Cover image courtesy of Element Hill
Prominent breeders, the Hutchins family of Element Hill, are selling their broodmare farm, as well as their entire bloodstock portfolio.
Element Hill is a boutique broodmare farm, situated on 700 acres in Running Creek in the picturesque scenic rim region of Queensland, and was founded by John Hutchins in 2010. It is managed by John’s son, Josh Hutchins.
The business has enjoyed great success over the past 15 years, breeding and racing the star mare Typhoon Tracy (Red Ransom {USA}) and breeding arguably the greatest Hong Kong horse of all-time, Golden Sixty (Medaglia D’Oro {USA}), among many others.
The Element Hill property will be offered for sale by Donovan & Co in partnership with Magic Millions, while 21 broodmares (all in foal), four race fillies, two unnamed yearlings, plus 14 unnamed weanlings, will be offered unreserved at this year’s Magic Millions National Yearling Sale on the Gold Coast in May.
Gallery: Element Hill have bred star horses including Typhoon Tracy and Golden Sixty
Josh Hutchins told The Thoroughbred Report it is a decision the family didn’t make lightly.
“It’s a mixed bag of emotions. It’s sad in some respects and no doubt it will be tough to see the property go as well as our bloodstock,” Hutchins explained.
“While it is very emotional to be selling the horses, it will be hugely sad to be saying farewell to our incredible staff at the farm. Some have been with us for 10-15 years and become family.
“While it is very emotional to be selling the horses, it will be hugely sad to be saying farewell to our incredible staff at the farm. Some have been with us for 10-15 years and become family.” - Josh Hutchins
“We’ve been in the game for a while now. It’s always been Dad’s passion, and mine to a degree. He’s getting older now, and to breed a horse, then get it to a yearling sale and sell it, it takes a couple of years, so just with his age, we thought he might enjoy it a bit more just by racing some nice fillies, instead of going through that whole process. That’s been the catalyst for having this dispersal sale.
“It is a full dispersal, except for our 2-year-old fillies, and we’ve got about half-a-dozen of those. We will continue to look to buy some nice fillies through Magic Millions, Inglis and even Karaka throughout the coming years.
Josh Hutchins and John Hutchins | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
“We still want to have a presence in racing. We have always enjoyed that, and it almost feels like we lost sight of that a little bit, just by breeding to sell.
“We still want to have a presence in racing. We have always enjoyed that, and it almost feels like we lost sight of that a little bit, just by breeding to sell.” - Josh Hutchins
“So, we certainly won’t be lost to the industry, it’s more so just changing our focus.”
Element Hill would likely not be where it is today without its foundation mare, Tracy’s Element (Last Tycoon {Ire}), and it is fitting the Hutchins family would name the property after her. John and wife Fu-mei bought Tracy’s Element - a multiple Group 1 winner in South Africa - off Vinery Stud for $1 million.
Tracy’s Element was carrying Red Element at the time of sale, and after five victories, including two in Listed grade, plus a Group 2 placing, he would subsequently be sold to stand at Glenlogan Park Stud for $1 million, so the large upfront investment paid dividends.
Part of the deal for Tracy’s Element, thanks largely to a persistent Fu-mei, who wouldn’t not accept something back the other way, was a service to Red Ransom (USA) (which was worth $60,000 at the time) and the resultant foal was Typhoon Tracy.
Tracy's Element | Image courtesy of Element Hill
Trained by Peter Moody, Typhoon Tracy looked a star from her debut, where she bolted in by 5.5l at Moonee Valley. She won her first five starts, culminating in the G1 Coolmore Classic at Rosehill in the autumn of 2009.
Typhoon Tracy enjoyed a glittering career, one that yielded 11 wins - nine in stakes company, including six Group 1s. She amassed earnings in excess of $2.4 million and was named Australia’s Horse of the Year 2009/10.
“What a great mare she was, we were very lucky to have her. She gave us a Horse of the Year in Typhoon Tracy, as well as her three sisters that we could breed from, and of course Red Element, who we sold as a stallion after winning some stakes races,” Hutchins said.
“What a great mare she (Tracy’s Element) was, we were very lucky to have her.” - Josh Hutchins
Around the same time as acquiring Tracy’s Element, the Hutchinses bought the Group 1 winners Bonanova (NZ) (Star Way {GB}) and Danendri (Danehill {USA}). That duo each produced two stakes winners, with Bonanova throwing Bonaichi (Fusaichi Pegasus {USA}) and Prima Nova (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), while Danendri foaled Banc De Fortune (Galileo {Ire}) and Zingam (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}).
Another of the Hutchinses' banner horses is Golden Sixty, who was born at Element Hill in the spring of 2015. His dam, the Group 2 scorer Gaudeamus (USA) (Distorted Humor {USA}), was bought by Josh Hutchins Bloodstock from the Wood Nook Farm draft for $160,000 at the 2015 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale Select Session. She was at the time in foal to Medaglia D’Oro (USA).
