among other high-priced purchases for Yulong was the dual Group 1 heroine Snapdancer (Choisir) from the Sullivan Bloodstock draft for $3.2 million.
Remarkably, at the close of the 2023 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale, Yulong had spent an incredible $33.46 million, nearly a third of the sale’s entire trade.
At the 2023 Inglis Chairman’s Sale, Yulong went to $3.4 million for the four-time Group 1 victress Montefilia (Kermadec {NZ}); she was part of the Newgate Consignment, and $2.3 million for last year’s G1 Empire Rose S. winner Icebath (NZ) (Sacred Falls {NZ}).
Without A Fight completes the Cups double
After a brilliant win in a stirring edition of the G1 Caulfield Cup, Without A Fight (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) etched his name in history on the first Tuesday in November, becoming the first horse since Ethereal (NZ) (Rhythm {USA}) in 2001 and twelfth of all-time to land the Caulfield-Melbourne Cup double.
Winning jockey Mark Zahra opted to partner the Anthony and Sam Freedman-trained stayer in the two-mile feature, giving up the plum ride on last year’s Melbourne Cup hero Gold Trip (Fr) (Outstrip {GB}). His decision proved genius.
Anamoe retires to stud
After nine Group 1s - the most by a Godolphin horse anywhere in the world - the decision was made in April to retire the brilliant Anamoe.
Anamoe notched 14 victories from 25 starts and more than $12 million in earnings, with arguably his greatest performance - his victory in G1 Cox Plate in 2022.
Anamoe | Standing at Darley, image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
He retired from racing as only the second Australian horse in more than 20 years to win a Group 1 at two, three and four.
The son of Street Boss (USA) joined the Darley Kelvinside roster, standing his first season at a fee of $121,000 (inc GST).
Shinzo secures stud future
Coolmore homebred Shinzo (Snitzel) became one of the most valuable colts in the world when he was too good for his opposition in the Golden Slipper at Rosehill in March.
The Chris Waller-trained Shinzo is bred in the purple, being a son of a four-time Champion Sire of Australia from the two-time Group 1 winner Samaready (More Than Ready {USA}). That makes Shinzo a brother to the Group 3 victress Exhilarates.
Now three, Shinzo is certain to command a big service fee when he retires to stud and he is sure to be popular.
Kiwi mare goes to a new level
At the end of the year, one could easily make the case that Imperatriz (I Am Invincible) is both the best horse in Australasia and in the top five in the world, ratings aside.
In 2023, the New Zealand superstar raced nine times. She won eight races, six of them at Group 1 level.
She now boasts 17 wins from 23 starts, eight victories in top company and earnings of $5.36 million. And it appears there’s plenty more to come.
Think About It soars to the top
Another horse that swept all before it in 2023 was Think About It (So You Think {NZ}).
The Joseph Pride-trained gelding began the year winning a BM72 at Warwick Farm, he finished it with two Group 1s and a victory in The Everest.
Think About It had 10 starts in 2023; he won nine, with his lone defeat coming at his final run (in the Giga Kick S.).
Not bad for a $70,000 yearling purchase!
Equinox stamps himself as an all-time great
In late November, following a devastating win in the G1 Japan Cup, racing fans were dealt the news they had been dreading - Equinox (Jpn) was being retired to stud.
The Tetsuya Kimura-trained entire bowed out with eight wins from 10 starts and six Group 1s.
Equinox retired with a Timeform rating of 136, the joint-highest for a Japanese-trained horse in Timeform’s existence alongside the 1998 G1 Japan Cup winner El Condor Pasa (USA).
Shadai Stallion Station has set his introductory fee at ¥20 million (AU$206,400), which is a record high for a first-season stallion in Japan. It also makes him equal in price to his own sire Kitasan Black (Jpn), whose fee has been doubled for 2024.
Eustace heads for Hong Kong
Just one week ago, we learnt that Melbourne Cup-winning trainer David Eustace has been granted a trainer’s licence by the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC). The Englisman will finish up in Australia with training partner Ciaron Maher in January, before heading to Hong Kong in the new year, ahead of the 2024/25 season.
“Obviously, I am thrilled to be offered the position in Hong Kong; it has always been a dream of mine since I was a boy,” Eustace said in a joint statement confirming the move. “It’s exciting and a challenge I will relish, however I will miss being part of this extraordinary operation.”
David Eustace | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
Eustace, has been co-trainer for the past five years, and during that time, the stable has enjoyed a meteoric rise to the top of the Australian training ranks. Last season, they finished with a national-best 347 winners, more than 50 clear of Chris Waller in second, and they won the Victorian premiership with 266 wins (97 in town).