Golden Sixty was consigned by Element Hill at the 2017 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, with Riversley Park/Enigma Farm securing him for $120,000. He was later purchased by his trainer, Francis Lui, for NZ$300,000 from the Riversley Park draft at the 2017 New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale.
Golden Sixty as a yearling | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
The 8-year-old is a 10-time Group 1 winner, one of only two horses to win the G1 Hong Kong Mile three times, the other being Good Ba Ba (USA) (Lear Fan {USA}), and has been Hong Kong’s Horse of the Year the past four seasons, Golden Sixty boasts a phenomenal record of 26 wins and three placings from 30 starts, with earnings of a staggering HK$165,850,600 (AU$32,148,400).
“What an incredible horse he has been. He keeps fronting up season after season and getting the job done,” said Hutchins.
“What an incredible horse he (Golden Sixty) has been. He keeps fronting up season after season and getting the job done” - Josh Hutchins.
“We still have his dam, Gaudeamus, and her Wootton Bassett yearling filly will be offered as part of the dispersal sale. She is a lovely filly and will no doubt be popular. We’re hugely excited to offer her.”
The first Group 1 winner to be reared on Element Hill was the 2015 G1 Queensland Derby winner Magicool (Fastnet Rock), while other stakes winners off the farm include Risk Aversion (Encosta De Lago) and Master Ash (Sebring).
A Golden opportunity
The Element Hill dispersal features some of the bloodstock in Australia. Among the 21-member broodmare band are a host of stakes winners, including Amelia’s Dream (Redoute’s Choice), who is in foal to So You Think (NZ), Risk Aversion, who is in foal to Spirit Of Boom, and Pravana (Anabaa {USA}), who is in foal to Written By. There’s also My Amelia (Redoute's Choice) - the dam of the elite-level scorer and Group 3-producing sire The Mission, and Gaudeamus.
“There’s some broodmares there that we’ve kept in the family for quite a long time,” Hutchins commented.
“There’s some broodmares there that we’ve kept in the family for quite a long time.” - Josh Hutchins
“It has proven quite difficult to get into some of these families, especially that Typhoon Tracy family, so that becomes available for the first time in quite a while.
“There’s some desirable bloodlines there.
“All of the mares are in foal, with covering stallions including Zoustar, Home Affairs, Wootton Bassett, Capitalist, Russian Revolution and Dundeel.
“There’s weanlings by the likes of Zoustar, I Am Invincible, Exceed And Excel and Maurice.
“And the racing fillies, Typhoon Taavi is a multiple winner.”
Hutchins highlighted the Hawkesbury maiden winner Von Trapp (GB) (Frankel {GB}) as a mare he believes will be well sought-after. She is from the winning Dubawi (Ire) mare Chortle (GB) and she herself is closely related to the multiple Group 1 hero Hunter’s Light (Ire).
Gallery: Some of the sires of Element Hill's draft in the 2024 Magic Millions National Sale in May
“She’s a young Frankel mare in foal to Zoustar on a nice, early cover. It’s a great opportunity,” he said.
Hutchins also expects the Listed placegetter Single Blonde (Not A Single Doubt) to fetch good money. The 7-year-old is out of the dual Listed victress Regrowth (Unbridled's Song {USA}); she has thrown the Group 3 scorer Colour (More Than Ready {USA}) and is closely related to the Group 2 winner and Listed-producing sire Derryn.
“She’s a quality young mare in foal to Wootton Bassett, so she is likely to create plenty of interest,” said Hutchins.
The announcement of the Element Hill Unreserved Dispersal Sale continues a proud history of the National Sale hosting important and industry shaping dispersals. In the past decades those have included Shadwell Stud Australasia, Wood Nook Farm, Edinburgh Park, Spendthrift Australia, Patinack Farm, Teeley Assets and the Estates of the Late Eduardo and Henry Cojuangco.
“Element Hill is a name that is synonymous with success,” said Magic Millions Managing Director Barry Bowditch.
“Element Hill is a name that is synonymous with success.” - Barry Bowditch
“The H brand has adorned many stars around the world, none more so than Hong Kong’s greatest galloper and Magic Millions Yearling Sale graduate Golden Sixty.
“The Hutchins family have built up an impressive honour roll of success and the fruits of this work will be on offer at the National Sale in May.
“A wonderful group of weanlings will be presented along with Golden Sixty’s outstanding yearling half sister and a group of broodmares that would fit into any elite breeding operation.”
Barry Bowditch | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
The Element Hill property will be presented to the market in the coming months by Donovan & Co in conjunction with Magic Millions.
The 2024 Magic Millions National Sale is scheduled to be held from May 23 to June 5.
